The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-06-23
A DANGEROUS FIRE!
Nipped in Its Incipiency by Efficient
Firemen.

III lJS ny
Firemen.
About $3.50 o'clock on Monday
morning the writer was among those
who were awakened from sleep by
the dread cry of Fire! Fire!"
Hastily arising and going to the
window of his bed room he saw a
thin column of smoke arising from
the building jointly occupied as a
shoe shop by Otto Castek, paint shop
by Judd Keene and by Butcher Dun
kelburg as an ice house. He at once
called up Central who responded
promptly. The operator was inform
ed that fire was in progress in the
rear of Gibbs machine shop and was
requested that the alarm be sent in
this was done, and in a very short
time the fire gong was sounding the
alarm. The race between the fire
demon and the firemen was now on.
The flames which up to this time
were invisible on the outside, now
broke out in several places, and the
prospects were favorable for a fierce
and destructive conflagration as the
burning building were surrounded
by a number of wooden buildings and
so close that immediate steps were
made by the occupants to vacate and
save their possessions, but the hustl-
ing firemen were responding very
promptly to the alarm, and in an in
crediable short time the hose cart
reached the scene and had several
streams of water in operation while
the steamer took position on the
bank of the river, Immediately in
front of the burning building and was
soon diverting some of the water of
the Lackawaxen in two powerful
streams at the fierce flames. Good
Judgment, hard and self-sacrificing
labor on the part of the Honesdale
fire laddies who were ably assisted by
the members of Texas No. 4 and
Alert Hook and Ladder companies,
soon checked the further progress of
the flames and in very short time
the fire was under control. A sigh
of relief went up from the many
spectators who, realizing the i'm
pending danger were gratified
to know that the danger was over
and damage would be confined to the
immediate scene of the beginning of
the conflagration. Too much credit
cannot be given the Fire Department
for the quickness in reaching the fire
rapidly displayed in getting into
action, and excellent Judgment in
handling what under other circum-
stances would have been one of the
most disastrous contiagrations that
Honesdale ever witnessed. Fifteen
minutes of uninterruption to the
spread of this fire would have result
ed in sweeping away the entire block
of wooden buildings that the flames
were reaching out to embrace. When
the tiremen got to work, the blaze
was increasing in ratio that looked
as if mastery of it would soon be
beyond their control until it had ac-
complished the dread work of de-
vastation with great loss to owners
and tenants.
1t is not known positively how the
fire originated, although there are
many theories afloat. 1t undoubted-
ly started on the lower floor and in
the rear of the shoe shop, which was
totally destroyed. This was owned
by William Peil and was insured for
$500. The adjoining building which
is owned by Mrs. Oliver Bunnell and
occupied by Mr.. Paul Sonner and
Mart Bush was greatly damaged. Mr..
Sonner by the help of those who ar
rived early, managed to get nearly
all of his possessions out of the house
but the Bush family awakened out
of a sound sleep found escape cut off
by the way of their front stairway,
had all they could do to escape by
the rear and saved only the night
clothes they wore. Mr.. and Mrs.
Bush and their four children were
taken in and cared for until they
could rehabilitate themselves. Their
furniture was mostly destroyed.
Mrs. Bunnell had no insurance upon
her building, having made it a prac
tice to insure her own property, de-
posting each year in the bank the
premium she would otherwise pay
to insurance companies.