Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-11-12
PROPERTY DESTROYED
VALUED AT $4,000
Garment Factory, Matthew's Foundry.
Towards Plumbing Shop and 6Ion-
del Residence Are Destroyed.
From The World of Friday:

del Residence Are Destroyed.
From The World of Friday:
One of the most spectacular and
destructive fires in Martinsburg in
many years occurred last night when
the old Fitz building on North Queen
street owned by Harry S. Cushwa and
George w. Buxton and the long frame
building over the Tuscarora creek, al
so owned by them, were destroyed, to-
gether with their contents, while at
the same time the residence of John H.
Blandel, adjoining on the south, was
partly consumed. The total loss is
estimated at over $4,000, partly COW
cred by insurance.
The losses are as follows: Cushwa
and Buttons two buildings. $4,000;
Perfection Garment Co., $4,000; 7. E.
Matthews &. Bro, foundry equipment
and stock, $1,000; H. H. Howard
plumbing shop, $500; Michael Ziler,
barber shop, 5000. B.ondel house and
furniture, $4,000.
The fire started from some unknown
cause in the back part of Mr.. How
ards plumbing shop in the frame
building, just south of the two story
stone building in which latter the
greatest loss was sustained. The fire
alarm sounded at one o'clock and it
wasn't long before the whole fire de-
= partment was on the scene and had
six streams Of water playing on the
flames. The fire soon communicated
to the stone building, and so fierce
were the flames that they could not
be checked and it like the frame struc
ture in which were the plumbing and
barber shops, was doomed to destruc-
ton
The ground floor of the stone build
ing was occupied by T. E. Matthews
& Bros foundry and machine shop
and the upper floor by the Perfection
Garment Co., J. r. Poland and J. e.
Thrasher. proprietors, whose loss is
considerably the heaviest.
In the meanwhile Mr. Blondell's
family made their escape with difficult
ty from the burning building, No 410
North Queen street. They sought shell
ter at the home of Clinton Rentch ad-
joining, while the house was partly
destroyed and the furniture, carpets,
etc. ruined by fire water and smoke.
Messrs. Matthews stock of iron and
a lot Of pulleys, in a frame building
over the Tuscarora, were reduced to
scrap while the machines in the foun-
dry were damaged by fire and the
woodwork ng machinery back of the
foundry was damaged by water. Their
loss would have been greater had the
floor above been entirely burned
through
The garment factory on the second
floor was Quilted. The proprietors had
just received a big invoice of cloth,
etc, which might have been saved but
for the fact that Messrs. Poland and
their male employees knew nothing of
the fire until this morning. One of
their losses most regretted is lot of
valuable patterns, the accumulation
OF several years, which were totally
destroyed. This feature of their loss
is hard TO estimate. In addition to the
patterns hey lost about $4,000 worth
OF new clotn couple hundred ladies
and misses suits, some 500 ladies'
dresses ready to wear, together with
petticoats, coats and furs amounting
to about $4,000, while the machinery
was damaged to the extent of over
$1,000. Some SIS in payroll money
was also destroyed. The whole loss
Is about half covered by insurance,
as is the case in the other losses, ex-
cept the three buildings mentioned
where the insurance, is considerably
less.
The firemen worked like heroes to
save the buildings, but partly failing
In that. they surely did prevent the
further spread of the flames to valua
bic nearby properties. With the big
Parks mill on the west, the large whole
sale grocery and warehouse ON the
north and dwelling houses all around,
the wonder is that the fire was still
not more destructive than it was. The
night was very cold with high wind
from the west. so that buildings at
distance were endangered by flying
sparks and e7nbers. AS it was the sta
BILE at Lee NJ. Bender's lumber yards
TO the east caught fire, but City Clerk
Percy NJ. Letter got out the planning
mill hose and turning stream of wa
ter on the stable extinguished the
fire.
The stone building was 37x110 feet
in dimensions and was butt in 1857 by
Samuel Fitz for foundry.
The Bell Telephone Co. is also a
pretty heavy loser by the fire, a cable
being burned through on North Queen
street, putting lot of phones out of
service until the repairs were made.
Electric light wires were also broken
in the nniQhhorhpnd nf tI,a ff,a