The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-01-17

The large three-story brick build
ing on Main street known as the Red
Stone Front building, owned jointly
by o. NJ. Spettigue and w. J. Ref,
that was the scene of considerable
business activity on Saturday, is a
mass of ice-covered ruins to-day. ow-
ing to fire which started in Reifs
shoe store about twenty minutes to
two on Sunday morning.
The absence of George Bergman was
mot thought seriously of until late
Sunday afternoon. He is supposed
to have perished in or near the
scene of the fire. Searching parties
are making an effort to recov-
er the body dead or alive.
On account of the intense cold
weather there was no one on the
streets at that hour. The fire was
discovered by Mrs. c. H. Rettew,
wife of Councilman Rettew, who
was awakened by the falling of plate
glass Going to the window she re-
marked to Mr.. Rettew that Refs
shoe store was burning. She went
TO the telephone and called up CEN
trial, who sent in the alarm. The fire
is supposed to have started in the
front of the store and worked its way
backward and upward to the law Of
fees of Homer Greene and c. A. Nc
Carty.
The work was very difficult in the
bitter cold but the firemen succeeded
in keeping the flames from spreading
TO the wooden building to the south
occupied by A. Eberhardt, and the
wooden building to the north occu-
pied by the II. X. B. store and also
the liveries of Fred Rickard and NJ.
Lee Braman in the rear. Council
man Rettew told a Citizen man that
he never saw quicker response by
the fire companies. He claimed that
when he reached the street after the
alarm had been given two strings of
hose had been laid ready for action.
Among the first to arrive were men,
bers of Hose Company No. l, Protec-
tion Engine No. 8, followed by the
Chemical Engine Company of Texas
No. 4, and the Alert Hook and Lad
der Company of East Honesdale.
On their arrival the fire had reached
the front of the building and was
rapidly gaining headway upward.
While some of the men were remov-
ing the show case of Photographer
Bodie from the building the Ref
awning, which was mass of flames,
fell upon them. They, however, es-
capped injury.
After the first alarm of fire the
gong blew necessarily for a period of
about ten minutes. Firemen re-
sponded, but still there were not
enough men to manipulate the noz-
Zels to play the streams of water up
on the now fiercely burning building.
Fire Chief II. A. Oday called for more
men and soon there were from two
to three men on each hose. These
men were soon mass OF ice and
with aching fingers and ears they re-
manned at their post until relieved
by new men. Many of the stores
opened their doors to the men to
warm themselves. Frozen and burst
ing hose, bodies aching from the ex-
ertion and extreme cold, hindered the
men in their attempt to fight the
blaze and at about five o'clock 1t
was thought that the fire was at last
under control. The fire fighters
worked gallantly to confine the
4ames to the Ref side of the build
hing but to no purpose for portion
of the S-inch brick wall fell through
and the flames leaped through the
opening into the hardware store of
o. NJ. Spettigue, and soon that side
of the building was mass of f1ames.
The dynamite cartridges, shot gun
snellS ana gun powder Wnlcn ne car
ried in stock had been removed from
the building soon after the first alarm
had been sounded
The steamer had been stationed at
the plug in front of the Union depot
and there were ten streams of water
being played upon the building,
which formel ice as soon as it fell.
The front of the building was a
solid mass of ice. When the Spetti-
que part of the building caught fire
it was necessary to make another call
for help and about five o'clock the
second alarm was turned in. This call
for help brought the Seelyville boys,
who laid line of hose from the city
hall to the H. X. B. store, f. G.
Terwilliger, proprietor, and after a
fearless fight, enduring the pangs of
the extreme cold night bravely, the
thermometer registering almost 25
degrees below zero, they helped save
many of the adjoining buildings from
possible destruction. Much credit is
due the Seelyville fire company for
the manner in which they worked
also for coming the distance they did
TO help out the Honesdale boys
The fire was not under complete con,
troll until about 10 o'clock Sunday
morning, and then II was necessary
to keep one line of hose, playing wa.
ter on the building nearly all day