The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-03-08
HEROIC RESCUE MADE BY
FOREMAN LORIS AT FIRE
Sunday Morning at Erik Brothers
Store-Fireman Overcome by
Smoke Was Carried Out
of Burning Building.


A daring and heroic rescue was
made at the Erik Brothers fire last
Sunday morning, when Foreman
Benjamin F. Loris, of Hose Com
pany No. /, entered the burning
building and carried out one of the
| oldest and longest in service mem
bers of Protection Engine Company
No. 8.
The boys of Hose Company No l
were playing a stream on the fire
on the first floor when one of the
nozzlemen saw a faint glimmer of
light inside as if it were a lantern
in the hands of a firemen. The
smoke was dense, having been made
so by the falling of the three floors
occurred but five minutes before
Foreman Loris faced the fiery
tongues and ran to where the light
family shone through the penetrat-
ing smoke. 1t was a man. He
picked him up in his arms and car
ried the almost overcome fireman
to the street, where it was discover
ed he was one who had been long
in the service of the company. AT
ter receiving fresh air he soon re-
covered and was again on duty. 1t
is presumed that the fireman was
| overcome by the smoke and wander
ed into the burning building, not
knowing where he was going.
Leroy Lienbach was also over
come by smoke while on a ladder
and was carried to the ground by
Otto Truscott.
The fire in the Keystone Block last
Sunday morning recalls to mind the
two previous fires some years ago in
this same block. The first fire took
place on the morning of May 10,
1901, and again on the evening of
April "a, 1907. Both fires as was
the present one, were destructive
| and aggregated many thousands dol
| lars damage.
About two o'clock Friday morning,
May 10, 1901, fire was discovered in
| the first story of Freeman's clothing
store in the Keystone Block. Jacob
/ Freeman then occupied the northern
! half OF the large store erected by
Knapp and Jenkins about 4 years
| ago. The alarm was turned in and
! the members of Protection Engine
| Company with one steamer respond
ed, also Alert Hook and Ladder COM
pany ana Texas No. Chemical En-
gine was promptly on the scene. The
steamer was located at the foot of
| 7th street and got water from the
| Lackawaxen river. The fire spread
! to Menner & Co.'S store in the same
block and their stock was badly dam
aged by smoke and water Smoke
also penetrated the studio of j. A.
Bodie, it doing considerable
| damage to the fixtures and pictures.
/ w. W. Weston then owned the build
ing now occupied by Erik Brothers.
I The losses in this fire were covered
| by insurance.
! On April "a, 1907, fire was dis
cvered in the third story of the Erik
| building in the Keystone Block in
the rooms occupied by j. a. Bodie
as a studio. Mr.. Bodie, Sr., was in
Scranton at the time. The fire prac-
tically destroyed every thing COM
bustible on the third floor but little
damage was done on the second and
first floors other than by water. The
flames weakened the floor and the
heavy safe in Bodies studio crashed
through to the second foor. Bodies
loss was covered by insurance. The
fire made its way through the wall
into the Freeman store but was
checked before 1t could gain much
headway, but it succeeded in dam
| aging the stock of clothes.
In Inese fires as in the recent one
the origin could not be determined
and ii was supposed that it was of
| incendiary origin as is the present
/ supposition of the origin of the fire
of Sunday morning.