Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1913-03-14
FIRE TOTALLY DESTROYS ELEVATOR
HE|STON STORAGE BUILDING Quilted
The Loss is Estimated at More Than
$25,OOO.OO With An Insurance That
Will Cover All But Mr.. Licklider's Loss

The firemen deserve great credit
for the manner in which they fought
the flames. After liz was found that
the elevator was doomed their fight.
ing force was concentrated on the
big four story warehouse of the Heis
TOMS Four streams were on this
most of the time and the blaze was
finally driven away from the front
windows and line Of hose taken
to the third floor by means of lad
der and here the last stand was tax
on and the blaze conquered.
Alarm is Slow.
1t must have been before two
o'clock when it was discovered that
the Licklider place was on fire. Mr.
and Mrs. Peter Thorn. whose lum
Der yard is a short distance to the
northwest of the fire, had been smell
ing smoke for an hour or more and
Mr. Thorn had made an investigation
about his place. The flames were ev-
identity seen by several persons about
the SANE time and the alarm sent in
The chemical wagon got under way,
and was at the fire when the alarm
was sounded On the big bell over the
city hall. Strong men were on re
rope and after three taps the rope
broke and while it was being repair
ed the old bell was beaten with a
hammer and the sound did not carry
far.
Hose on the Rack.
While the chemical wagon had a
full supply of hose, the reel which is
kept in the market house and is
used in all emergencies was at the
fire house and the hose was on the
rack to dry from the fire of the night
before. This had to be wound on
the reel before it could be taken to
the fire, and delayed the putting in
use of another stream.
lncendiary Origin.
A disastrous fire broke out about 2
O'Clock this morning in the Cumber-
land Valley Railroad grain elevator
and the frame warehouse and sales
room of Mr.. T. p. Licklider, adjoin-
ing on West Race street, completely
DESTROYING the buildings and their
contents. and badly damaging Mr.. w.
II. Heiston's large brick storage
house and contents adjacent on the
east. The total loss is estimated at
s27 900. on which there is an insur-
ance of about $4,000
That the fire was of incendiary orr
gin there is no reason to doubt, and
it is furthermore noticeable that this
is the fourth incendiary fire In Mar
tinsburg within the last four weeks,
The fire evidently started in the
north end of Mr. Lieklider's farm I'M
element warehouse where II Joined
the c. Y. elevator On the east side
of the warehouse door led to the
large scale in the alley between the
elevator and the Heiston storage
house. 1t is supposed that the incen-
diary broke open this door and set
fire TO the building inside and next to
the Office, In few minutes the
whole structure was in flames and
soon they communicated to the three
story grain elevator, Of which MT
Lickiider was the lessee.
so fiercely did the fire burn that de-
spite the united efforts of the whole
fire department. with six lines OF hose
playing on the flames, nothing could
save the buildings. This was partly
due to the fact that the fire had got
ten under such headway BY the time
the firemen arrived on the scene.
Mr.. Lickider says that when he
left his Office at six o'clock yesterday
evening the fire in the stove was out,
so the confagration could not have
been caused by an overheated stove
in the office.
Mr. Licklider. has been in business
there for the past twenty years and
has built up large business. Though
he was lessee of the G. ". grain