The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1915-04-16

The eharred bodies of two men, aft
erward identified as jeremiah d. and
James H. Jackson, brothers, were found
at 8 O'Clock this morning in the ruins
of the largest and most pretentious of
the half dozen cave-like dwellings
known as "Fort Cinder,'' along the
Pennsylvania Railroad near the old
Paxtang Electric Light Company plant,
just south of the city limits.
The cave-like home in the cinder
bank was swept by fire which broke
out at $50 O'Clock this morning, but
no one suspected there had been any
lives lost until several hours later. The
men evidently were overcome by smoke
while sleeping soundly. Then the flames
burned off their arms and legs. An
overheated eookstove is believed to
have caused the fire.
The population of all the cave-like
homes of ''Fort Cindern is now re-
dueed to about six persons, although
last winter two dozen men found shell
ter in its odd habitations.' Four of
the former inmates are serving terms
in prison for the theft of whiskey from
former Police Sergeant "Tom" Nell
ley's Half Way House, in Steelton.
Others have left the "Fort IS" hos
pitable doors,-if the holes can be
called doors.
Odd Human Habitation
The hame-swept quarters were OBJ
long. The outside consisted of an un-
even wall of large and small cakes of
cinder, from south Harrisburg fur
naces. The cakes were about two
feet wide at the bottom and about one
foot wide at the top with holes
stopped up with rags and paper.
In each corner and at each side of
the opening for ingress and egress were
placed upright pieces of timber, of
various thicknesses, which supported
the roof pieces. The roof itself con-
sisted of large and small pieces of dis
carded tin roofing picked up from
public dump not 100 yards away.
At the eastern end of the interior
of the shack was placed a cook stove
while at the opposite end an old set of
bed springs and an old mattress, di-
rectly on the ground, served as the bed
room furniture. 1t was on these that
oh
Only part of the ground floor had
been covered with odd pieces of planks
and boards and the furniture was al
most as premature as that used by the
cave dwellers many thousand years ago.
1t consisted of box for table and al
most square pieces of cinder at each
side in place of chairs. A "spider."
frying pan and several knives and forks
completed the list of kitchen and cook
ing utensils.
drinking at Fort" Last Night
Just what time he blaze started Is
not known, but about $50 o'clock this
morning tenant in the Cameron prop
erty nearby was awakened by the bark
ing of his watchdog. He looked out the
window and saw fire among the piles
of cinder, but thought nothing of it and
retired to bed.
About O'Clock this morning H.
Wits Sons, undertakers of Steelton,
were called by phone and told to 90 to
"Fort Cinder and get the bodies of
two dead men. When their vehicle ar
rived flames still were playing feebly
about the funeral pyre and it was not
until the burning debris around the
bodies was removed that the bodies
could be loaded into the wagon. On ac-
count of the stencil from the eharred
bodies, the latter were removed to a |
stable instead of the morgue, and late
to-day were taken to the county aims |
house for interment
According to statement made by |
Frank Reed, residing at No. l Lochiel |