The Washington times., 1917-03-23
WOMAN GIVES HOME
TOSAVE HERNDON
Dynamite My Home If Needed
to Save Town." Said
Mrs. StearnS.
CONTINUED from First Page.)


reel. II the water pressure happens
to be great, this hose will work.
Otherwise the town must resort to
outside assistance when it is visited
by fire.
The night watchman aroused the
fire department, which, under the
leadership of H. Easily Butts, the
town butcher, valiantIy endeavored
to overcome the flames with single
length of hose.
Tried To Save Houses.
Meantime the single operator in
charge of the Chesapeake and Poto-
mac telephone lines, notified all near
by towns of Herndon's plight. When
the volunteers of the fire department,
fifteen in number, reached the Harri-
son livery stable, the entire west
side was in flames and the strong
gale was carrying sparks and cinders
down Main street. Mr.. Butts and
Mr., Mcguire, proprietor Of the Will
age grocery, endeavored to smash
the door and release the imprisoned
horses. About twenty horses were
stabbed in this building at this time.
The fire drove the two men back
from the door, and while crowd
Oh [OO OulSlOCs luC
were slowly burned to death. Their
screams were heard for blocks away
by their owners, who waited, power
less for the fire to subside.
From the livery stable, the fire ate
its way down Main street toward the
h. A. Clifford Furniture Store, the
office of the Herndon Observer
Herndon's only newspaper-and the
Herdon Library. This is in the very
center of the business district
These three buildings were ignited
almost simultaneously. DR.. Robie
led a party into the library to save
the valuable documents, relating TO
the early history of Northern Wiz
ginia which repose there.
Towns Prize Building LeveIed.
Again the rapidity with which the
IRE spread defeated the object of the
rescuers. In less than forty minutes
after the first alarm had gone out, the
clifford furniture store, the newspa-
per office, and the public library were
in ashes.
The fire now turned smartly south
and paid its respects to the grocery
store of B. S. Mcguire, the butcher
shop of H. E. Butts, and the jewelry
shop of H. H. Hawley. By this time
the entire town had been aroused.
The homes around Herndon are placed
on eminences close to Main street
and the business buildings. Men and
women, in all kinds of attire, dashed
out and in some occasions with a
noticeable lack of vitality essential
garments, blocked Main street. and
helped to carry furniture from the
fire right and left.
The stationery store of w StowelI,
the general merchandise store Of II.
E. Walter, DR.. Earnest Robey's drug
store, and ]. z. Oliver shoe store were
the next to catch fire, and with them
the Walker building, a two-story
brick edifice, which was the pride
Of Herndon.
Temporarily IL became a question
of whether the volunteer fire depart
ment should attempt to save the Ma
tional Bank OF Herndon, which was
threatened by the fire, or the Walker
building, which was already abIaze.
The flremen decided in favor of the
National Bank building.
Bank Building Saved.
From midnight until well after 2
o'clock this morning the brick walls
of the National Bank were sIuiced
with water carried by hand from
nearby pumps. This is the only
building in all of Herndon's business
district which was left standing this
morning.
At this point it became evident
that the entire residence section of
Herndon must go before the flames.
Already the fire had gripped the homes
of ]. H. Blicksler, T. c. Stevens, ]. S.
Oliver, J. Darlington, and Mrs. Mary
Z. Robey, as well as the blacksmith
shop of J. E. Mossatt.
The wind had increased in velocity
and was driving the fire. straight
down onto the homes OF Herndon. 1t
was then that a committee called on
Mrs. Stearns and asked her that she
let her home be dynamited.
Many Heroic Acts.
Individual instances of heroism
wert numerous. J. L. PiersolI, clad
only in a pair OF pajamas and bed
room slippers, led a party of four men
into the burning home of Mrs. Mary
Robey and dragged an upright piano,
one Of the most valuable pieces of
furniture in the building, to the mid
die of the street, where it miracu-
lously escaped the flames. ]. E. Mos
satt entered the home of ]. H. Bicks- |
Ter, and from the parlor walls took |
down and carried out three family |
portraits which had been preserved |
for generations.
DR.. Ernest Robie. although his own |
drug store was being destroyed, left It |
and aided the volunteers who were try
ing to save the bank building. DR..
Robie Is president Of the bank
As the one hundred or more residents
OF Herndon. who had been made home
less by the fire fed into the streets car
rytng with them a few special possess
sions they were taken into the, houses
Of their more fortunate neighbors.
"Herndon will not require outside
help" said DR.. Robie today" her cit
liens will look out for each other until
she can rebuild herself. And you NAV
rest assured that Herndon will rebuild
her business district on a larger scale
than ever before"
Some Start to Rebuild.
1t is significant of the pluck of
most OF Herndon's citizens that they
are starting to rebuild. al
l.