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Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ============================================================================= Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. ============================================================================= The Clarion Democrat Thursday, 1 March, 1900 A MOST DISASTROUS FIRE A Number of Clarion's Business Houses, Including its most Prominent Hotel, in Ashes. Estimated Total Loss $35,000, $19,0700 of Which is Offset by Insurance. At about 12:30 o'clock on last Tuesday morning the citizens of Clarion were aroused from their peaceful slumbers by the canny and ominous sound of the fire alarm whistle borne upon the chill midnight air, and, notwithstanding the fact that the thermometer regis- tered below zero, hundreds were soon upon the streets pressing towards the scene of the disturbance, which was plainly designated by the lurid flames seen break- ing forth near the Jones House, in the very heart of the business portion of the town. The Clarion Hose Co. was soon upon the ground put- ting forth well directed efforts to subdue or at least prevent the spread of the fire, which was found to have originated in the rear of the two story frame building two doors west of the Jones House, owned by D. W. COOK, the first floor of which was occupied by COOK'S meat market and the rooms above the KENNEDY'S photograph gallery. The first discovery of the fire is credited to several persons about the Jones House, as well as to persons who chanced to be upon the street at that time, and while some of those who claim to have detected the first blaze insist that the fire started in rear of the meat market, others as strenuously affirm that the first blaze was to be seen bursting through the roof. At all events, the fire when first discovered and the alarm was given had gained such headway that the flames were already bursting through the roof at the rear of the building. Owing to the intesne cold and the fact that one of the nearest water plugs is said to have been frozen up, much difficulty was experienced and valuable time lost in getting the connections made. Even then the water pressure at one of the plugs to which the two lines of hose were attached, was found to be too low for effective service. In the meantime the fire had spread rapidly and the chances of extinguishment grown fearfully less. The adjoining building on the east was a two story frame, owned by MRS. ELLA FRANK, of the Jones House. The first floor room as occupied by HULING'S stationery store and the room on the second floor by J. J. WEBB, merchant tailor. It was soon seen that this building was doomed and the well known Jones House hotel property being the next building on the east, strenuous efforts were made to check the flames before the should reach it. The fact that the hotel was covered with a tin roof and a narrow passage way was open beneath the burning building and the hotel gave rise to the hope that the latter building could be saved, but the fallacy of such hope was soon made evident, for, notwithstanding the heroic efforts of the firemen and the protection of the tin roof, which withstood for a time the terrific heat, the flames gradually found their way in under the cor- nice, opened up a passage and draft under the roof and soon demonstrated that they were master of the situation. By this time the heat had become so great that the heavy plate glass show windows in the ED GUTH building and the First National Bank building on the opposite side of Main street began to crack and were thus ruined, as were also windows in BOGG'S shoe store, while other windows along the street were saved by being covered. Burning embers were carried for several squares and a number of buildings in the vicinity, including FOX'S grocery and the residence of HARRY R. WILSON, ESQ., were in immedi- ate danger for a time and were only saved from ignition by the watchful care of persons stationed upon the roofs. With the destruction of the Jones House, which speedily followed, only a small portion of the contents being removed, the one story frame office building of DR. J. FRANK ROSS was also doomed and consumed, but not until most of the contents had been removed. The next and last building to the east was the old ROSS brick homestead property occupied by HULING'S restaurant. Fortunately MRS. HULINGS had succeeded in having most of her house- hold effects removed before the shingle roof of the building was ablaze and the interior fairly deluged with water and falling plaster, but the spread of the flames to the eastward had been stayed. Meanwhile the firemen who had been fighting the flames to the west of the starting point had been meeting with indifferent sucess, being greatly handicapped in their work by the lack of sufficient water pressure. The first building adjoining on the west was the two story frame owned by the SHOTTS estate, the first floor of which was occupied by ED. McCULLOUGH'S billiard room and the room above by the office of District Attorney REINSEL. From this the billiard tables were removed to the street and MR. REINSEL succeeded in getting out the most of his books and papers, before the heat became too intense. J. E. WOOD'S one story frame law office building in which also was the office of the Clarion County Mutual Fire Insurance Co., came next and furnished additional food for the flames, as did the Western Union Telegraph office building, another one story frame on the west. Next in order was the two story frame building owned by HON. W. W. BARR, a portion of which was formerly occupied by the postoffice. On the first floor of this building was the law office of G. G. SLOAN, the insurance office of W. F. COLINER and the bakery and residence of J. C. McENTIRE, while on the second floor were the law offices of W. W. BARR and GEO. F. WHITMER, the job printing office of RAY & Co., and the dwelling of Mrs. M. E. McBRIDE. The contents of this building were mostly removed before the flames had reached it. The structure was a veritable tinder box and burned with such rapidity that the brick Masonic block across the 22 foot alley was greatly endangered, the tin roof and brick of the structure being all that saved it from annihilation. As it was the reflection of the heat upon the building was sufficient to break every window facing the fire and caused much damage to the merchant tailoring establishment of R. W. GUETTHOFF, the lodge and reception rooms all lo- cated on the second floor, while the law offices and post- office building, located on the first floor, and THOMPSON'S barber shop, located in the basement, escaped without dammage. although the mail pouches and some of the other movable pro- perty from the postoffice was transferred to a place of greater safety. During the progress of the flames the startling intell- gence, "JUDGE BARR is dead!" was passed from one to another of the excited onlookers. Inquiry soon developed that the shocking report was but too true, that JUDGE BARR, on being aroused by the alarm of fire, hastily dressed and went to his office where he saw to the removal of his books and papers and with others was about to leave the room and descend the stairs when he was noticed to fall on the floor. He was quickly carried across the street to the COULTER House and medical aid summoned, but all in vain, as the spirit of the old and honored barrister, the kind and courteous citizen and beloved husband and father had taken its flight. A fuller account of this, the saddest of this night's incidents of horror, will be found elsewhere in this issue. Another sad incident connected with the destruction of this building was the critical illness from pneumonia at the time of Miss MYRTLE McBRIDE, who, at great risk of fatal results was carried from the burning building to the COULTER House, whence at last accounts, she was re- ported as having suffered no apparent injury from her untimely removal, and was somewhat improved. Taken, all in all, it was perhaps the most serious and costly fire that the town has ever known and teaches some lessons from which we may possibly profit in the future. One of these is that better facilities for guarding against the costly ravages of fire should be provided by the imme- diate prohibition of the erection of wooden buildings on the Main or business streets of our town; another, that our water system is utterly inadaquate in the face of such conditions as last Monday night presented. As to the losses sustained by the fire it is somewhat difficult to ascertain the amounts to a certainty, al- though the following list of the losses with the amount of insurance is based upon the most reliable information obtainable: MRS. ELLA H. FRANK, loss on hotel property and the store building adjoining, $20,000; insurance, on hotel building, $6500, on contents, $3000, on store building, $600. D. W. COOK, loss on building and contents $2000; insur- ance $1250 S. D. SCHOTT'S estate loss on building $1000, insurance: $600 G. H. KENNEDY loss on photograph gallery $1000; insur- ance $400 DR. J. F. ROSS loss on office building $800; no insurance J. C. McENTIRE, bakery, loss on stock and furniture, $1125; insurance 800. J. E. WOOD, loss on office and telegraph office building $1560; insurance $500 W. W. BARR estate loss on building 2000; insurance $1,000 RAY & Co., loss on printing material $800; insurance $500 J. J. WEBB, tailor, on stock and material $150; no insurance Clarion County Mutual Ins. Co., loss about $30 on office supplies, but carried no insurance in the burned district. Other losses reported which are fully covered by insur- ance are as follows: HARRY HULINGS, stationery, etc. $500 Mrs. EMMA HULINGS, restaurant, damage on goods $300 J. T. REINSEL, District Attorney, library, $200. ED. McCULLOUGH, billiard room furnishings, $200 J. E. WOOD, loss on law library, $200 GEO. F. WHITMER, County Solicitor, library, $150 DR. J. F. ROSS, damage on brick homestead property, $800 Masonic Lodge, damage to building, $500 R. W. GUETTHOFF, damage on stock, $150 ED. GUTH, damage to plate glass front, $400 First National Bank, damage to plate glass front, etc. $400 J. K. BOGG & Co., damage to store front $30. ===============================================================================