Ligonier Valley Rail Road Newspaper Articles
We have compiled over 1,400 newspaper articles that mention the Ligonier Valley Railroad, or related subjects. The articles were originally published starting in 1873 and our collection runs through 1995. Enjoy!
Ligonier Echo
Wednesday, May 2, 1900
Alarming Fire
Ligonier Narrowly Escapes From Destruction
Hose Company Responds Promptly
L.V.R.R. Company's Storage Building Consumed A Number Of Other Houses On Fire
On last Friday afternoon about three o'clock, T. E. Kuhn telephoned from the railroad station to ex-burgess W. J. Potts, that the old furniture building near the Ligonier Valley railroad station, used as a storage room by the railroad company, was on fire. Mr. Potts gave the alarm at once and rang the fire bell which called out the hose company immediately and caused hundreds of people to run to west Main street the scene of the fire. It was discovered that there was not hose enough to reach the burning building from the nearest water plug and a member of the company was sent to the hose house for more hose who secured Dr. Ambrose's horse and buggy to make the trip and returned in two
minutes with sufficient hose. In the meantime the flames spread to an oil barrel and in an instant the entire building was on fire. A stream of water was now turned on the burning building and the fire was soon under control. The ties on the railroad had caught fire but were soon put out by the hose company. The prompt action of a number of young men succeeded in getting from the burning building, a lot of tools, several boxes of dynamite and other material.
There was a strong wind blowing from the west which sent pieces of the burning building long distances up town and several other buildings were set on fire in this way.
The following houses were set on fire by burning pieces falling on the shingle roofs. Mrs. A. U. Ashcom's dwelling, tenant house of T. F. College, dwelling house of H. A. Johnston, and store building of Seger Bros. They were soon discovered however and put out by the application of water. As the burning building was some distance from any
other on the east the fire did not spread. Had the fire got started where the buildings were close together it would have been almost impossible to have prevented a disastrous fire possibly burning half the town, as it was a destructive conflagration was narrowly averted.
The storage house contained derricks, pile drivers, car lumber, sand and tools of the railroad. The destruction of tools will considerably handicap the work on the road for
some time, the loss to the railroad company is estimated at $1,000 on which there was no insurance. The fire was caused by sparks from the boiler of the Ligonier Handle works, which is only a few feet west of the burnt building and had been set on fire several time recently in the same way but was seen and put out promptly.