Antrim, Pennsylvania Fire
May
1-2,
1884
Antrim, May 3, 1884. --This town has
been in quite a commotion for the past few days,
on account of the fires which broke out in the
surrounding woods on Thursday.
 The
Company had a large quantity of valuable props
in the woods ready for removal to the mines,
but, unfortunately, before danger was suspected
about 2,000 of them were destroyed. The
fire raged quite fiercely for some time; but the
wind abated and the fire got under control and
no further damage was anticipated.
On Friday morning between 8 and 9 o'clock the
wind was very high, and the smouldering embers
of the fires of the night before were quickly
fanned into a flame. In a short time the
flames began to be seen on all sides, and the
air was filled with dense smoke. As yet no
real danger to any of the buildings was
anticipated, but towards noon the flames began
to creep rapidly toward the houses on Morris
street and Rock row. In spit of all that
could be done three of the houses on Morris
street were soon in a blaze, and the people
living in these and the neighboring houses were
busily saving all they could from the flames.
At this time it was thought that the whole
street would be destroyed, but fortunately the
wind veered a little to the southwest and thus
averted the impending danger. The miners
were summoned from their work, and by the
diligent use of buckets they kept the fire from
the rest of the houses. Nearly all the
houses in that neighborhood were stripped of
furniture, the mouth of one of the mines being
filled with it. The scene reminded one of
the ejection of the French settler from Acadia.
In battling the flames the women worked nobly
as well as the men. A dispatch was sent to
Wellsboro for help, and the firemen arrived in
good time with their apparatus; but the fire was
then under control, and their services were not
require. Their prompt response to the
summons was appreciated, however. The
families burned out were those of
Patrick Flynn,
David Hurley and
John Higgins. Flynn was
the greatest sufferer, as he lost nearly all his
effects.
The Wellsboro Agitator, Wellsboro, PA, 6 May 1884
A dispatch was received at this borough about
noon Friday from Antrim, calling for help from
the Fire Department. This mining town is
also closely surrounded by woods, and many of
the inhabitants fully expected to be homeless
before nightfall. The authorities of this
borough sent the engine and hose cart with a
crew of men to the scene by special train.
At the Summit the train ran a gauntlet of fire
in the forest and reached Antrim to find three
dwelling burned and the fire under control.
The Wellsboro Agitator, Wellsboro, PA, 6 May 1884
 Search
for more information on the Antrim Fire
and other disasters in the Historic
Newspapers Collection. The number of
newspapers on line has recently doubled - search
over 1000 different newspapers. Use this
Free trial to search for your ancestors.
Search for ancestors in
Antrim, PA among billions of names at ancestry.com. Use this
Free trial to search for your ancestors.
The
Tioga County Agitator Newspaper, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania Read it online at ancestry.com.
Use this
Free trial to search for your ancestors.
| 
