Coudersport, Pennsylvania Fire
May
18, 1880
THREE O'CLOCK A.M.
COUDERSPORT CREMATED
THREE-FOURTHS OF THE MOUNTAIN TOWN IN
ASHES
Every Store, One Hotel, the PostOffice and
many buildings ... Loss Fully $250,000
Special dispatch to the Gazette and Bulleting
COUDERSPORT, May 18. The entire
business portion of the borough of Coudersport
is in ashes. Every store, one hotel and
the postoffice, are gone. The court house
is standing, also Baker's
Hotel. The fire caught this afternoon in a
frame row of buildings on the west side of Main
street, between Second and Third, and swept
everything in its course from Third street to
First on Main street. Then the wind
suddenly veering it crossed Main street and
cleaned the square to East street. The
Enterprise printing office is burned, but the
Journal office is saved. There was a great
scarcity of water, which, with the extreme
dryness of everything, enabled the fire to
spread rapidly when it got fairly under headway.
SOME OF THE PROPERTIES BURNED
The following properties were burned on the
west side of Main street, between Second and
Third streets, going south:
Drug, bookstore and postoffice, on the corner
of Third and Main, owned by
Thompson and Mann
Hardware store of H.
J. Olmsted & Sons, and banking office
of Jones &
Son. On the second floor, law office of
L. H. Cobb. Third floor,
Masonic Hall.
Grocery store of
Andrews and Olmstead.
Drug store of C. L.
Jones & Co.
Harness shop of
Ignatez Grisel.
Grocery and dwelling of
Edward Fosters.
Drug store and grocery of
Amos French.
Billiard room, oyster saloon and barber shop.
Name not learned. Second floor occupied by
a dentist.
General store of P.
A. Stebbins & Brother. This
firm did a large business. The building
stood on the corner of Second street, opposite
the court house. A number of outbuildings,
store rooms, stables, etc., were also burned.
SOUTH ON MAIN
The fire then jumped Second street and
continued south on Main, destroying the
Coudersport Hotel, kept by
D. F. Glassmire, jr.
Barn and dwelling of
Mrs. A. C. Haven, and all
buildings on this block to First street.
EAST OF MAIN STREET
The wind then changed to the east, and the
fire crossing Main street destroyed the
following properties on Second street, between
Main and East streets:
General store of D.
F. Glassmire. The second story
occupied by offices and sleeping rooms for the
hotel opposite. A building south of the
store and the barn were also burned.
The Dike
block, east half occupied by bakery and dwelling
of F. J. Andersen,
and the west half by Jewelry store of
E. O. Rees.
Second floor by dwelling of
R. W. Nill's.
Grain and provision store of Marble &
Thompson. Second floor occupied as a
photograph gallery.
Restaurant, dwelling and ten pin alley.
Law office of
Olmsted & Larrabee.
Shoe shop and dwelling of
C. Zimmerman.
Large hardware store of
Norton & Deane. The
Enterprise printing office was on the second
floor of this building.
EAST STREET
Sweeping south on East street, the fire next
attacked the meat market of
Peter Hallaner,
and the shoe shop and dwelling of
Valentine Kline.
On this block a number of outbuildings were also
destroyed. It will thus be seen that the fire
consumed the buildings on three blocks; lying to
the west, southwest, and to the south of the
Court House square. Owing to the fact that
the fire not crossing East street the county
jail was saved. A number of other
buildings were destroyed.
THE LOSSES
The losses will fully reach $250,000, and may
exceed that sum. The store of P. A.
Stebbins & Brother was insured for $2,000.
This is the only insurance that has been
learned.
Daily Gazette and Bulletin,
Williamsport, PA 19 May 1880
FOUR O'CLOCK P.M.
THE COUDERSPORT FIRE
ABOUT FORTY BUILDINGS REPORTED BURNED
The Fire Started in An Oil Warehouse in
Rear of Stebbin's Store The Loss Not Less than
$230,000 and the Insurance About $75,000
Later accounts from Coudersport say that the
fire started about 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon
in the rear room of
Stebbins Bros. store, used for
storing oil. The town was without a water
supply or fire apparatus, and nothing could be
done to check the fire, which burned rapidly.
By five o'clock every dwelling store and place
of business in the town, except the court house,
Baker's
hotel, Mausin's
office and Journal printing office, were
laid in ashes. There were about forty
buildings in all destroyed. Loss probably
$250,000; insurance, $75,000. No lives are
reported lost. The loss falls heavily on
the people, as the insurance was light, and the
fact that all the stores were destroyed makes it
still works. Coudersport has no railroad
communication with the outer world the nearest
port being Port Allegheny
[sic], seventeen miles away, were
connection is made with the Emporium and Buffalo
railroad. At this point travelers take a
stage [to] town.
The only telegraphic communication is by the
wires of the Tidewater pipe company. The
population of Coudersport is about 1,500, and it
is located on the banks of the Allegany river,
high up in the mountains.
MORE BUILDINGS BURNED
In addition to the list of buildings burned
the following were consumed: Dry goods
store of E. N. Stebbins,
Main street, opposite court house;
grocery of C. H.
Armstrong, Second street, east of
Main; communication is still interrupted, and
definite information as to the losses and
insurances has not been received.
Daily Gazette and Bulletin,
Williamsport, PA 19 May 1880
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