Rossiter, Pennsylvania Fire
April
29, 1910
Fire of unknown origin visited Rossiter early
this morning, and before it burned itself out
destroyed 12 buildings and caused heavy damage
to the Hotel Brandon, owned by
M. S. Murray.
The flames originated in
Nathan's clothing
store on Central street in the heart of the
business section of the town.
Workmen passing along the street about 2:30
o'clock discovered the fire and gave an alarm.
Whistles were blown and bells ere rung, and soon
practically the entire population of 2,000
people were on the scene.
Rossiter is without adequate fire protection.
There is no organized fire-fighting department,
so that the only method of fighting the flames
was by the forming of bucket lines. The citizens
went to work with a will, but it was soon found
that the water supply was not sufficient to cope
with the devouring flames.
The Nathan building burned fiercely and the
adjoining structures were soon ablaze.
Frank Farro's building,
Berkenstein's clothing
store and Sanders' confectionary store were
speedily destroyed with all their contents. Berkenstein and Sanders lived in apartments over
their stores and all their household goods were
burned.
Paul Miller's grocery store was the next to
go, including household effects as Miller and
his family lived in the building.
Farro's dwelling, across the street from his
store, caught fire and was burned, as was also
the dwelling of Thomas Lynch adjoining.
Lynch saved part of his furniture.
Peter Fellen's bakery was next to go, the
flames communicated with three dwellings owned
by some Italians and these were destroyed.
A barber shop and a racket store in this block
were wiped out.
Working valiantly, despite the great odds
against them, the volunteer firemen, choked and
blinded with smoke, seemed fired with new zeal
when it was announced that the Hotel Brandon,
owned by M. S. Murray, was on fire.
Ladders were raised to the roof and men with
axes soon made an opening through to the attic.
Water was poured in, several daring souls
ventured under the roof thinking they could work
to better the purpose there. The smoke was
so dense that three of these were overcome and
were taken out apparently suffocated. They
were: Jacob Frantz, Peter Jeager and Harry
Frantz. They were rolled on the ground and
other restorative measures were resorted to. Jeager was hit on the head by a falling bucket
and sustaining and ugly scalp would. Both
he and Harry Frantz responded to treatment and
recovered consciousness, but at 11 o'clock this
morning Jacob Frantz was still unconscious.
The hotel building was saved but is seriously
damaged, the flames, water and smoke having
wrought havoc with the interior.
At 6 o'clock the fire had reached a street
corner where it was checked, and the smouldering
ruins are slowly burning themselves out.
No estimate of the amount of the loss or the
insurance had been made at last reports but the
loss will be very heavy.
Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, PA 29
Apr 1910
Buildings Destroyed by Fire There Early in
the
Spring Were Rebuilt -Many Handsome
Structures
In a short time not a sign of the recent fire
that devastated the business section of Rossiter,
this county, will remain. The fire
occurred on April 2
[April 29], of this
year, and the ruins had scarcely cooled before
the work of rebuilding many of the places of
business was commenced. The fire broke out
in the Hopkins block and destroyed a number of
buildings. The following have either been
rebuilt or are in the process of construction:
Peter Fullen, Joe Bouondgionio, Charles
Glass, John Hopkins, business block and dwelling
in the rear, Frank Fera's dwelling and business
block, John Miller, B. Breckstein, S. P. Wiley,
Paul Miller
The damage to the Bandon
[Brandon] Hotel was
repaired immediately after the fire.
The only one of the above that has not yet
been replaced is the building owned by
S. P.
Wiley. Mr. Wiley has not decided whether
he will move another building to the site or
erect a new one.
Frank Fera erected a handsome business block,
constructed of brick and stone, and almost every
one of the buildings has been built in a more
substantial manner than before the fire, quite a
number of them being brick or some other
fireproof material
All in all it appears that Rossiter will
derive considerable benefit from the fire, in
that the appearance of the town has been
improved materially by the replacing of many of
the flimsy structures that had be erected in its
first boom days.
Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, Pa, 6
Sept 1910
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