Shaffer, Pennsylvania Fire

December 25, 1865

From the Herald Extra of yesterday

Great Fire At Shaffer

All The Business Portion Of The Town In Ashes

All the Hotels Destroyed but the Cady

The Public Consternation--Exciting Scenes

Preservation of the Oil Platform

Loss Over $100,000

Office of the Morning Herald
Titusville, Dec. 26,1865

All of our citizens are apprised of the fearful calamity which visited the neighboring town of Shaffer on Christmas, and as we forgo our usual publication today, we issue this extra, containing particulars of the disaster as furnished by our own reporter.
The first positive information which reached our citizens respecting the alarming progress of the fire was by the following telegraphic dispatch, received about 3p.m. by MR. PERSONS, proprietor of the Persons House at Shaffer, who was spending the day at Titusville:

Shaffer Farm, Dec 25,1865
Shaffer is burning down fast. Will be gone in an hour. For God’s sake get a locomotive and a fire engine and all the hose possible, and come.
F. A. STEMM, for the citizens

A considerable time elapsed before an authoritative consent was obtained for complying with this request, but finally the Washington Fire Company took their engine to the depot, where, through the exertions of A. W. COBURN and others, a train of platform cars were secured, and the engine and hose-carriage loaded, and accompanied by a large crowd of citizens, started for the scene of the conflagration. On arriving at Meredith, within a mile of Shaffer, it was ascertained that a train at Shaffer had the right of way, a messenger was dispatched on foot from Meredith to report whether the down train should proceed. An hour was thus consumed, it was after dark, and then the Shaffer train arrived with orders for the engine to be returned to Titusville, as the fire had expended its fury, and no valuable service could be rendered.

Our reporter proceeded to Shaffer and returned this morning. He furnishes the following account of the disaster:
About twenty five minutes after two o’clock Monday afternoon dense volumes of black smoke were (illegible) suddenly from the upper part of the Ocean House in Shaffer. In a few moments the whole town was startled by the cries of fire, which from lip to lip re-echoed with the rapidity of lightning. The whole population rushed en masse to the scene of conflagration, and many a manly heart beat fast at the thought of the fearful consequences which might ensue.

The fire spread with alarming rapidity. In about fifteen minutes the Buffalo House, adjoining on the north, and the house of BROWN & VANVALKENBERG on the south side were on fire. At this moment the wildest scene of confusion took place, as it was evident the whole square, if not the whole town must fall a prey to the devouring element.

The inhabitants at once commenced removing their goods into the streets; bed and bedding, boxes, chairs, tables, piano fortes, barrels of whiskey, cigar boxes, and champagne bottles, cooking stoves and china plates, dry goods hardware, groceries and crinoline, were huddled in one confused and broken mass from doors and windows.

As the wind was blowing from the south-west fears were entertained that DOWNER’S oil platform would ignite, and had this taken place it would have swept the entire railroad property and every oil platform in Shaffer, containing about 8,000 barrels of oil. The attention of the judicious portion of the community was directed to this spot, and gangs of men with buckets were distributed over the roof of the shed and its surroundings. The roof caught fire at least twenty times from the flying embers and was as speedily extinguished by a timely bucket of water. The wind fortunately soon veered more to the south and this place ceased to be the cause of so great anxiety.

The flames had now reached the fourth house on the main street, and extended to the stables, barns, sheds, and outbuildings, in the rear of the north side of the square.

The next now communicated to the PERSON’S House, and had been raging for three-quarters of an hour when some of the more sober and respectable portion of the citizens proceeded to HARRISON’S store, on the southerly corner of the block, for the purpose of tearing it down and thus preventing the flames reaching the south side of the centre (sic) street. They succeeded in pulling the greatest portion of it down and hauling it away by teams and gangs of men before the devouring element reached that locality. The whole square, north, east, south and west, was now one vast sheet of flames-- a picture so grand and yet so terrible, that few who witnessed it never wish to behold the like again. The wind was now due south, and those whose houses were on the south side of Centre street, covered their roofs and fronts with wet carpets and blankets. The heat was so intense that the windows were all cracked and the fronts of the houses were scorched, but the flames fortunately confined themselves to the square.

It was now just one hour and thirty minutes since the fire commenced, and preparations were made to convey the women and children to MILLER’S Farm, Petroleum Center, and other contiguous localities. Every team in the place was soon laden with passengers and freight, and they turned their backs on once prosperous and happy homes, now a mass of smoldering ruins. The entire business portion of the town, and all the principal hotels, except one, the CADY House, on the east side of the railroad track, were destroyed.

The following is a list of the losses so far as could be gleaned in the darkness, confusion, and drunkenness which prevailed last night. We will give them in the order in which they took fire:

Making a total loss of over $75,000, which is insured less than $20,000.  The aggregate loss, however, will exceed $100,000.

Besides which were Pomeroy & Jacob's livery stable, several other liveries, feed stores, butcher shops, barns, and outhouses, and the proprietors of which we could not ascertain.

About five o'clock, when all danger of further spread of the fire was over, a party of drunken rowdies proceeded to the Cady House, and commenced a free fight.  One gentleman was knocked down, and in the midst of the affray he fired his revolver, the shot entering the ceiling and doing no further damage.  His friends requested that his name should be withheld from publication.  He was put to bed, and there seized with an epileptic fit to which attach he is subject.  He had, however, so far recovered this morning that he was up and apparently all right again.

Great credit is due to Mr. A. Burkbee, superintendent of the Clinton Oil Co., to whose [illegible] exertions the Downer platform and the south side of Center street owe their safety.  Being an old fireman, he rallied round him as many man as he could and in fact was the master spirit of the situation.  Everyone appears to have received [illegible] and advice from him, both in removing furniture and offering valuable suggestions, such as wetting their carpets and blankets, for the protection of the fronts and [illegible] of the south side of Center street; he also removed one whole keg of gunpowder from one house to a place of safety.

Twenty cars of merchandise were removed from Shaffer to Miller's during the fire.  At one time it was thought impossible to rescue this train, which was on the track nearest to the fire, and so intensely hot, that one of the middle cars took fire, but by the unremitting exertions of Mr. Lyons, the O. C. R. R. telegraph operator, had his men, the train was removed off the fire extinguished.

The scene at night was desolate in the extreme.  All along the railroad track were strewn mattresses, broken stoves and pieces of furniture, too much destroyed or too cumbrous to carry away, while the small heaps of the still smouldering ruins gave light enough to the every object distinctly.  Little groups of men, women and children, were wandering through the ruins endeavoring to pick up anything of value which might be left, but the destruction was so complete that their efforts in this respect were next to useless.

Titusville Morning Herald, Titusville, PA 27 Dec 1865

Transcribed by Edna Schlauch.  Thank you, Edna!

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