Loss from Ten to Twelve Thousand Dollars

At about eight o’clock last evening, a fire broke out in the small tenement house adjoining the Lake Shore House. The building — being a wooden one — was soon completely enveloped in flames, and but a short time elapsed before the entire Lake Shore Block, composed of seven buildings, was a mass of burning debris.

The first building, in which the fire originated, was occupied by two families, named Spencer and Wadsworth. They had no time to remove their goods, and in consequence lost nearly everything. The families had to make their exit from the burning building on short notice. The house was owned by Mr. Bragg.

The Lake Shore House Totally Destroyed

Next was the Lake Shore House, kept by Samuel Vickers, who had only been in it a short time. The building was the property of E. H. Kennicut. In this house was a large number of boarders, a number of whom are losers to a greater or lesser extent, as but little was removed from the burning building.

This building, being plastered, burned rather slow, which enabled families in the adjoining buildings to remove the most of their goods. A portion of the household goods in the Lake Shore House, together with some liquors and other stock, were saved, but the proprietor is a heavy loser, the larger portion of his furniture having been destroyed.

Seven Buildings Burned

Adjoining the Lake Shore House was the Oakland House, owned by Mr. Jennison, and kept by Mr. Greenwall as a boarding house.

Next was the house of John Lammers, insured for $400 in a Wheeling company, adjoining which was the boarding house of Mrs. Keplar, and adjoining this was another boarding house kept by Mrs. Malony, and the last building in the block occupied by Mooney — were all destroyed. The furniture — or the largest portion of it — was removed from the last mentioned buildings, but in a damaged condition. The losses will fall heavily upon several of the unfortunate families, and they have the sympathy of the community.

It was only through the greatest exertions that the house of Mrs. Jamison, in rear of the Lake Shore House, was saved. Citizens labored with determination, and by the aid of wet carpets laid upon the roof, and constant pouring on of water, her house still stands — damaged, however, to some extent by heat. We have witnessed many fires, but never have we seen citizens lend a helping hand more readily than last evening, in saving property from the devouring element. They are entitled to a great deal of credit, and the suffering families heartily thank them for the valuable service rendered. Such exertion put forth with plenty of water at hand, and the fire never could have gone beyond the building where it first originated.

Families in Numbers Without Shelter

In yesterday’s Record we spoke of the plan now being agitated, to some extent, of running pipe from the spring on the McCrea [McCray?] Farm to our village, to which hose can be attached in case of fire, and water can be carried to any part of the town by a proper placing of the hydrants. At present we have no facilities for putting out fires — our engine being nearly or quite worthless—and we may postpone action in the matter until Washington Street is laid in ruins by the flames, as it is evident that should a fire break out in Washington Street, it would be next to an impossibility to save a building.

In the fire last evening, seven buildings were destroyed, and a number of families are without homes today, as tenement houses are a scarce article in Petroleum Centre.