NEWS: Cambria Freeman; 13 Apr 1906; Ebensburg, Cambria Cnty., PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Patty Millich Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cambria/ _________________________________________ Cambria Freeman Ebensburg, Pa. Friday, 13 Apr 1906 Volume 40, Number 14 Items Local and Personal It is reported that the Messrs. Hugh and William Jones of Summerhill township have sold their farm of 170 acres to the American Pipe Line company for the sum of $10,000.00. It is presumed that a reservoir will be constructed on the site. Merchant George Gurley of Ebensburg was in Pittsburg Saturday attending the funeral of his niece, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Gurley, brother and sister-in-law of Mr. Gurley. Attorney John W. Kephart of Ebensburg has secured an option on a number of farms in Juniata Township, Huntingdon Co., for the ostensible purpose of establishing a game preserve. Mr. Charles P. Rowland, one of Cambria township's most successful school teachers, has accepted a position to clerk in one of the PRR offices at Altoona. Mr. O. O. Philips and family arrived here for the summer season Monday and their many friends in this place are glad to know that they are with us once more. Morgan W. Evans was in Pittsburg last week attending the funeral of his cousin, John Evans, son of Mr. Morgan Evans of Idlewood. Algie Lehman, employed at Bakerton, spent Sunday with his parents, Commissioners' Clerk and Mrs. John Lehman of Ebensburg. George Kinkead, the well known insurance agent and baseball enthusiast, is having an addition built to his house in the West ward. Mr. Louis Park, of Pittsburg, son of our prominent summer residents and public benefactor, Mr. D. E. Park, is spending a few days here. Miss Julia Connell of Johnstown arrived here this morning to spend Easter with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. H. Connell. County Commissioners Owens, Leventry and Hahn met here Monday and attended to the business of their office. Mr. Jesse E. Ferguson will depart again this week for the west where he will locate at Naples, South Dakota. Gladys, daughter of District Attorney and Mrs. J. W. Leech, has been quite ill with measles during the past week. Her many friends will be pleased to learn that Mrs. M. K. Collins, who has been seriously ill, is convalescing. Verde Rhue, formerly of this place, but now of Johnstown, was registered at the Mountain House this week. Mrs. Dr. Fitzgerald of South fork spent Sunday here with her parents, Postmaster Fes Lloyd and wife. Druggist George E. Young of Johnstown was an Ebensburg visitor Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Mrs. Mayme Davis of Ebensburg has been in Conemaugh with her relatives, Howard Davis and family. Salesman William Scanlan of Johnstown was here last Thursday attending to business. Miss L. June Davis of Ebensburg was in Johnstown during the past few days. Mr. D. T. Hager and two sons of Vintondale visited Ebensburg Tuesday. Mr. John Madill of Nantyglo had business in Ebensburg Monday. F. H. Barker of Ebensburg was in Johnston Friday evening. Late News of County J. C. Wagner of the Barnesboro Milling company has moved his family from Milesburg to Cambria County and now occupies the residence of John Hammerstrom in North Spangler. John Fitzpatrick and J. Ed Stevens have presented to St. Thomas' Catholic Church at Ashville a beautiful baptismal font and in the near future will erect and donate to the congregation, a parochial school. The four-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Crook, who reside near the overhead bridge at Cresson, was very severely burned on the right forearm the other day by the upsetting of a pan of boiling water on the stove. Farmer David Somerville of Cambria Township had the misfortune last week to lose a valuable draft mare, which he had purchased about a year go from Ira Bloom for $250. Kidney or heart trouble was the cause of death. Auditor James C. Patterson has already commenced his agricultural, floral and horticultural work at his country home near Barnesboro. James is a practical farmer and he promises to show the people in this neck of the woods how to make farming pay. (Barnesboro STAR) News from Blandburg Tuesday of last week Parker Scott, working in the Hommer mines, was struck on the head with a large piece of fire clay and severely injured. Next day he attempted to work but was hurt again on the previous wound, resulting in the rupture of an artery, which came near proving fatal. Sunday night and Monday all day we had rain galore and then some. New Newspaper A neat little four-page, five column newspaper will make its appearance among the colored residents of Johnstown this week, entitled, "The Homeseeker." James A. Moore, (colored) of Johnstown is the editor of the production, which is calculated to be devoted to the interests of colored folks seeking homes or employment. The paper will appear bi-monthly. Home for Easter Miss Clare Darragh has returned from St. Xavier's Academy at Beatty, where is she is a senior pupil and will spend the Easter vacation with her parents in the West Ward. The Misses Oline and Grace Denny, daughters of Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Denny, Belmont Cottage, will return from St. Joseph's Academy, Emmittsburg, Md., to spend Easter vacation. Insane Patients Recover and Are to be Discharged The County Commissioners have been notified by Dr. H. A. Hutchinson, Superintendent of the Western Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane at Dixmont that John Dorman, admitted from this county in July of last year and John Rush, admitted a month later, have recovered sufficiently to warrant their release from the institution. The Commissioners will apply to the Court for an order for the discharge of the patients. Serious Accident Strongstown Boy Rides with Wheel into a Team News reaches us as we go to press of a serious accident which happened to Arthur George, the 15-year-old son of John George of Strongstown Tuesday morning. The young man was riding a bicycle around a [word faded] in the road and was traveling at such a high rate of speed that when he came suddenly upon the team and wagon of David Edwards, who was coming down Greensville, he could not stop and was carried into the horses. [remainder of article is faded] Poisoned Eating Cheese Calvin W. Port, foreman of the Cambria TRIBUNE, was poisoned last week by eating cheese and has since been in bad shape, not being able to work. The poisonous matter has affected his blood. Cal is able to be out again. Typhoid in Pittsburg Hospitals Reported 421 Cases and Three Deaths Last Night Pittsburg, April 11 The typhoid fever epidemic in Pittsburg and Allegheny is beginning to cause considerable alarm. The hospitals last night reported 421 cases and three deaths and besides these, there are scores of instances where people have not the money to avail themselves of a hospital's care and are at their homes battling with the disease. Each day the number of cases reported is greater than on the proceeding day. The health officials of both cities are urging the people to boil all water before using it. The authorities say that if the water is boiled there will be fewer cases of fever. 11,000 Immigrants Arrived Record at New York for One Day's Arrivals This Spring Over 11,000 immigrants arrived in the harbor of New York recently on board seven steamships from European ports. This number is a record for a single day which has been made thus far during the annual spring inrush of immigration. Ellis Island, where these immigrants are examined and either rejected or admitted to the United States, can care for less than half of these arrivals, its limit being 5,000 daily. Those who could not be landed were kept in the harbor on their steamers until later in the week. They include the following nationalities: English, Irish, Germans, Swedes, Hungarians, Italians, Portuguese and Russians. Watchman is Cremated in a Burning Sawmill William Makin, An Old Soldier, and One of Ebensburg's Best Known Citizens Meets Death Early Monday Morning in Fire which Consumed Griffith Sawmill on Edge of Town. Total Loss $8,000. No Insurance Charred Body Found by His Relatives Fire early Monday morning completely destroyed the saw mill operated by Webster Griffith, of this place, entailing a loss of over $8,000 and the life of the watchman, William Makin, who was employed by Mr. Griffith to look after the property during the night. How the blaze started will doubtless be a matter of conjecture for all time. No one but the watchman would have been in a position to determine and death has sealed his lips forever. It is presumed, however, that the fire started from the southeast end of the building, probably from sparks blown from the slab consumer, a short distance from the mill, and which was kept constantly burning in order to dispose of the refuse lumber and saw dust from the place. How the watchman lost his life will also remain a mystery, in all probability. When the charred remains of the body were found about 7 o'clock Monday morning, the trunk was lying face downward within three feet of the outside of the building, prone across the tracks used for conveying the lumber to the yards without. Both arms were burned off at the elbows, the lower limbs were charred and disjointed at the knee and of the head, their remained nothing but a portion of the skull at its base. Beside the body was found the lantern of the dead man, burned and twisted by the intense heat of the conflagration, the crystal of the watch he carried with him, the key to the mill building and a revolver, its chambers emptied by the explosion of the cartridges by the heat. The buttons from the clothing of the dead man were also found by the body. So far as there was any evidence which would tend to identify the remains of the victim as those of Mr. Makin, this was all. Whether he was overcome by the smoke from the burning interior or was struck by a piece of falling timber as he attempted to make his way to the outside is a matter of conjecture. At 10 o'clock Sunday night, Mr. Griffith was called at his residence by telephone from the mill by Mr. Makin and asked some questions, concerning a "dinky" engine, stored in an adjoining shed and which was under the supervision of the watchman. He started for his work at the mill about dark Sunday evening and the fact that he called Mr. Griffith by telephone proved that he was apparently well and on duty at 10 o'clock. The watchman occupied a small room at the southeast corner of the saw building, from which section the fire evidently started and could easily have effected his escape from that place by passing out through a window. Mr. Makin was known to have been of extremely nervous temperament and it supposed by some that he was overcome by the excitement and collapsed before he could reach the outside of the building. About a year and a half ago, he was suddenly stricken by some affection of his heart while sitting in a chair at his home in the West ward and for several weeks was unable to be about. It is thought by some that he might have been affected in a similar manner, which prevented his escape. It is stated that several times within the past few weeks small fires started about the mill property and Mr. Makin succeeded in extinguishing them. It is scarcely presumed that the man was asleep when the blaze started. The fire alarm was turned in shortly after 4 o'clock in the morning which would indicate that Mr. Makin would have been busily engaged about that time in getting up steam and putting things in shape for the operation of the mill at 7 o'clock. There was little reason for the belief of foul play and no inquest was held. A fierce wind from the southwest drove showers of sparks and burning fire brands from the blazing structure clear across the roof of the court house and into the central portion of the town. The mill was located on the southeast edge of Ebensburg, in Cambria township, immediately along the railroad. A drenching down pour of rain during the time that the fire was raging prevented other buildings from taking fire. Owing to the hour at which the alarm was turned in, it was some time before the local fire fighting paraphernalia arrived on the scene and when it did arrive it was apparent that there was no hope of saving the blazing mill. Realizing this, the firemen directed their attention toward the lumber yard. Here was stored a million feet of lumber, ready for shipping. Not a stick of this, however, was destroyed. Inside the mill were stored several thousand feet of lumber. This of course was destroyed with the building. The mill was not insured owing to the excessive rate charged by insurance companies on the property of this kind. Some insurance was carried on the lumber stored in the yards, but the property consumed by the fire is a total loss to its owner. The mill was one of the most modern to be found outside the large lumber camps. It was equipped with a large 100-horse-power boiler, which furnished power to two large engines that operated the band saws, planer and other machinery. The mill had a capacity of about 27,000 feet daily. Small "dinky" engines were used to convey the logs from the mountains several miles away and about 60 men were employed on the operations. About seven years ago a similar occurrence wiped out of existence another mill on the same site, and owned by Mr. Griffith. Three years ago the large mill which was operated by Mr. Griffith at Beulah, was brought to Ebensburg and located on the site of the one destroyed by the first fire. As already stated in THE FREEMAN, Mr. Griffith had about completed his lumber operations here and within the next six weeks contemplated removing the mill to Pindleton where an extensive tract of timber awaited its operation. Mr. Makin was employed at Beulah by Mr. Griffith in the same capacity as that at the time of his death. He began working for Mr. Griffith about 7 years ago. Prior to that time he ran a farm in Cambria township. The deceased was 64 years of age and was a veteran of the Civil War. He was a comrade in Co. F, One Hundred and Thirty-third regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers of Merchant James M. Thompson and Mailcarrier, D. D. Pryce of this place, having enlisted in the nine months' service. In 1862 he married Miss Mary Jane Williams of Cambria township, who, with the following children survives him: George who is in Winber (sic); Harry, who is associated with the mining concern of Skelly & Makin, operating the Schenkle grist mill in Cambria township near the PRR depot; John of Altoona, an engineer in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad company; Maude, wife of George McKay of Cambria township and Annie, wife of Louis Brown of the West ward, Ebensburg. The charred remains of the unfortunate man were discovered by his son, Harry and David Williams of Cambria township, a brother-in-law of the deceased. The body was removed to the Makin home in the West ward by Undertaker Robert Evans & Son and prepared for burial. The funeral was held from the Makin home Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock with services by the Rev. W. H. Oldham, pastor of the Ebensburg Christian Church, John M. Jones Post. No. 556, G. A. R., of which the deceased was a member, attended the obsequies. Mr. Griffith states that in all probability he will be able to again use the boiler and some of the machinery in the burned building.