Show HELPLESS TO SAVE A Town Destroyed by Fire While the Inhabitants look Helplessly On Alexander the Beloved or the Bulgarians Bulga-rians A Yery Favorable Showing for the Wheat Crop The Smoking Ruins of the Richmond HotelMormons Released From a House of Correction Helpless to Save ERE Pa March 21A telephone message to the Dispatch says At a fox minutes after af-ter 10 oclock the residents of discovered dis-covered a fire in what is known as Oldes Curtis building one of the oldest structures in the village and which has been unoccupied unoccu-pied for some time The town possesses a small volunteer fire department which was at once called out Arriving at the scene of the fire at 1030 some trouble was had with the apparatus which had not been used for a long time and in the meantime the fire gained good headway and spread to two adjoining buildings taking such firm hold that the operation a hand pump was of little avail Every thing possible was done by the firemen and the residents of the neighboring houses made all haste to remove re-move their goods to a place of safety In the meantime the fire continued to make steady progress up Townsend avenue which lies along the bank of the lake work ing its way towards tho hotel At 1 oclock it had reached the corner of Parish and Townsend streets and spread taking in two streets At this time thirtyseven buildings were on fire and absolutely nothing could be done Appeals for aid were sent to Brockton and Dunkirk but owing to the de fective tire apparatus of these places none could be sent The last report received from the scene of the fire was at midnight and the employes of the telephone office are moving out their goods stating that the fire was only two doors distant and the attention of the fire department andresidents was devoted to getting out household goods owing to the proximity of the fire The telephone operator the only source of news in the place was unwilling to give news and would not take time to state who owned the burned buildings He stated however that they were nearly all property of summer residenta and that the damage would figure way up in the thousands At that time the fire had taken hold upon the new and magnificent hotel and was making rapid work with it Owing to imminent destruction destruc-tion of the telephone station it is exceedingly exceed-ingly improbable whether further news can be obtained soon Later Tho Hotel Athenium has been saved and the fire is now under control No estimate of loss has been made The fire in effect burned itself out BUFFALO March 21A special from James says The fire at the Chautauqua Assembly grounds this morning destroyed eighty i buildings including several largo boardinghouses Among them were the Eckert 1 Parkurst and Allen houses The total loss will probably exceed 100000 The fire started shortly before midnight mid-night on Simpson Avenue It was caused by a defective flue Buildings and cottages are of wood and are close together The fire spread rapily to adjoining cottages About sixty families remain on the grounds during the winter season The fire swept everything before it taking both sides of the Simpson and Summerfield avenues I I |