The Centinel (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)

Dreadful Accident

On Monday last, Mrs. Tharp, of this county, left two small children in the house until she went to James Brodrick’s.  While she was gone, one of her children about two years old, set its clothes on fire, and burned to death.  However, it was not quite lifeless when she returned, but expired in a few minutes.  The doors were fastened so that they could not get out, and the other was too small to afford any assistance in this dreadful catastrophe.

[Submitted by Nancy Piper]

Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
November 24, 1824
Frankfort, Ky. Nov. 6
Conflagration of the Capital

On Thursday morning at half past 7, the cry of FIRE was heard in the streets. The State House was on Fire! A small blaze was seen issuing forth near the summit of the building, shooting up above the ball and vane, and fast extending itself around the cupola. In a few moments the cupola was wrapped in flames, the roof and sides as yet untouched. For a moment this splendid edifice stood, to compare great thing to small, like a vast lighted lamp – the blazing cupola shooting its vivid flame high in the air. In the mean time, the devouring element was rapidly spreading among the combustible materials of the attic story and beneath the roof, through which it burst in a hundred places.

In less than half an hour the timbers of the roof began to fall in, breaking through the floors and ceilings and falling into the apartments below. The whole interior soon resembled a roasting furnace. In less than two hours all that was combustible with plastering, brick and stones was reduced to a pile of smoking rubbish.

The walls which were of brick, the chimneys and the four columns of the portico, are left standing. A small part of the north wall only, where the windows where thick, fell down.

The Public Offices – the Auditor’s and Treasurer’s on the left – the Secretary’s and Register’s on the right, though very near the main building were saved and not much injured.

A considerable portion of the furniture, many books, and some papers and a quantity of muskets were destroyed.

This was among the finest edifices in the Western country. Its dimensions – 100 feet front by 65 deep, with a correspondent height. It was built in 1816, and cost about 30,000 dollars chiefly raised by the voluntary contributions of the citizens of Frankfort and its vicinity.

From the moment the fire was discovered the impracticability of saving the building was obvious. The cupola was above the reach of the fire engine. The few, who being near found their way up into the cupola were without water, and found the fire still above their heads. Before water could possibly be conveyed up, the whole cupola, so rapid was the progress of the flames, was in a blaze.

The origin of the fire was no doubt, entirely accidental. – Commentator.
[Submitted by Nancy Piper]

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