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North Olean Businesses Scorched by Firebugs
These buildings were built after the fire of 1885. Mr Collins completed the corner brick building in 1885 to operate his grocery and dry goods store.
See North Olean Business in the Late 1800's The last business to operate in the building was the Balkin Bakery.
The year 1893 was a bad year what with all the fires in North Olean, especially the business district along Union Street between Pine and Oak Streets. It all started in February of that year when the home of Mrs. Mary Dailey burned. By April, fifteen fires had been reported. Then in October all hell let loose and North Olean witnessed the burning out of its business district.
On the morning of October 5, 1893, the storeroom of O. T. Higgins & Son’s store on the east side of Union Street was on fire. The blowing of the locomotive whistles in the Erie Yard waked the residents of this suburb. The fire spread rapidly and the buildings were soon all in flames. Since there was no fire protection to speak of, as there was no water supply, all the citizens could do was to watch the flames spread from O. T. Higgins to numerous small buildings in the rear to David Fehan’s & Co’s grocery store on the north.
With the fire at Fehan’s & Co’s store was well underway, the flames spread to Michael Fitzgerald’s two-story brick liquor store. With all these buildings burning at one time, the blaze was so hot that the flames caught B. C. Dempsey’s home on Oak Street, east of the Higgins’s storehouse on fire. The next house to burn on Oak Street was the residence of Peter Phillips, owned by Mrs. James Sullivan. The fire destroyed all the buildings in an hour and half.
The Exchange Hotel, located near Fehan’s was threatened but was only slightly damaged by the heat. The plate glass front windows of Dan Collin’s grocery and M. F. Mack & Co drug store located across the west side of Union Street were broken and other slight damage was done to the buildings.
The stock from some of the buildings was partially removed only to be stolen or destroyed. Almost all of the goods in Fehan’s store were moved to Haugh’s barn on W. Pine Street for safekeeping.
During the fire several tramps, seeing a good opportunity with the fire raging, made changes of shoes and clothing while in plain sight. They were driven away several times only to return to another place and take what they wanted. Since the origin of the fire was unknown, the general supposition was that it was started by tramps.
A SECOND ALARM ON THAT SAME MORNINGThe residents, who were fortunate enough to escape the fire, gladly gave shelter to their unfortunate neighbors. By 4:30 that morning, all was quiet again. But alas, at about one hour later the locomotive whistles started again. M. J. Haugh’s large barn on W. Pine Street, where the stock from Fehan’s store was stored was on fire. The fire, having got a good fierce start in the rear of the barn, quickly spread northward to set the icehouse on fire. The whole of North Olean was again a scene of intense excitement. This second blaze was about 100 yards from the scene of the first fire.
It was soon apparent to all that the second fire would be as fierce and as damaging as the previous fire. The flames attacked the barn owned by Mrs. E. S. Sullivan in the rear of Thomas Sullivan’s residence and boarding house on Pine Street, which were west of Haugh’s buildings. The boarding house caught on fire so rapidly that the seventeen occupants narrowly escaped the inferno. The next building to go up in flames was Mr. Haugh’s office between his icehouse and Mrs. Sullivan’s boarding house.
The worst was yet to come. The bewildered spectators were in shock to see the American House, owned by Mrs. Bourk and occupied by M. C. Sullivan, slowly but surely catch on fire. Engineer David Root and landlord John Henneman, of the City Exchange, secured the Luther Hose Co’s water hose, attached it to the fire extinguishing attachment on Mr. Root’s engine in order to confine the flames to the American House. This was the last place to fall victim to total destruction.
After much hard work and effort the row of building south of the American House were saved from the inferno. Larry Connell’s saloon, which was the first building near the American House, was quite badly damaged. The Exchange Hotel across the street from the American House was spared. This second fire lasted about two hours.
The total loss from these two fires was estimated at over $30,000. A tidy sum in those days.
FIREBUG AT NORTH OLEANOn October 16, 1893, there was no longer any doubt that there was a firebug in North Olean. On that night were was another attempt to start another fire, but it was discovered just in time to prevent another big disaster.
A fire was set in John Sheehan’s barn that was located between his store and his brother’s Daniel Sheehan. It was long past midnight, and Daniel, who lived near the barn, was still awake. As he glanced out his window he noticed a flickering light in the direction of the barn. Hastily jumping out of bed and into his clothes, he ran over to his brother’s place and aroused him. Together they put the fire out with a few pails of water. Since the fire had not got a very good start they quickly extinguished it. Upon investigating in the barn the brothers found a bottle of oil, in the neck of which extended a partially burned fuse, which had no doubt been used to start the fire.
There weren’t any clues as to the identity of the firebug, but several of the people of North Olean had their suspicions.
FIRE HELD SWAY AGAINIt was about nine days later that whoever tried to start a fire at Sheehan’s’ made good on their second attempt. About 11:35 p.m. a fire started in a very mysterious manner between one of Daniel’s W. Sheehan’s barns in the rear of his store on E. Oak Street, and Mr. Beardsey’s house on Maple Street.
Since the last fire that occurred on October 2nd, D. W. Sheehan had his brother James stationed as a watchman each night about the premises near his store and barns. It was James, who first discovered the fire, but not in time to prevent it from spreading as it was well under way. He immediately gave the alarm by shouting and this alerted the neighbors and no doubt saved their lives as the flames were spreading rapidly and fiercely. Mr. Sheehan said that he couldn’t imagine how the flames could have gained such headway before he discovered them, as he was about two rods away in a doorway of one of the barns. He tried to save the horses in one of the barns but being so excited he couldn’t get the doors open. Before help could come the poor beasts were surrounded by flames and in their agony made a terrible noise.
The fire spread quickly to sheds that adjoined the barn and to Beardsley’s house from which the fire spread to the houses on either side. While the flames were raging on W. Oak Street, the terrific heat, shifted by a slight western breeze, set fire to the buildings on Union Street. The first to burn was Alvord’s barn, then his dwelling and bakery, the next was Dotterweich’s building occupied by J. E. Ryan’s saloon and Willard’s barber shop, than the flames spread to John Sheehan’s general store corner of Oak and Union Streets.
In the course of a little time the fire illuminated the low hanging clouds and with the whistles of the locomotives, factories and the fire bell the population of nearly the whole city and town were aroused and flocked to the scene. There were many willing hands to help with the fire but the tough element was there also and stole from the Sheehans’ stores. The Olean City Fire Police came upon the scene and put a damper on this activity.
In the meantime, the flames were burning down D. W. Sheehan’s grocery, meat market and office building, which he recently had bought from W. S. Turner. On Union Street the flames spread southward to consume Timothy Colligan’s vacant store and dwelling occupied by an Italian family.
The building didn’t seem to burn in one-two-three order, but nearly all of them were bunched and burned together. The dozen buildings all ablaze at one time made an extremely hot fire and the flames spread across Oak Street to set fire and destroy Daniel Collin’s wooden storehouse that was filled with newly purchased goods.
The City fire engine arrived and obtained water from the Erie’s water tank. The Turner and Luther Hose Companies with the aid of the refinery hose got water from the refinery pumps. By 8 o’clock in the morning the fire was under control and the scene of the damage was a desolate one. The general supposition regarding the fire is that it was of an incendiary origin. The reason for this belief was that the place where the fire started was either in the barn or between the barn and Beardsley’s house.
Thus by October 25, 1893 another disastrous fire leveled about $30,000 more in property damage in North Olean,
mainly in the business district.
I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire
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North Olean Businesses Scorched by Firebugs
