Liberty Hose Co. No. 2 - Incident Detail #1598

Early Tuesday morning November 4, 1924, shortly after midight, flames were discovered at the ice house of the Kerstetter Hotel in Gratz by Irvin Bixler and C.T. Updegrove. Volunteers quickly started a bucket brigade. But, a strong westerly wind soon had the entire central section of town in flames. Harry Smith got the assistance of a telephone operator in Elizabethville to call the fire companies of Lykens, Wiconisco, Elizabethville, Millersburg, and Valley View. Telegraphs were sent to Harrisburg for assistance. Goodwill, Friendship, Hope, and Mount Pleasant fire companies were loaded on a train and cleared to Millersburg, when they learned that the local fire companies had the blaze under control. They returned to Harrisburg. The Elizabethville, Lykens, and Wiconisco companies deserve great credit, as they worked hard and were instrumental in saving adjoining buildings to the flames. Miller Brother's store and Charles Klinger's home were on fire several times, but diligent watch by the firemen saved these buildings. The high winds carried burning embers a distance of half a mile. When the blaze was at its height, a haystack at the fairgrounds burst into flames, which was extinguished shortly after with little loss. Only the fact that the high wind died down in the early morning saved the town from destruction. The damage was estimated at $200,000. The Kerstetter Hotel and private property with outbuildings sustained a loss of more than $10,000 with little insurance coverage. Harry Smith's store, restaurant, public hall, residence, and bottling establishment, together with other small adjoining buildings fell, the loss of $50,000 with one-tenth insured. George Hepler lost two large barns with the season's crops containing hay, oats, corn, etc, and many up-to-date modern farming machines. Miller Brother's barn, Hoffman Brother's garage, and barns of Ira Rothermel, George Umholtz, and Daniel Koppenhaver were burned to the ground. The ballots and boxes for the presidential election that day had been delivered to the hotel on Monday. They were saved and taken to the First National Bank, where the election was held and voting carried out, instead of the appointed place, which was burned to the ground.