How
easy it would be to say, yet another fire at such and such a place, ta da, ta
da, ta da…, but in this case, we get to see the fire from two perspectives, the
news report, and the family across the street.
Several
years ago, the Interlaken Historical Society produced calendars with photos
from a range of topics. One month showed the remains from fires in the area.
For the January 2007 newsletter, I wrote an article about several of the fires.
Two years later the Historical Society was given the letter Mrs. VanArsdale
wrote to her son Lyle the morning after the blaze. Rev. and Mrs. Elias
VanArsdale lived in the Manse, or parsonage, on the corner of Orchard and Main
Street (beside the current post office). The Wegner Mill was located on the
south side of Orchard Street.
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| Mill owner, Dewitt Grove is picking up remains after the fire. Interlaken Historical Society photo #1611 |
After a short greeting, Mrs. VanArsdale goes into details about the fire.
Well, my boy you missed some
excitement this morning. Mrs. U[sher] came up to stay all night, and we were
very nicely sleeping when I heard the worst noise, I wakened and the mill was
all one mass of fire.
We got up, dressed and before we
dressed it was so hot in our room we couldn’t stand it, the wind was southwest
and coming right on us, but fortunately for us it soon changed to northwest.
The windows in the play room are
all cracked. My plants on the shelf are scorched to the roots, setting room and
bedroom windows cracked and the house badly blistered.
They hung wet carpets up, to save
us. I had my bedding, silverware and clothes all tied up in sheets.
You know Papa and Mr. Villemonte
started for Classis yesterday on the two [two o’clock train].
The factory is down to the
ground, the barn with VanKirk’s auto and Charlie Rice’s autos are gone.
The Stewart’s furniture is about
gone, some things in our barn, but not good for much. The Church’s lost part of
their bedroom furniture. The home is completely ruined
On the whole, it was a lucky
fire, for the wind was very bad, Trumansburg came and Ithaca and they helped
wonderfully.
Hancy’s house was afire, and the
canning factory barn (Bradley) a number of times.
We served hot coffee and ham
sandwiches at five. It is still smoking some, but I guess not dangerous.
No electric lights tonight,
although they worked all day trying to get wired straight.
Well, I am glad the old thing has
gone, but it was a bad experience. And I don’t care to go through it again.
Papa and Mr. V will have some
surprise when they hear about it.
In
the same issue of the Interlaken Review is this card of appreciation
dated Trumansburg, April 19, 1916 “The members of the congregation of St.
Francis Solanus church wishes to thank the Interlaken and Trumansburg fire
departments for saving the church property from destruction by fire, and also
one company of the Ithaca Fire Department for their good will in coming to
help, had anything remained for them to do.
Very
sincerely, T.
J. Harrington, Pastor.
Once
the site was cleared, several new homes were built on that corner. Facing Main
Street was the home owned by Anna Slaght in the 1920s, later by Willard and
Evelyn Georgia. Around the corner, facing Orchard Street are the homes formerly
of Ernest and Grace Hiltbrand, and Edna Johnson (second from the corner). The
Larsen’s home would appear to be the rebuilt Longstreet home. Also new on the
block was the larger home next to the church parking lot.
Click here to read the Interlaken Review article, and the role the hand pumper played in
saving the homes.
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| One of the new homes built after the fire. Main Street, at one time Anna Slaght lived here, later Willard and Evelyn Georgia lived in the house. Photo loaned to the author in 2005 by Howard Slaght, grandson of Anna. |
Dewitt’s
Diary, Saturday, April 18, 1936
Duane, Pete and I went to Montour
Falls and tried the fishing, but no luck.
Snow on the ground and a cold wet
day.
Pete and Marion were home from
Buffalo over the weekend.
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