Hometown History

March 23, 2023

135 Years AgoA Big Fire in Oneonta Early This Morning -- $50,000 More Gone to Blazes – At about five o’clock this morning people were roused from slumber by a din of whistles and clang of bells that made it tolerably evident a considerable fire was underway. Those who hurried into Main Street were speedily aware that the “wooden row” was again in for it. The fire appears to have been first discovered by men in the railroad yard, who represent it as bursting from the rear windows of the basement under the store occupied by A. & M. Krohn, in the Geo. Reynolds block at the foot of Chestnut Street. It spread, we need hardly say, with great rapidity. The firemen were quickly on the scene, and notwithstanding some difficulty with the hydrants, two or three of which were frozen, or refused to work, had four streams playing within a brief period. But, the flames being mainly in the basements at the rear of the buildings, and the blocks unbroken for a long distance, it was impossible to get in any very effective work. The flames made rapid progress, the dry and in the main light-built structures offering small resistance. Within 50 minutes from the first alarm, the Reynolds building had fallen in; the Huntington and Strong buildings speedily followed, and soon after the Fritts building, this last fortunately crashing toward the fire’s center and leaving the Vosburgh and Miller building tolerably clear. The list of losses runs heavy, but those losing are pretty well protected. Jeweler Adams appears to be the heaviest loser. Talk now is that Chestnut Street must be extended to meet Mechanic to eliminate the dangerous and inconvenient continuity of buildings on the south side of Main Street

March 1888