Stubborn Blaze...
Franklin- Franklin firemen are shown
battling a spectacular fire which began about 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday
and kept the firemen on the run until Saturday, when it was finally
extinguished.
According to Fire Chief Ralph Jensen,
the blaze that started in the 100-year-old Susquehanna Railroad station,
on Dixon street, destroyed not only the 80 x 30 foot, one and one
half story structure, but all of the building materials stored there
by Anthony Paluso, of Hamburg, who had rented the station for storage
space. Destroyed were large quantities of plywood, shingles, tar paper
and cement. Damage, which included the building, totaled approximately
$40,000, the fire chief said.
According to the firemen, the tinder-dry
building flared so quickly it was impossible to determine immediately
if it had held any freight or other supplies. The blaze was under
control by 3 a.m., preventing its spread to the adjacent railroad
office building. The blaze broke out again at 4 a.m. and firemen were
called to the scene several times. On Saturday the fire department
received permission from the officials of the railroad to let the
office building go down if it flared up again.
Many years ago the station was used
by passengers and was the hub of railroading activity here. Passenger
service to Franklin has been long discontinued. However, it has been
reported that a local station master had conducted business there
three times a week.