The Breckenridge News Cloverport, Kentucky | Wednesday, March 16, 1910

Disastrous Fire Again Visits Old Cloverport

Beautiful Homes and Comfortable Residences Eaten Up By Flames On The East Side of Town — March Winds Blew a Terrific Gale

Bucket Brigade was People’s Only Protection

Occurred Monday morning. Losers: Lee Modes, John Carter, Henry Morton’s family, Chas. Morton, Edward Gregory, O. T. Skillman, and A. R. Fisher. Monday morning at 10:45 fire broke out in the home of Henry Morton on the East Side and burned all the houses, with one exception, on Third Street between Front and High streets. A high March gale was blowing from the north and the whole town was threatened.

The fire, it is said by some, was caused from a defective flue and others say it was started by a spark from Morton’s sawmill. However, Morton’s house burned first, and the fire spread so rapidly, it appeared that there was little hope of stopping it without a loss similar to that suffered nearly a decade ago.

APPEAL FOR HELP.

One of the leading citizens appealed to the Board of Public Safety of both Louisville and Owensboro, for assistance in the way of a fire engine. But by 11:30 the wind subsided, and the men got the flames under control.

SHOP MEN SAVE TOWN.

Just as quickly as the cry of fire was given Master Mechanic Plank gave orders to Foreman Lafe Behen to have the Henderson Route men go to the rescue. The wrecker was sent to the depot, which was close to the fire, with heavy water supply and buckets. A bucket brigade was then formed by the railroad men and the citizens, and this is what saved old Cloverport from another horrible disaster.

HOUSES BADLY DAMAGED.

The firefighters worked like Trojans to save the homes of Leon McGavock, Frank Payne, and Chas. B. Skillman. McGavock’s house is on the lot adjoining Fisher’s and the other houses are across the street. The men soaked McGavock’s house with water, but it is said the Murray Tile Roofing is what saved it. Payne’s house was covered with wet blankets and rugs.

RESIDENTS MOVE FURNITURE.

Fearing a repetition of the catastrophe of nine years ago, the residents on the East Side who thought every minute their homes would be enveloped in flames, got together their treasures and moved their household goods. The streets were filled with furniture as the furnishings of Mrs. Lucy Gregory, W. H. Bowmer, Dr. Forrest Lightfoot, D. H. Severs, John D. Babbage, and St. George Hotel, were moved from their homes. J. C. Nolte had his household goods packed, but he and Mr. Emel Nolte, like others, were so busy in trying to save other people’s homes that they neglected their own. Nolte Bros. furnished barrels of salt for the firefighters. Dr. Lightfoot had $5000 worth of stock and he kept close watch on his stable.

ANNIVERSARY OF BIG FIRE.

Just nine years ago Sunday night, the heart of Cloverport was eaten up by a terrible conflagration, and Fisher and Skillman suffered in that fire.

OUTSIDE WORLD CONCERNED.

Just as soon as the news of the fire got on the wires, the outside world was greatly concerned and anxious about Cloverport. The News received six long distant calls, besides getting inquiries from newspapers as to the extent of the fire, and several others received inquiring messages from friends and relatives.

MR. MORTON’S STATEMENT.

Chas. Morton came to the News office yesterday morning and stated that the fire did not start from his mill but originated from a defective flue as stated in the beginning of this article.

MAY REBUILD.

Mr. Skillman and Mr. Fisher will possibly rebuild. Both had little insurance. The Fisher homestead was one of the prettiest places in Cloverport and was a land mark of the town.

LOSS AND INSURANCE.

A. R. Fisher’s loss $6000, insurance $2000; Orville Skillman’s loss on building and furniture, $800, covered by insurance; Ed. Gregory’s house and furniture, $800, insurance $400; Chas. Morton’s loss $750; John Carter, $700; Lee Modes, household goods, total loss.

WALKS FROM SKILLMAN.

J. C. Jarboe heard of the fire about twelve o’clock while on his farm at Skillman and started at once to ride home horse-back. Mr. Jarboe said it occurred to him his barn might be burned, so he left his horse and walked. Mr. Tarboe said, “It didn’t burn my house, but it did my neighbors and that’s bad enough.”

BEST FIRE FIGHTERS.

Otto Tague, who worked extremely hard Monday morning, said Cloverport had the best fire fighters he had ever seen any place. There are a number of men who should be given honorable mention or thanked personally for their diligent work in the disaster, but printers ink cannot do everything.

WARNED THE PEOPLE.

Week before last in an editorial The News warned the people of fire, but warning does no good when the nearest fire engine is in Owensboro.

FRONT STREET PEOPLE SCARED.

The residents on Front Street were all in danger Monday morning and the Burke, Davis, and McCracken families moved all their furniture from their homes.

THE FUNNY SIDE.

In the midst of the excitement Chas. Jackson got a good soaking. Big hearted Henry May threw a bucket of water on him and Jackson told him if he threw any more on him what he would do. May pitched another bucket of water on him, then Jackson hung the bucket over his head.

Tom Ferry said he dealt in window curtains during the fire. When Fisher’s home was burning, he said he would run in the house and someone would tell him to get out. He made three attempts to save something for the Fishers and got one window shade. Then he went to the Phelp’s and as soon as he stepped into the house, he said Mrs. Phelps asked him to get her a certain window shade as calmly as she would say, “Pass me the butter please.”

“Red” Weatherholt stayed up in Skillman’s cupola and every five minutes old “‘Red’ would yell, “‘Skillman’s house is burning up!”

Colin Miller ran up a tree, like a squirrel, with a bucket of water.

After the danger was over, one woman found all of her pitchers and wash bowls in her garden.

Mrs. Henry Pate said Mr. Pate was always behind on every occasion but he certainly got a cat hop on him when that fire was cried. His daughter said, “They ought to have a fire every morning to make Daddy get up!”

Mr. Fraiser, the tailor and cleaner, who worked so hard, carried a machine around with one hand until someone told him to put it down.

GOT A BIG SLICE BACK.

One young woman fully realized for the first time that bread cast upon the waters will someday come back. Last week she met a certain man, who in a way had displeased her and she did not want to speak to him, but she dropped the feeling of anguish and decided it would not hurt her to be to kind enough to speak and she did. When the fire broke out her home was threatened and she saw her big slice of kindness floating back to her, for this man was the first to offer his assistance in saving her home. This was the best bread she ever tasted. And there was a good deal of this kind of food scattered over old Cloverport Monday morning.

Back Row, Left to Right: David Mattingly, H.D. Pate, Ben Miller, E.F. Pate, Joseph Lawson, Joseph Younger, Lee Wood, O.O. Lewis
Middle Row, Left to Right: L.J. Behen, Warfield Collins, Charles Wagner, Al Purcell, ? Duncan, F. Whitehouse, C.O. Berry
Front Row, Left to Right: Harry Weatherholt, Charles Jackson, John Lawson, Ira Behen

Brothers Total 133 Years of Service With The L. & N.

February 19, 1953

The three sons of the late Mr. and Mrs. Marion Behen, Hovious M., Lafe J., and Ira D. Behen, now retired, have amassed the amazing total of 133 years of railroad work. They started with the Louisville, Henderson, and St. Louis Railway (then called the “Texas” as the original name had been Louisville, St. Louis, and Texas) around the turn of the century, when apprentice machinists were paid the munificent salary of 5 cents an hour, with an annual raise to 7 ½, 15, and 20 cents, and agents helpers received $9 a month. Mechanics then earned 33 an hour and now about $2.00. The brothers who incidentally, have always made Cloverport their home, mention names still familiar here. One general foreman, N. Cordrey, still lives in Cloverport. Others mentioned were P. D. Plank (father-in law of one brother), Harry S. Hills, B. Randall, F. J. Ferry and his son, F. C. Ferry, Charles Randall, Harry Williams, and R. R. Pierce, father of Wallace, Allen, Vivian, Robert, and Fred Pierce.

Hovious Behen, eldest of the three brothers, started work in October, 1898 as an agent’s helper, later becoming agent in charge at Cloverport, and he was operator at the shops for a while. Although he worked in Owensboro for a few months, his length of service was six months over 50 years, so that he has made the unusual record of working in one town for fifty years. He retired April 1, 1949, and was given a diamond button in appreciation of his long service. He and Mrs. Behen, the former Miss Allie Haynes, have one daughter, Mrs. Adolph Kuechler of Phoenixville, Penna., and one granddaughter, Marion Kuechler.

Lafe Behen, the next brother in point of age, started work in December, 1898, as an apprentice machinist, then machinist, shop foreman, and storekeeper in charge of receipt and issue of supplies. It was when he had the misfortune while working as a machinist to lose the sight of his left eye that he was transferred to the store room. When the Cloverport shops closed he was given charge of a group of roundhouse men at South Louisville. He retired in 1932. He and Mrs. Behen, the former Miss Ann Bonner, are at present vacationing in Texas.

The youngest brother, Ira Behen, also started work as an apprentice machinist. Later he had several supervisory positions and went with the L. & N. to Louisville in 1929, working in the general office. At the time of his retirement, January 15, 1953, he was a member of the staff of the superintendent of machinery. At that time he received a gold 21 jewel Hamilton watch, known as a railroad man’s watch, with an inscription on the back in his own handwriting, giving his name and the facts. He and Mrs. Behen (the former Miss Grace Plank, daughter of the aforementioned P. D. Plank) have a daughter, Mrs. Maurice Bandy of Cloverport, and two sons, David Behen of Chicago, and John Behen of Elizabethtown, and five grandchildren, Maurice Edward, Mary Alice, and John David Bandy, and John Nelson and Mary Emily Behen.

“Mr. Ira” hung up an even fifty years of service before his retirement.

Even after his transfer to Louisville, Mr. Ira never moved but commuted back and forth. The past few years he commuted daily riding the early train to work and the evening “accommodation” to Cloverport. He was known as the finest sleeper on the train – he was generally asleep by the time the up train cleared the Tile Plant and usually before the evening train left 10th Street Station. This made about 4 1/2 hours of daily travel time, and Mr. Behen said he never could have done it by automobile!

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