Gibson – Last Friday morning the little town was greatly startled to learn that the home of Mrs. Sarah Tingley had burned during the night. Mr. and Mrs. George Manzer and three adult children occupied one half of the home. Mr. Norman Hinds, principal of our school, was making his home with Mrs. Tingley in the other side of the house. Mrs. Manzer heard a crackling sound and smelled smoke about one o’clock Friday morning and she awakened the household. They tried to put out the fire but to no avail and within an hour the roof had fallen in. The occupants lost just about everything, Mrs. Tingley having only $800 insurance, which only covers a third of losses. The occupants are now staying with neighbors.

Franklin Township – Another fire, the result of an explosion of an acetylene lighting plant in the basement of the home of Frank Wilson, blew off the roof and caused the walls to fall. The family, with the exception of Mr. Wilson, who was in the woods, all survived, but household furnishings were scattered; the top of a new piano was hurled into he top of a maple, where it still clings to the branches. They left the house thinly clad, but neighbors soon came to their aid and cared for them. Damage of 4 to 5 thousand is estimated with an insurance of only $850. They plan to move on the adjoining Travis farm immediately.

South Gibson – About 50 friends of Mrs. Sabra Carpenter gathered at her home on Dec. 23, to help celebrate her 100th birthday. It is believed she is the oldest person in the county. If there are any older, we would be glad to hear from them.

Franklin, Bradford Co. – E. A. Holden has a pair of Indian snowshoes worn by his grandfather in hunting foxes 125 years ago. The shoes are in a good state of preservation and the present owner used them last week to find his barn, which he knew was not far back of his house before “the big snow.”

Road Suggestion – There is a strip of road from Auburn Center to South Montrose that should be a state road. Along this road, through Auburn, Dimock and Bridgewater, are many churches, schools, cemeteries, blacksmith shops, stores, quarries, creameries and Grange halls, and tons of milk, lime and feed to be carried over it, miles from the railroad, and all the year around there are places in this road that are impassable.

Alford – The death of William Spencer, an aged Alford man, occurred Monday and his wife died the day following. They had spent their long life on their farm, northwest of this place. Both were highly esteemed people and their deaths were due to infirmities of their advanced years.

Springville – The marriage of Miss Ruth Tuttle, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Tuttle, to Ralph Lake, son of Mr. and Mrs. M. L. Lake, of South Montrose, was quietly solemnized at the home of the bride’s parents on Thursday evening, Feb. 26, 1920, Rev. W.H. Cadwell officiating.

Montrose – The picture, “The Woman Under Cover,” featuring Fritzi Brunett, shown at the C-Nic Theatre on Tuesday evening, attracted a large crowd. Gamont news was an entertaining and instructive part of the evening’s entertainment.

Eastern Susquehanna County – The snow drifts are of such a height in the eastern part of the county that in some places it was found easier to tunnel than to shovel the snow from the road in the usual manner.

Susquehanna – The Transcript says that it is rumored in railroad circles that there is a strong possibility of the Erie railroad putting a couple of the new Ford motor passenger cars for steam railroads in use in the local service. These cars, just perfected in the Ford factories at Detroit, weigh only ten tons, against 25 and 50 tons for other types of cars and a new style motor, which makes them powerful, as well as economical. Report has it that the Erie is contemplating putting a couple of these cars in the service between Susquehanna and Binghamton. They carry 50 people and can make the run in 50 minutes, at one-tenth the expense of a local passenger train. ALSO Mrs. O. E. Williams, a teacher in the Susquehanna public schools, died in a hospital in Scranton, Feb. 24, 1920. Deceased spent her girlhood days in Montrose, being remembered as Miss Inez Blessing. Her husband, the late O. E. Williams, was one of the best-known aviators in the country. He was killed in a fall in his machine while giving an exhibition in Alabama. She is survived by three children, and one sister and two brothers, one living at Oak Hill and Gay Blessing, of Jersey City. [Copies of “Men, Wind & Courage: A Pioneer Aviation Story of O. E. Williams and His Associates,” written by Nancy Lynn Mess, formerly of Susquehanna, is available at the Historical Society.]

Lathrop Twp. – Peter Phillips died at his home in this place on Feb 23, aged about 60 years. His father, a veteran of the Civil War, and dying when Peter was young, the boy was sent to the Soldier’s Orphan school at Harford, where he remained until he was 16. After his first wife died, he married Miss Bertha Squier, who with the following children survive him: Mrs. Vida Moore, Fred Squier, Charles, Peter, and Stanley [Phillips]. His death was due to pneumonia, complicated with heart trouble.

Uniondale – The deep snow has obstructed the highways leading into Uniondale. What is known as the Churchill was abandoned sometime ago. Hand sleds are used by some of the farmers to get their coal. Fortunately our coal merchants have been well supplied. Farmers living close by in Clifford township are compelled to go to Elkdale and then come up the creek road. The Crandall road is a veritable Broadway.

News Brief: Here is the way an exchange sizes up the present winter: “Never do we remember seeing the earth so burdened with snow and drifts. We have known more severe, individual storms that we have had so far, but snow storms and blow storms follow so frequently, in the aggregate they exceed anything in our remembrance, and a large percentage of the travel is now through the fields, the roads being blocked with from 6 to 15 feet of snow.

Among the deaths reported in the Montrose Democrat, Independent Republican and Forest City News, many were from influenza. They were: Lee A. Merrill, Dimock; George White, Birchardville; Mrs. Susan Skinner, Upsonville; Mrs. Patrick Degnan, Middletown; Mrs. Caroline Gray, Dimock; J. W. Dibble, formerly of Great Bend, at his home in Sellersville, Pa.; Mrs. Glen Anthony and Miss Marion Townsend, both of Oakland.