The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-05-13

vay was bright to almost daylight
brightness, and great leaping sheets of
flames from half dozen beautiful
boats were reaching their immense folds
far up the grade of the levee. Crowds
who had already reached the point were
forced back, away back up to the north
side of Front street, by the immense
heat.
The body of flame was fully five hun.
dred feet long by a hundred in width,
and it reached up into the air far above
the level of the Spencer House roof
The burning boats were the Clifton,
Mary Erwin, Darling, Cheyenne, Mel
notte and Westmorelapd.
The Charmer had dropped down out
of the way, and the West Wind, just
coming up, had towed the st. James
out of danger. All statements thS S,t q our Il
reporters heard agreed on the Cllto1
rs the starting point of the hre, anu
that it progressed in the order IN WHICH
the boats are named above.
The flames from the burning ooats
shot far into the air, illuminating al
most the whole city, and sheddln8
radiant sparks all over the lower sgt ares
as far north as Third street. The leVee,
that had been deserted for so long q
time. was suddenly peopled by thou
sands of men, women and children,
alarmed by the prolonged ringing of the
beIls and attracted from drOwsy beds
by the great light at the river. Inc
firemen answered the first alarm with
amazing promptitude. Horses plunged
madly along the levee, and hose unrolled
itself in all directions.
The mere handful of firemen who
dared meet the destroying element at
the waters edge, seemed so puny ana
insignificant in the light of the grand
terrific confagration, that the crowds
upon the wharf could not hope for the
salvation of any that might be on board
the doomed vessels; they could but
stand and gaze and shudder. The
light woodwork could not long with
stand the hot breath of the Fire Ffend.
The symmetrical outlines of the boats
were lost sight of in the sheets Of flame
and the dense volume of smoke that
enveloped them. The white spars and
the delicate tracery of the cabins were
one moment resplendent-the next they
were gone. Deprived of support, the
decks quivered and crashed down to
the hull; the tall chimneys in a second
toppled over and fell like forest trees,
some upon the wharf, some into the
water.
Oil burst from confinement, and flow
ed in broad streams far down upon the
surface OF the river, resembling, when
viewed from the Suspension Bridge, a
separate rivulet of molten gold.
1t appeared at the first a hopeless task
to resist the progress of the fire on the
six boats over which it had so quickly
spread, and hopeless it proved. For the
stiff breeze blowing from the East bore
the flames from one boat to another I'M
til all were ablaze, and the six river
palaces were swept away like chat
before the wind. The tiremen, see
ing that it would be useless to at
tempt to save the boats that were on
fire when they reached the wharf, con.
centrating their engines to save the
steamers that lay above the Melnotte.
Planting their hydraulic batteries on
the steamer Silver Spray, they stood,
with scorching faces and blistering
hands, directing their heavy streams of
water to points likely to be attacked.
They were very successful in prevent
ing the flames from communicating to
the boats above the Spray, and even
that boa: was not injured by the flames
TO any appreciate extent. Ats o'clock,
when the conhagration had spent its
energy on the six steamers, the tiremen
were still holding their own.
1t is believed that no lives were lost
by fire, but deck hand who escaped
from the Clifton states that companion,
in trying to save himself, jumped into
the river and was drowned.
When the fire was blazing iiercest, a
number of kegs of powder on the Cliff
ton exploded, but as far as we could
learn, did no particular damage.
By half-paSt , o'clock, when one of
our reporters left the completely de-
stroyed boats to return to the office, he
had to work his way through such a
crowd of people as was never before
called out, after midnight, by fire in
this city. Along Third, Fourth, Main
and Sycamore, and along and down half
a dozen other streets, thousands of men
were rushing. 1t resembled tho night
of the burning of Pixies Opera House;
but that was before midnight. In this
case, ninety. out of one hundred
who hurried to the fire had been started
out of sleep, and had hurried their
clothes on, at moments warning.
The WestmOreland was the property
of the New Orleans and Cincinnati
Packet Company, and was posted for
Vicksburg, Natchez and New Orleans.
w. j. Rush, Master.
The Cheyenne was on Arkansas river
packet. A. b. Piersel, Master.
The Clifton, Frank Stein, Master, be-
longed to the Memphis and Cincinnati
Packet Company, and was posted for
Cairo and Memphis.
1t is impossible to present, this morn-
ing, any figures of losses or insurance.
The full particulars will be found in
Thursdays Commercial.
CINCINNATI, o., May l2.-The insur-
ance valuation on the boats burned to-
day is as follows: Clifton, $35 900;
Wostmoreland, S2S,OOO;i Mary Erwin,
$4,000; total, S7S,OOO. Many believe
that but one dGck-hand on the Chey-
enne was lost; others say that James Is.
Jackson, an Arkansas trader, was lost
on the Cheyenne. The loss of freight
was 100000, nearly all of which was
insured. Total loss, S235,OO0.