The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-08-21
THE ENGINE HOUSE OF THE STONE
WdLE FIRE COMPANT

An Investigation into the origin OF the Hre,
by which the engine house Of the Stonewall
Firo Company was consumed on Tuesday
night last, was continued Yesterday by Assie.
tant Engineer r. N. Alexander, at the Office Of
Messrs. Bust & Buist. on Broad street. Off,
Ger o. r. Lovy, OF the detective force, who had
besn Instructed 10 work up the case. had secur-
cd tho attendance of number Of Witnesses,
the substance Of whose testimony is subjoned:
Mr. W. G.. Pemberton. while near the engine
house, at or about quarter past eight
o'clock Tuesday night, saw smoke there, and
then saw negroes trying to force open
tho door. Ho went to General Wage
per's house opposite and asked for an
axe. His son brought an axe, and with It
knocked the door open. He with Wasener
pulled the engine out. As he ran IN he
| stepped on somo slippery substance on tho
floor, aud would have fallen but for catchlug
hold Of the tongue Of the engine. When he
first saw the smoke there were two negroes
near the engine house, and one near the COR
ner. He asked them what was the cause OF
the smoke, and they replied that there was a
smokehouse in rear Of the engiue house. Think
ing it queer that there should be smoke in q
smoke house ut this time OF year, he went to-
wards the engine house door, whereupon tho
! negroes he had acoosted ran of.
Mr. 81. 81. DeLeon, WHO lives next door to
| tn engine house, went there when the alarm
was given. On entering, he found that the rear
| door WAS open. The wheels OF the engine
were not tied. He saw that there was some delay
| IN getting the reel out, and heard that il was
occssioned by the wheels being tied.
| Mr. Henry Wagener was at his fathers house
] when gentleman cane and asked for 6n axe
to break the engine house door open. He got
the axe, broke the door down, and aided in
| hauling out the engine. which was done with
out difficulty. He had nothing to do with
hauling out the reel.
Mr. VIM. Harrai, Jr., member of the Stone
wall Company, saw the door broken down with
an axo, and entered the house with the first.
He saw the fire IN closet on tho loft hand
sfae. he attempted to haul out the reel but
could not move it more than few feet. On
looking at it to sec what was the matter, he
found that the drag rope WAS entspgled or tied
(he could not be positive which) between the
spool and axle, preventing it from being
moved. He took out bis knife and out the
rope, and, with the help OF two oolored men,
hauled it tn the we'll, where the engine had
been carried. On attempting to unreel the
hose no found that also fastened or entsngled
with rope. This rope had to be out with an
axe before the hose could be used. Whom he
en- cred the engine house the rear door was
open.
MIR. E. T. West arrived after the reel was
hauled out, but saw it after the attempt had
been made to unreel the hose. Seeing that it
could not be moved, he took his axe (be,ne an
a1man Of the company and out the rope with
which it was tied.
hr. II. W. Sisox, who had charge OF the
closet in which the fire originated, said that
| t'ere were rags IN 1t, which had been dipped
| In Oil aud turpenine to clean the engine but
they had not been used since the 21st June.
Neither bad that closet been open since that
time. He was the only one in the company
that h I'D key to it. There were no matches
kept in the closet.
MIR. F. L. Moore helped to pull out the engine,
and on returning to the reel found that it was
tied. as was the hose. It could pot be moved,
nor the hose reeled OF. until ropes, which tied
them, had been out.
At twelve O'Clock the Investigation was ad-
tourned until FIVE o'clock. At that hour infor-
nation WAS received that the matter would re-
quire little more time to be looked into, and
the investigation was further adjourned until
five p. NJ, Tuesday afternoon.
The evidence clearly proves that the fire was
the work Of an inoendiary.