The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-05-16
FIRE ON main STREET +!
Loss About $4,000.
Probably the Work OF an In
cendiary.
MARROW ESCAPES.

day night, a stable in the rear Of the
building occupied by j. 6. Collins d
Bro, on Main street, at the head of
South, was discovered to be on fire.
The alarm was given with as much
rapidity as is possible under our pres
ent system, and in fifteen or twenty
minutes the fire department was all on
the ground. and at work. The flames
RACED with considerable fury until about
three o'clock, when they were subdued,
but not until the stable where the fire
originated and the building occupied
by J. G.. Collins 4 Bro as brass
foundry, and by Luke FIFTEEN, as a
plumbers shop were entirely destroyed,
and the residence and wholesale liquor
and grocery store of John Reid par
tally burned.
The fire department worked Splen-
didly. Though we saw about 1000
chief engineers on the ground, every
one of whom could have handled the
fire better than those who had 1t in
chargc-at least they told tls so-we
must say for the credit of the depart
ment that we never saw better work
anywhere. Two Of the engines, the
Atlantic and Vigilant, were not con
tinuously in service, because they were
not needed, the hose being used in
throwing plug streams on the con-
tlagration.
Messrs. Collins u Bro. lose about
$4,000. About half OF this is the esti-
mated value Of patterns for castings
used in the different mills of the city,
and which they have been collecting
for the past fifteen years. They lose
everything and have no insurance.
Luke Fittens plumbing shop, next
door south of the brass foundry, was,
together with its contents, entirely con
sumed. Loss estimated at $1,000. No
| insurance.
Next to Fitten's was John Reid :
dwelling house, which has just been re-
paired at cost OF S2joO. The work
of putting on the tin roof of the build
inc was only finished on Saturday.
THE kitchen in the rear was destroyed,
and the rafters.and cornice of the main
building badly damaged by fire, and
the entire building injured by water.
Loss perhaps $500. Fully insured in
the Franklin. Mr.. Reid had, also,
$500 on his furniture in the Franklin.
The loss on the furniture will not GX-
coed probably $500 or 800.
The next building was Mr. Reid 5
wholesale and retail grocery and liquor
house. This suffered considerably more
than the dwelling, and at one time its
destruction and that of the building oc-
cupied by George Robinson, next door
south, seemed imminent, but such q tor
rent OF water was poured into the
second and third stories by.th United
engine that the fierce flames were COM
pletely subducd. The loss here by fire
and water is the heaviest and most of
the sugars, teas, salt and other perish
able groceries were ruined 10y the
water. Four barrels Of whisky in
the third story were burned. There
is an insurance Of $1,000 on Mr.
Reds stock, $4,000 of which is held by
the National and $4,000 in the Frank
lin. There is also an insurance of
$500 on the building, held hv the
Franklin.
We estimate the total loss at about
$4,000 or $4,000, on which, except
Mr. Reds property, there was no in
surance
As is always the case at fire, petty
thieving was prevalent Especially did
the small souTed rascalS attempt to rob
Reds liquor store. Officer Reed ar
rested one chap wandering off with sew
eral bottles hid under his coat. One
man, who felt it his special mission to
break in one of the splendid glass plates
in the door of the ground floor after all
danger was over, merely that he might
steal, was locked up. Some two or
three others were arrcstcdfor petty steal
ing.
OF course where so many people at
tend fire a. turned ont on Saturday
night, narrow escapes are plenty. The
great wonder is that some of them cs-
cape at all. They stand round with
their hands in their pockets, telling
what ought to be done, and where the
water ought to bc thrown to cXtmguish
the conhagration, utterly regardless of
the fact that burning walls will fall on
the slightest provocation. Fortunately,
Saturday night, crowd of perhaps 4
dozen men, who were standing III the
alley at the rear of the burning build
ingS, were forced back by a stream of
water for hardly had they moved before
a rear wall fell with crash on the very
spot these men had just vacated. But
for the accidental falling OF the water
on the crowd we should have had loss
OF life to record in addition to the de
struction wrought bv the tire-fend.
1t was pretty generally conceded yes
tcrday that the fire was the work OF
an inccndiary, who fired the stable in
rear of the brass foundry. There were
reports of the fire having originated
from the furnace in the brass foundry,
but this, Mr.. Collins assures us, was i'm
possible. First, because there was no
fire in the furnace Saturday after, three
O'Clock in the afternoon; and second,
because when he opened the foundry to
get out his books and papers the fire
was in the rear of the furnace and
working forward, while the stable was
in flames. Those we talked with who
were earliest on the ground Saturday
nightare satisfied that the fire originated
in the stable.
This fire has developed the need of a
quicker and more certain mode of CON-
l. - Il