The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-06-09
WHEELING, w. VA, MONDAY MORNING, JUNE 9, 1873.
$l5,O0O. No insurance. Several persons
were injured by falling wall. one of
whom cannot survive.


/
whom cannot survive.
FIRE AT CINCINNATI.
CINCINNATI, June s-A fire doing dam
age to the amount Of $l750 GOO occurred
in this city to-day, burning 400 barrels
of coal oil, IS freight cars, mostly loaded
with lumber, with 100000 feet Of lum-
Der, and II dwellings, most Of them small
frame cottages. At 1890, when 1t broke
out, four alarms were sounded, calling out
the entire department, with the reserves,
and the engines from CoviDgtOn and New.
port also came and aided. The fire broke
out In the yard of the Marietta s. Gin
cinnsti Railroad, In an open frame storage
shed about three hundred lcet long, stu
ated on the south side Of the road between
Smith and Park streets. This shed Con-
tanned 1,400 barrels Of coal oil shipped
here from Parkersburg and stored for
dealers In this city.
RumOrs are numerous as TO how the
fire caught. 1t is generally believed thst
q lot oi boys playing, set 1t on FIRE. A
young man crossing The bridge over the
road on Smith street, says he first saw in
the shed fame not larger than q hat,
then he saw 1t burst suddenly with sever
al successive explosions, enveloping the
entire building. Two private Watchmen,
employed by the railroad, arrived on the
spot before the first barrel exploded and
commenced rolling barrels away when
the other explosion occurred so rapidly
that they, with difficulty escaped. The
locomotive attempted 10 draw the cars Of
the series Of adjoining tracks in the yard
but were unable 10 approach on account
OF the intense heat. Twenty cars were
showed by hand from the track most dist
ant from the shed. Ten Of tie cars left
exposed 10 the fire were load with
sulphur. The remaining fifteen were
freightcd with tan.baIk and lumber. The
sulphur fumes intcrfered with the fight
ing. W. II. Lancaster, OF the Marietta
Road, was seriously injured by inhaling
them while trying 10 save tho cars. Ten
Of tho cars were burnt to the ground,
most of them utterly destroyed, while the
remaining fifteen, with their contents,
were badly damaged. This loss Of cars
and freight falls on the Marietta & Gin.
ciunalI Railroad. Thirty.seven hundred
dollars worth OF marble in blocks In the
yard was crumbled to pieces. South Of
the shed, the fire spread TO the lumber
yard of E. Roberts & Co, extending on
tho north side of Second street nearly TO
Park street. This was soon entirely en-.
veloped in flames. Tho lumber was
piled high and close. Right across
Second street from the burning
lumber, sixty feet distant from 1t, were
three immense iron receivers OF the gas
works. Tho gas company kept ten men
on top OF the tanks with hose throwing
water on the heated receivers. These re-
ceivers on the side next to the fire were
red hot and momentarilY IN danger Of cx-
plosion, an event which would have been
certain death to the men on top. The fire
companies did all the intense heat would
permit them. The men at last had 10 for.
sake the gasholders, but by this time the
coal oil had all burned up, and only the
lumber yards and burning dwellings on
Second, Park and South Pearl streets
remained TO be quenched aud put
out. The fire department very soon got
control of tho fire and the gas reservoirs
were out of danger. The heat was SO In.
tense as to fracture the stone rims OF the
gas tanks. Across Second street the Gre
communicated 10 the fence Of the coal
yard OF the gas company, which 1t COM
p!etely charred. On Second street, near
Park, on the cast side Of Park street, be-
tween SeCoEd md South Pearl and on
South Pearl from Peark street east, 10 the
lumber yard, all tho dwellings were
swept of. There were seventeen Of them,
four Of which were two.story bricks;
the remainder one and twO.story
frames. They were occupied by
about forty tamiliea most Of them poor,
who wero burned out homeless. They
succeeded in saving the greater part Of
their portable household goods. Astabls
with two horses was consumed.
The principal losers ofdwellings were
Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad Co., VIM.
Bristol, E. II. Tudor, Michael BennctaI,
Mrs. Stewart, James Blubber ald Phebe
Gilmore. The,losses will foot up about as
follows E. Roberts s. Co., lumber yard,
100000; Marietta Railroad, in cars and
lreight, ,$25, ,O00i coal and oil, largely owned
by Cincinnati companies. In amount Of
destruction the fire was comparatively
small, but in o perilous nature 1t never
had its equal. Fortunately It broke out
in midday, during q calm, after which a
south wind turned the flames from the
gas works. Directly east Of It were large
deposits and several immense factories
OF furniture and other articles, using
much wood. A large elevator Just east
Of 1t was scorched but not fred. A smart
gale from the west would have lett the
level Of the city along the river 10 the
mercy Of the flames.
The insurance on the dwellings Is com.
paratively light, probably one.lourth Of
their value.
At ten o'clock tonight tho lumber
yard lights that part Of the city, and the
engines are still playing.