The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-07-16

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fought the fire into its very teeth. t,
enable them to do so they reared bar
ricsde out of theatrical sign boards which
WAS held in front of the pipemen, anC
thus the fire was approached so closel.
that the signboard took fire. The wine
increasing in fury, it broke through tn,
alley dividing State street from Wabast
avenue.
Now. for the first time, about 8 o'clock
the fire began to feed upon the aristocra'
cy. 1t began putting on airs; 1t siruch
up high to bring down fancy cupOlas and
observatories. and thousands of dollar:
were consumed every minute. The danger
of utter destruction became more immi.
neut every moment More help Wa.
wanted, and accordingly the tclegrams
sped over the wires to Milwaukee, Ra.
cine, Joliet and other places. They
read: A great fire is raging Chicago
il threatened with destruction Send in
your fire department In the course OF
the night came responses in the shape OF
stalwart men with apparatus, and they
did valiant service in fighting the flames
to smaller limit. The fire having
reached Wabash avenue with a wind
blowing from the southwest, Michigan
avenue seemed doomed to destruction
in fact the thought Of saving any portion
Of it from Eldridge court to a point Al
least rs far north as Harrison street. was
abandoned, and Yet contrary 10 all eN-
pectations. every house in that limit
stands intact Every house on Wabash
avenue, parallel to this, was destroyed,
but the narrow alley between the two
avenues stood aS a barrier II,
if it had been an int"rvcn
ing mountain. Every house on
Michigan avenue was vacated The
street was lined with trucks backed up
against the residences, but about . o'clock
most Of the people moved back again
The ordeal was safely passed, and our
handsome lake front was preserved
Having reached its eastern limits the
flames fed their way rapidly northward
three blocks abreast. There was IittI,
use trying to fight it in the face. Every
moment the wind rDsc II o'c ticrccly, and
in the vicinity of the ontiagration II reg
ular gale WAS blowing. The heat WA
so intense that the tircmrn could not
stand within hundred feet of it in the
direction it was spreading; hence il had
to be fought on the flank. There being
little hope in saving Michigan avenue
! Though it WAS saved, the policy seemed
to be- To fight it into the lake by closing
on its sides This policy was adopted
though efforts were not abatrd 10 ,av,
Michigan avenue.
At i o'clock all danger WAS passed that
it would make its way further southwark
In that direction. its limit was reached
The force there employed was soon
| dispatched To more threatening points
! though it was not safe to have the whole
! line exposed. At & O'Clock tn" fire was
checked on Clark street, and then there
was no danger that it would pass west
ward. After that the engines covered
the entire field from Park street south
ON Clark. around bv 18th street to Wa
| bash Avenue where the engagement
was growing hotter and hotter every
moment. When the southern and west
ern ends of the fire had been made SccuIe
| the northern and eastern lines of attack
were reinforced. The enemy was con-
! fined into narrower quarters AT Harrison
street. The wind forced them to give up
Fourth Avenue. and Third Avenue al
| Vanburcn street, the st. james being tn,
last building to succumb When the fire
reached that point the interest in IT. pro
gress became intense. 1t Wa
moving along both sides of State stree;
between Harrison and Van Buren,. On
| the west side stood massive row OF four
| or five story marble fronts; on tn" cast
side the st. James Hotel, and beyond the
| st. james. northward, WAS AN open space
! seven hundred feet square. Th"r" was n
| hope that if stand was made at this
hotel the flames would be prevented from
! crossing this open space. On III" West
! Side there was no such barrier. and II
! was certain the whole row would 90, and
then crossing Van Burcn street would
make its way to the Palmer ll"nsc. Op-
po,itc the st. james stood n row of four
/ story marble fronts, covering about four
| numbers. Thc,r were divided from TIA"
( building south by a single lot, twenty
! five feet wide. a mere bagut"lle laid every
BODY. and nobody anticipated that that
little open place would check III" flames.
| but it did.
Fortunately IL fire proof wall had been
reared tn the south. Madlv the flame,
beat against it and went clear over tn"
building setting fir" To- the St. james. hut
this wall stood the test grandIy and
| though there was fire to the s"uth and
! east and not pint of wnt"r was thrown
on it. the building -tamd- thrr" AT ,h-
writing u savior "f untold millions; II
wa, the citadel "f the cuntlagrntl"m; II,
surrender would have given the wh"I"
city over to tn" raging enemy. ln,tInr-
J tivrlv every one in sight of the scene ap-
| prcciatcd the Importance Of the petition,
| and when the building Ia the ."uth
| tumbled 10 the ground with crash. there
! after harmless. shout from fifty th"u.-
and throats ros" high above th" roar Of
the cnnfagration. 1t WI, tn" moment oi
moments during tn" progress Of the hrcr
and ftly WA il cOmmcmOrated while tins
! building stood the brunt and onslaught "i
/ what might be called overwhelming
/ odds.
/ 4 four story brick apparently out
of all danger on the corner of Wabash
avenue and Van Buren street took fr'
from the st. Jane, Hotel An upper
window had been left open, curtain
was set on fire by -trong spark, and IN
A moment the whole interior. ALREADY =
filled with hot air. was n sheet NJ fame
and A. the hamc- shot forth. IA cry Of an
/ gui.h was wrung from the SPECTATOR, fo'
! il seemed inevitable that now two more
squares must fall sacrifice, but TIA,
/ famrs were confined 10 that and adjOIn.
[ ing building. and the northern limit WA
I reached.
Having hitherto summed Michigan
avenue it now turned vrnomou.ly on it
Making its way along Congress street il
consumed the Oceanic building. th'
structure that once did duty a. the TT"
mont, one or two other. an d then VA
finally and etfectually -quelched just il
time TO save thO-e noble