The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-12-15
Our Charleston Letter.
The Great Fire---ItS Origin and
ProGress-..Loss SI2O,0OO.-Namcs
of the Principal Losers.

Vi AhO AAAHSAPui HOoStos
CHARLESTON, Dec. 10, 1874.
Editors OF tho IntolliHcncCr:
Again our young city has been visited
blythe fire flend which has given US scarce.
ly q years time to recover from its
former ravages. l well remember the
gloom that pervAdCd our community
when on that January morning we gaZed
on the long stretch OF charred and black
ened ruins along the river front, where
bat the day before had been busy marts
OF trade.
That calamity, in the minds Of many,
still fingered like a horrid dream, and
those OF our business men who had lost
heavily by the January fire had scarce
gotten on their feet again when this sec.
ond visitation of the fell destroyer
out doing his former work-threatened to
make one vast funeral pyre OF all our fu-
ture hopes.
Thursdays bright beauty had nothing
in it portending the dire calamity that ere
another dawn was to fall upon US with Its
withering fiery blast. Until tho very
moment when the fire lesped out upon us
there was an unusual quiet pervading the
whole city, and the calamity burst in upon
the midnight repose as suddenly and un-
eXpectedly as would the sound of the
Jungment trumpet Of the last day.
The fire is supposed to have commen.
ced under barbtr shop at the corner ol
Court and ssKapawha streets: The build.
ing had an elevation Of several feet from
the ground on the river side. 1t is
thought that the building was set on fire
from that side, =,
II set on ire, the incendiary chose well
the place to lnaugrateS ShiSIfendish work,
for there the fire could gain good head.
way before its detection. The flames had
already burned up into the barber shop
when the alarm was given, and the fiery
tongues were licking tho building on
every side
The dread cry Of fire and the Changing
Of bells soon brought the people rushing
from every quarter to the scene OF con-
tlsgratlon.
Our steam fire engine in the hour Of
our dire necessity proved failure. II
was rapidly brought into action, but a
plug few out and It became useles mass
of IRON. Tho fire fend laughed at the
futility Of all our efforts 10 stay its pro-
press and rushed on guided as 1t were in
It's course, BY It's own lurid light. No
water could be carried from the river and
In their relentless fury, higher and higher
towerd the flames, and wider and wider
spread the ruin as the wind drove the
devouring element rapidly up the river.
Everywhere huge spark'like balls OF fire
were carried by the wind, making q grand
but awful pyrotechnic display. Notwith-
standing tho almost superhuman efforts
OF the people 10 stay its progress, with the
inefficient means at hand, the fire stalked
onward threatening the entire destruction
Of tho city. At last, as il tired Of It's un-
restrained holiday, on reaching Anderson
street il stopped, after having made
our principal thoroughfare pathway OF
ruin.
Atthis early date it is utterly impossible
10 give an accurate statement OF the losses;
the general estimate is about $l20 900.
Tho amount of insurance Is In the neigh
borhood OF SS5,000.
The following are the names OF about
all who have suffered Losses, and the sums
attached to their names are merely ap-
proximatc, but will probably not vary
much from the actual losses.
TIE LossBS.
John Truslow, $2O,000 Estill building
and stock, $4900; Mrs. Burton, $4,000;
Ritter & Hatcher, $4,000; Sterrett, $4,000;
St. Albert furniture, 5000; Mrs. Beach,
building and stock, $500; L. Wehrle
buildings, $1,000; ]. r. Young, perhaps,
$50; Gailus Carl, $780, VIM. Dooley, $lOOi
Charles Huffman, $50; Aleck Waller,
5000; Good Templars, $3.50; Temperance
Legion, $50; j. T. Brodt, 500; Sam
Strauss, $500; Hodges shoe shop, $3.50;
Mayors office and engine house,
1880; William Kyle, 5000; Peter
Mathews, $75; Lsughorn, $3.50; Charles
Gebhart, $9,5O0i Q. P. Snyder, $500; Jim
Bullard, $50; Balch, $780, Gave, $500;
Flack, 81 800; Shearer, $500; Mrs. L.
Martin, $1,000; Mrs, Goshorn, 5000; ].
~ 80 az mn, RItn0ar g. Irwin 40 Ctl0.