The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-12-01
FIRE!
Washington Hall Consumed
One Man Killed - Three
Wounded.
The Legislature Burned Out
Scenes and Incidents--Losses
&C., &c.

From Yesterdays Extra.
About twenty minutes alter nine
o'clock this morning, Mr.: Johns, of the
firm of Geo. X. Taylor u Co., and an
other gentleman saw column OF dense
smoke and a Jet of flame issuing from
near the southwest corner of the ROOF OF
the Masonic Temple. and simultaneously
sounded the alarm of fire. The cry was
taken up at once by the numerous pedes-
trians and bystanders, and IN
few minutes the alarm became
general. In the meantime the
smoke became
THICKER AND BLACKER,
ana the excited crowd continued to swell
in numbers and become more excited and
alarmed as fear increased that the fire
would soon reach such proportions as
would likely consume the entire build
Ing. The alarm and confusion had in
few moments communicated itself to the
members clerks and others of the House
of Delegates who were just arriving in
Washington Hall, where the sessions are
held, preparatory to converting at 10
o'clock. Such another hasty exit when they
ascertained the close proximity of the
fire, was probably never executed by any
gentleman present.
In ten minutes after the alarm the
Hope hose reel was brought to the Mar
ket street entrance of the Temple by n
number of private citizens and connec-
tion hastily made TO plug in the vicin-
ity. Ready hands soon had the hose in
charge and rapidly passed it up the
numerous flights OF stairs and into the
outer or reception room of the Masonic
Hall, which was quite filled with smoke
from the burning ceiling and roof over
the south side of the banquet
hall, yet not so dense as to prevent
effective work if the water had only
been forthcoming. But, alas! here WAS
the trouble \ patch IN the ceiling as
large Us an ordinary table had fallen
down on to the floor of the bauqueting
room, and revealed the extent of the
fire, which at that time, from want of
air was confined to the timbers of the
roofand laths and timbcrs of the ceiling
in the immediate vicinity Of the defect
i've tlue, which leads down into the
clerks room of the House of Delegates,
located on the stage at Was hing-
ton Hall, where, on account
of the intense cold u rousing fire was
kept up, aud which beyond all doubt
was the cause of the fire. The space
then in flames did not seem to cover an
area of more than IS or 100 square feet,
If that. Mr.. Brooks, of the REGISTER
bndery, and two other gentlemen whose
names we did not know, attached the
nozzle to the hose and waited some five
minutes within six feet Of the fire for the
water The reception hall and stairs
were filed with anxious and impatient
men yelling for water and imprecating
at the unusual delay. The smoke was
getting stronger and thicker and
more uncomfortable, because Of
the increased draft By opening the win
dows and IN consequence the men were
fast rcccdns down stairs without ac-
complishinS anything, a few crawled on
their hands and knees, and the gallant
fellows still held to the nozzle hoping
for water Finally it did come but in
such feeble stream as to barely ooze
out of the pipe. The height was too
great for the ordinary pressure from the
reservoir to be of any good, and there
ended the only chance of combining the
flames to the upper story. The hose was
thrown down and those present had
barely time to retreat for fear of sufIoca-
ton.
The above all occurred inside of fifteen
minutes. BY this time the fire engines
began to arrive in the following order:
The Atlantic, which took its position Mt
Adams Express corner; the Vigilant at
the McLurc House and the United at
the corner of l2,h and Chaplne streets,
corner. The department did not seem
t. be- in its usual i'm or efficiency, for a
much longer time was consumed in get
ting to the grounds and making attach.
mcnts and preparing for action than
should have been. And after water was
thrown it was mostly, for long while,
wasted against the walls and on the
streets There was somehow lack of
discipline and want of knowledge to
know how to act. This view we
gather from the general talk
OF the citizeHs who were eyewitness to
the working Of the department. Some
effort was made to utilize the ladders of
the Hook and Ladder company but not
till later on in the fire were they Of much
service. To add to the inchectivencss of
the fire department, the United engine
broke down, whether rom bad manage
mcnt or not will be ascertancd here
after,
BY ten O'Clock the whole upper
story of the temple was on fire, and from
the great height Of the building the
quantity of furniture and Masonic
parapherual.a contained therein, it was