Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-01-27
THE GAS OFFICE FIRE.
The BURNING OF The BOOKS IN The
GAS OFFICE LAST NIGHT.
Something That Points to Mystey-Ihe
Finger Of Suspicion Pointed at High
0ficiaIs-Who Was the lncsndiay2

Thomas McNaDb Was passing lne gas |
office, No. II Twelfth street, he dlscor-
cred a fire in the room, and ran to the
police headquarters, where he informed
Chief of Police smith, that there was
fire at the place mentioned.
Cant. smith, Officers Short and
FlVnn started Ia the gas office,
not however before officer Shorts
turned in "A fire alarm from Box No. ~,
nj the city building. Officer shorts
reached the gas Office first and rushed
against the door which he found un-
locked, the door being double one,
and the lower or west half partly open,
yielded to his push, aud upon entering
the office he discovered number OF
books that were piled on the counter
burning. lie hastily picked up the
hooks and threw them out into the
street. thus saving the building. lie
then returned and seeing that every
thing was safe from the iire, went tn
the books, picked them up, ami took
them to the city building where II was
ascertained that the books were Regis
tiers Nos. >, , and 1, covering
"A period from 1876 Ia 1873, Section
books Nos. | and ,, in which Is re-
corded the stage ui the motors through
out the city. and which shows just how
the motors stand recorded in the regis
ters. A book oi application, which con
tanned the names Of gas consumers as
they are received, and book oi receipts
made out Tor consumers.
In conversation with officer shorts, he
informed us that when he reached the
pns office, and after he had gotten in
side. lac noticed the hooks standing on
end ON the marble slab which covers
ahout three and une-halt feet ol the
double desk located in the west side oi
the room and To the right OF the door as
ono enters Chairs were piled up on
! the slab along with the books, all ot
which had been saturated with carbon
| oil from gallon can that was on the
| slab with the books, when the room MAS
| entered. As the hooks were par
! TALLY opened, tho flames were making
pr,tty good Roadway when the officer
! threw them ont into the street many at
! the leaves ia the three large books, rX-
| cent register No. / were burned To-
! crisp, rendering IL impossible Ia tell any
! thing about them. The upper part OF
| thc binding OF registers Nos. = and 3 was
= badly mutulatcd, that It MAS lmpusSi-
| bic To- tell what the label was.
About five minutes after the officer
reached tho city building with the
! books, a REGISTER reporter appeared
| and in company with the officer VAS
engaged in looking over the books when
! Mayor sweeney put IN an appearance
! uu the hunt of the fire. Our repuI-
! ter iniormcd His Honor oi what had
| happened, aud forthwith the books were
| ordered tu hr locked w in the Me-
| Lure house safe, which was dome
! About hali an hour later rs il Was posi-
| tivciv known that the work was that ut
/ an mrcndiary, aud believing that the
| guilty party would make au effort Ia
! leave on the west bound train last night,
! the MAYOR requested Captain Smith 10
! dispatch an officer To the depot 10 ar
/ rest certain suspected parties II they
were seen making an effort to leave the
| citv. officer Flynn WAS sent 10 the dr-
/ pot, but the suspected person did not
/ show up, hence no arrests. While the
officer was at the depot, the Mayor aud
/ a REGISTER reporter went to- the gas OF.
| flee. but found II locked. officer John
| SON was ordered 10 visit Andy Kings
/ residence on the corner OF Wood aud
/ Nineteenth streets, Ia bring that
/ gentleman back 20 the office, Thinking
! that King who is an employee OF the
| gus trustees was ont al the gIs works,
| the officer visited that place first and
/ found MIR h ng ma room at the works
with Mr.. Brown When told hc Was
! wanted. King asked ii he were under
/ arrest, but the officer gave him no salts
/ faction other than e. tell him To- come
! along quick. King, IN Cumpany,with the
/ officer, returned To the office where the
/ MaVOr and several other persons were
i'm waiting Tor q key with which Ia got
into the place. Once inside, the mayor
made "A close examination ol thU sale 10
see ii the ledger aud other impur.
tant books were all right. Having lou
the required books, there Was akmd Ola
council held bv some of the gentlemen
present and declaration followed
Ia the effect that although certain par
ties were strongly suspected ui the
deed no arrests We're deemed proper
until such information was had rs would
warrant arrests. In the Office We
noticed that the oil had been poured
Z upon the floor near the desks IN order
Ia cause the flooring o. catch
on fire when The burning chairs
might have fallen from the
top 81 the desk where the books
we're piled. I'm searching around every
thing appeared in first class condition
and strange to say, although Mr.. King
soon put in an appearance, after the
alarm was struck, Mr. Maxwell had not
arrived up Ia II O'Clock, ut which time
our reporter lett the office In the office
and on the desk, was found
silk handkerchief which may be-
an instrument by which the guilty
party may be- detected III Booking
and nr Bullard were the first 10
see the fire and assisted officer Shorts in
saving the books not, however. until
they had been very much damaged 10y
the fire. That the books were set on
fire by some one there cannot be-
shadow Oi doubt, Tor IL would hc i'm
possible Ia suppose that the books, oil,
chair aud can could get on the desk aud
arrange themselves Ia raise fire with
out an agent: but who this agent il We
are wholly At loss 10 say, and viii
leave 1t Ia investigators and detectives
tnexposr. The action OF theguilty party,
whoever hc may be, strongly resembles
Meck's alleged action la the burning Of
the lIellaire gas books some months
ago. The question naturally arises
what were the books doing on
desk. a. the works around safe
ia which 10 keep their hooks. We
learned last night, that II - not fire.
qucut thing that the books are lett
out Of the safe, and that It - very
seldom, if ever, that any one is In the
Office Sunday evenings. IL is evident
that whoever the party IL, both went ia
and came out ui the front door of the
office, and IN his exit, failed Tor want 81
time, to lOck the doors In the back
room oi the office, the gas Was burning
bright when Officer Efforts tr-t entered
Both Officers Shorts and Flynn burned
their hands in putting out the looks
that were burning The whole affair
will he Investigated further with