The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-01-06
ANOTHER cMIcAeo rIRE.


$500 NtoSt A'NShSAt NlhHukcN " tSCup
from rented building, with comparative
" tritling loss. To-day was not an excep
ton. The fire which devastated the Honor
Block, the proud structure in which It Is
located, gave fair warning 10 the PostoflicC
Department, and in u short time all the
mail matter had been transferred to III,
mail wagons for transportation over the
country or to tae old Field & Letter build
Ing, which has just been rebuilt by the
Singer estate.
An intensely cold day did not prevent
the speedy gathering Of thousands OF per.
sons who watched the eager flames as they
gained, foot by foot, on the Rremen, who,
with frost.bitten fingers and hands, hand.
led the cold hose and relieved each other
in throwing on the fire water which al.
most turned to ice before It reached the
embers. The fire burned from $3.50 to
near 10 O'Clock, and took the upper half OF
the building almost cleanly. Besides the
postal service, there were in the building
General Sheridan's headquarters, and some
OF the most prominent lawyers Of the
country, including Robert Lincoln, son of
the late President, and Judge Lawrence,
special attorney for the Government in
the Custom-house cases. Most OF their
books were destroyed, and thus some OF
the most valuable law libraries in the city
have been destroyed. A number Of
rukILLIS0 SCENES
Occurred. When tine flames first spread
with lightning rapidity around the upper
floors, the eyes Of the crowd were eagerly
fixed on a woman clinging to the water.
pipe up in the fourth story Of the building,
with the smoke pouring out from behind,
and almost hiding her from sight, while on
the same floor, in another part OF the
building, fronting Dearborn street, four
men were leaning out OF the window, call.
ing Tor q ladder and casting behind them
fearful glances toward the interior Of the
building. Besidethe window at which The
woman was leaning ont they ran I'M a lad.
der like u fire escape, built upon the out.
side OF the building, but she seemed as
nearly as could be determined to be cor.
pulent person, and the fear OF the crowd
was that she might in her fright, venture
out alone, and falling, be dashed 10 pieces.
At length, however, u fireman assembled
the fire escape and caught the woman
around the waist, with view to carving
her down. The task was difficult, and Il
seemed at times as ii he must lose his
grasp, but the descent was at last safely Of.
feCted.
The four men who were in the attic OF
tho building, were saved from sufTocation
by means Of long rope, which was
thrown 10 them by parties on an adjoining
roof. II. Holland was the first man TO
grasp the life line. Winding his legs close
around the rope heslipped Off the window
ledge ana lor a moment paused in mid air.
Come on! Come on!" shouted the crowd
below. Cautiously the man descended
until about half the distance, when he re.
allied that others were waiting for a trim
over the same line, and he finished the
remainder OF the journey in an instant,
Frank Heasey followed quickly. Next
came J. McGrath, followed bv Tommy
Baker and Vim. Thompson. Col. Webb
was the last to descend. The Colonel is
very large man, about sixty years OF aye,
and weighs about 2SS5 pounds. When he
swung oil the rope swayed to and fro, and
it was feared that he would lose his hold,
but he hung on until within ten feet OF the
sidewalk, when he fell into the arms OF
friends that were Outstretched to receive
him. .II
One OF the gentleman who slid down
the ungreased rope, came down on run,
and soon after lie reached the ground
showed his bleeding hands, where tic rope
had taken the skin of in SIX oreight places.
lie told how lie first became aware OF the
fire. Hc was sitting in the Chief Clerks
room, copying, when Captain HOsick
rushed in, saying the building was on fire,
and the elevator on tho east side had
caught. He went up stairs to tell the 9th.
erboys and found tlesmoke intense. Dc.
fore they could realize the danger they
found the hallway so full OF smoke that
they could not get out, and were forced to
shut themselvcsin n room and depend for
assistance frcm the outside.
PROGRESS OF THE FLAMES.
The fire is said to have originated
among q lot OF old newspapers directly
back OF the engine room. 1t spread like a
fash over the northern portion OF the
structure, and swept up the stairway on
that side aud the elevator shaft, which It
assembled, with no obstruction, with lean,
urged on by the draught Of air, until i
reached the upper story, which went be.
fore the flames like construction OF paper
boxes.
A later survey shows that wonderful
execution was done by the twenty.four
engines and Ave trucks that responded TO
the triple alarm. The three lower floors
are unframed except by water, and as the
clement froze as soon as it found resting
place, there was but little damage bV
water. The office furniture, papers and
books in the upper stories, received severe
injury, but nothing like what might have
been anticipated. The stamped enycl.
opes, worth about $4,000, which were
soaked to pieces, were In the basement
near the carpenter shop, where the flames
started.
vALrARLgPA LOST.
Among the valuables In the vaults of
Lawrence, Campbell &. Lawrence is the
original indictment in the Custom House
cases, the indictment against Mueller,
Hill, Burling, Potter and tho others OF the
Custom House ring. The files Of the United
States District Court show that the indict.
ment had been borrowed some time ago
by Judge Lawrence, probably TO enable
him to get ready for the coming trial in
these cases, in which, 1t will be remember,
cd, lie was retained as special counsel, II
Is said that other equally valuable papers
from Washington, belonging to the same
| cases are In the same vaults.
A BIEr CANNING ESTABLISHMENT BURNED At
I CT. LOUIS.
81. Iovls, January G-The extensive
establishment OF the st, Louis ncof Can,
ming Company, corner Fourteenth and
Poplar streets, caught fire at II o'clock TO-
7 night, and at this writing all that mart Of
the building facing on Fourteenth strccI
was nearly destroyed, In tho rear Of this
building Is an alley, on the opposite Sidt
Of whicllis another large building used by
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