Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-02-01

When sll was rendy she threw her hands
straight over her head and jumped. She
fell upon the outstretched canvass and
Escaped Injary.
1t is almost impossible to estimate the
loss at this writing, but il is believed they
will exceed million Of dollars.
TIE Occupants.
NEW YORK, January 3l.-Amoug the oc-
cupants of the burned buildings were the
Scientific American, the Scottish American
the Turf, Field and Farm, and
Bank Note and Commercial
Reporter and following advertising agents:
s. II. Pettingill& & Co, John +. Phillips &
Co. Charles Meyer & Co., J Walter Thomp-
son, Nicolas Monachase, A. r. Thompson,
Levi A. Disbrow, and Leander H. Grail.
The top floors of the burned buildings
were occupied by various manufacturers
and by weekly newspapers which employed
women as compositors. A woman and two
men are said TO have been seen standing at
the window on Nassau street and then dis.
appear in the flames. The following state
sa 0isx,a 81 IS. rire
is made by one Of the occupants OF the
building: was passing down the rear on
the Nassau street stairs, of 81 Park Row, and
when near the foot the flames burst up
through the new elevator shaft from the
basement Nothing had occurred indicat-
ing an explosion up TO that moment. The
flames rushed up the shaft like flash OF
lightning, and almost as quickly up the
stairway in terrible torrents OF fire with
Dense Black smoke
which almost instantly cut of off all posi-
bility of egress. Passing back through the
81 ,ata II n
on the Park Row side.
The engine room adjoins the bottom ot
the elevator shaft, and the fire must have
begun there, and gained its impetus before
any alarm was given. ] fear the rapidity
with which the flames and smoke filled the
narrow stairways
Gut on Escape
for many occupants OF the upper stories.
An old gentleman with white hair got out
of the fourth story window on the Beck.
man street side. He stood on the sill for
fully five minutes, holding on TO the mar.
row top piece with his hands. The flames
were approaching him, but he saw no
chance Of escape. The fremen raised a
ladder but it only reached to the story be-
low him. A crowd in the street got q tar.
paulin and n score Of willing hands braved
the dangers Of falling debris and the cinders,
and shout went up plainly heard by the
gentleman to Jump Jump, for your life.
Well save YOU Bat he looked at the
sixty feet distance below him, and could
not muster up courage enough to make the
attempt He turned forward facing the
street. and with his hands behind kim
stood like n
Statue. Braying Death.
Meanwhile, two brave men got short
ladder, went up long fire ladder and held
it up to him. steadying IL while he slowly
climbed down. Just as he reached the
long ladder the flames burst through the
window where he had stood, but he reached
the sidewalk in safety, amid the cheers
of the crowd.
A man who gained the roof and escaped
by way of the Times building, shouted to
his rescuers that other human beings were
perishing there. Three men appeared In
a fourth-story window, imploring aid
with Oaassretched Arms.
None was possible from without, but q
negro, boot-black in Park
Row, named Chas. Wright, climbed a large
telegraph pole in front Of the Rrening Mail
office and cut the wires, enabling the men
to slide down them and escape.
Caslos White, of the Pacific Newspaper
company. had an office on the fourth floor
of the burned building. He said: "You
can see have been pretty close 10 the
flames, as
MY Hair, Beard and Eyebrows
are singed, but only found that out after
my escape from the building. The fire was
not altogether a surprise to me. In fact,
an hour Or two before it broke out | spoke
TO the workmen engaged in the building
and told them something OF the sort was
about to happen. There was something
wrong with the heating apparatus, al.
though ] can't say what IL was. At oil
events the walls about the closets were SC
hot that there was evidently danger OF
some kind. ] put my hauds upon them
and Immediately directed the workmen' =
attention TO the fact. They were getting
hotter and hotter.
We Are Going 10 Have Fire Here,
SAID !, but they treated the matter very
lightly. merely saving that il was all right
They c""...a c".a fix it. When the flames did
break out, they ragged with extraordinary
fury. They leaped from the bottom 10 the
top Of the building like flash, and rolled
upward in great sheets. =,
Another occupant said: ! was IN ths
office this morning when smelled smoke
i
volume of smoke coming up the hoist way
I went back into the office and said to thu
:. = men who were in the office, "the build
~ 8. -, fire, and you had better get ou,
ims - on you can, and grabbed my
hat and over coat wv 's.'
and then the flames we..
RushinE up the EIevas>- $3.50
and also up the well hole IN tie Sfn'fe v
the building. ran down the stairway On
the Park Row side Of the building, Tor tfe
flames were all about the stairs on the Mas
sau street side. and il was impossible TO es-
cape in that way. l am certain ] was the
last man down stairs. for turned about rs
] reached the doorway and looked up stairs,
and the whole interior Of the building was
in flames. The two men who !
left in the Office were named Still and
Cronin. and have not seen either OF them
or heard from them since | escaped from
the building, and am almost certain they
perished for bad to hold my breath rs ]
ran through the flames. As I ran out Of
the door of my Office heard
Screams and Cries Of Terror
on the upper floor as ran along the hall
way. and fully believe ten or q dozen wo-
men and girls were caught on the fourth
floor, and were unable to escape. never
saw a fire spread so quickly.
There were probably four or FIVE hun
dred people in the building when the fire
broke out. Three men appeared on q
window sill, bat while the ladder was be-
ing put in position one Of the men dropped
in ths hope Of catching it, and missing his
aim, fell to the street, and his head striking
the curb. he was fatally injured. With the
aid of n desk and A score of stalwart arms
the ladder was placed directly under the
feet of one OF the men. He was q young
man. and nearer the flames than the other,
but with display Of bravery that called
forth the cheers OF hundreds who saw the
act, he stretched out his hand
To A. oder Nsa
and helped him TO descend As the older
man reached the sidewalk, his appearances
was greeted with cheers. His name Is A..
N. Stewart, editor and proprietor Of the
seof,..h l,arr..oa Io,,raaT Tben the ladder