The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-04-21

Th0"Attanttc' Steamer Sent D0Wil
tho River to Aid the
Prison Authorities.
Graphic Description Of the Fire
from an Intelligcnccr Re.
porter ut the Scene.
Fall Report ofthe Losses Sustained
and tho Insurance Thereon.
The city was thrown into a state OF in
tense excitement, about II o'clock last
night, by report that the State rcnitcn.
tiary, ut Moundsville, was in flames. a
bright light in the southern sky, that had
attracted the attention OF many citizens
before the report reached the city, cot.
inned the unpleasant rumor.
A telegraphic dispatch for aid was soon
received by the city authorities, and the
members OF the Atlantic Steam Fire Com.
pany, No. S, were notified to quickly pre-
pare for a rapid journey TO Sioundsyille.
Abont midnight a special train Of
Gondola cars left the i. 4 u.
depot. for the scene Of con1a-
grafton, earring the steamer named, insur-
ance men, newspaper reporters and othct
citizens. 4 representative Of the INTEL
IloEScER accompanied the party. Capt.
Bennett, Chief OF Police, and Chief Eccles,
Of the Wheeling Fire Department, We're on
the train.
Meanwhile the excitement in the city
increased. Scores called at the newspaper
and telegraph Offices, anxious for par
ticulars. All sorts OF rumors were float
ing in the mir. One report was that the
couvicts had all been set free, and
another one that friends OF the convicts had
fired the town in various places SO that
their friends within the walls might in
the excitement overpower the guards and
escape.
The following dispatches we're received
this morning from the ISrELLIcEScEE re-
porters who accompanied the relief party
from Wheeling:
MouSpsvlLLE, W. VA, April 81, l:SO
4. M.-As night watchman Hendershot was
making his hourly rounds tonight at the
Moundsville penitentiary, he saw slight
fire in the little room i'll one corner OF the
second story OF the large brick building
known as shop No. md occupied by the
Webster Wagon Company. The watch
man makes hourly rounds and he had made
q careful examination OF every portion Of
the premises at 8 o'clock. At that hour
there was no sign OF n fire. In his next
round there was quite high blaze in the
little room referred to, and, though he i'm.
mediately raised the alarm, the floor OF the
room was so saturated and covered with
chemicals OF an inflammable nature, that
the blaze spread all over the room, almost
instantly.
The only means OF cstinguishing 4 fire
at the penitentiary is by the pressure from
avery small reservoir in the prison enclos.
ure, with such aid rs force pump can
give. So good start had the flames OBJ.
tained that this proved entirely made
quate in this instance and the fire rapidly
progressed the entire length OF the build.
ing and licked up all the wood work as i,
hastened OH its destructive way.
The building was OF brick; two stories
high, 2A2 feet long and 10 feet wide I,
was very Substantially built, and was conf,
paratively new, having been erected in
: 1878. Its first cost, rs near rs it can now
be ascertaincd, was about $1,000. 1t was
occupied, rs stated, by the Webster Wagon
Company, who had in it Il large
portion OF their most valuable ma
chinery. On the first floor was
the box and wheel manuiactory, in which
some Of the costlicst pieces OF woodwork,
!. ing mechanism manufactured were used
) the work being greatly facilitated by the
adoption Of every improvement in ma
chinery without regard to cost The secont
: floor was the paint shop, the commonc
painting being done in one large apart
mcnt, and the finer work in thesmall room
where the fire was first noticed.
Several theories OF the causc Of the fir,
were entertained by different people, til,
. most commonly accepted one is quite start
ling being that the ingenious convicts
employed rs scroll and fancy painters in
the small shop, ignited slow match and Sc
arranged it that at Il certain time it woult
communicate the fire to some highly in
tlammablc material; that this was lett il
the shop when the workmen quit work il
the evening and had been smouldcring III
the time intervening. This theory was no
credited by those connected with tn
prison, however, TO any extent. They al
regarded it as impossible that this shoule
have been the case ,#.
The guards and officials were general.
inclined to believe that the fire was th
result Of spontaneous combustion. Afr
!. Gamble, Superintendent Of the .Webste
!. Wagon Company's works, was asked in re
. gard TO this theory by your reporter. II
q said that he always cautioned the supcriu
,entlens OF that department and was care
- I ..,, A. h,k . II