The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-05-11
A COSTLY LESSON
Ion rHE rowN ACROSS 1AE RlyEa
Showing the y.Iu. to th. Community Of sOn'
Means OF Pisht,ss the EIsmts-rhrss Bald.
Ing. Burned and the Back River Bridge
Threatened with Destruction.

hrs Hufntu AuV kuN AANNA SsssAS
Threatened with Destruction.
One Of the most destructive fires that have
been witnessed In Bridgeport for many years
visited tina. town yesterday forenoon, and
resulted in the burning OF considerable val.
liable property, still more valuable struo'
lures being preserved by the hardest fighting.
Had there been any adequate means oil com.
batting the flames when the lire was htst
discovered, the damage resulting would nave
been rrilllng, the attendant excitement would
have been avoided, and several properly,
owners would have been some Thousands Of
dollars richer to-day than they o are. AS
II was II Is a matter for cougratulstion that
the flames did not cause more destruction,
aud but for unusually effective work IN
checking and extipgnisbing the blaze atter u
had obtained a good Roadway, . considerable
portion OF the town and the bridge spanning
the Back river would have been reduced 70
ruins.
ORIGIN or rHE FIRE.
The cause OF the fire Is a matter Of conjee'
ture, Charlie Miller gave the first alarm,
Init several citizens noticed the fire about
simultaneously. Its FIRST appearance was
preceded by a hazy cloud OF smoke which
issued through the creyices Of the shlngle
roof OF q large frame house situated near the
river bank, south OF the approach to the
wooden bridge leading from the Island 10
Bridgeport, over the Back river. Almost
Immediately the flames burst through, ana
as the structure was Of frame snd a britk
breeze was blowing at the time. It was but a
few minutes ill the whole roof was enyel'
oped in flames, and gradually the entire
building was caught.
It's supposed that the fire was caused by
the oyerheating OF q terra Gotta chimney
passing through the woodwork beneath the
roof.
The breeze was blowing north, and from
the first It appeared that the Cochran House,
the frame hotel on the corner Just east OF the
Cleveland & Pittsburgh railroad and south oil
the bridge approach, must go. 1t o
caught, and burned like finder. A small
frame structure south Of the house in which
the lice originated was also burned.
rHE BRIDGE rHREATESED.
No sooner had the flames obtained q good
hold OF the hotel building, than the sparks
and hying fragments OF Gre set fire to the root
OF the hridge 10 several places. The import
ance OF the bridge as the connecting link be-
tween Bridgeport and the 9 " gave all a per-
sopal interest in Its safety. A telephone re-
quest had been sent to Chief Dunntng, OF the
Wheeling FIRE Department, for aid, and the
Chief, complyipe with the necessary for
mali,ies. Immediately sent over the Atlantic
and United engines and the Island reel. The
AtI.ntic drove down to the river at Baggs'
landing, Just above the bridge, and drawing
a snnpIy Of water directly from the river, wa
soon Having on the burning buildings and
eInosed property with q good stream. The
United stopped ut the east end OF the bridge
and ran q Hue OF hose over the top to the
hte several times tne speots'oLs ae.pa. IL
oil the structures oe,ns saveo, ~. pu. ~
men lougnt against Ine k'ea' oaus uu'i -
prioRe was saSeu.
AsEcosp BoRArIus.
Horatius, feat in '.keepipg the bridge
was moi more brave nor crediiablu than that
NJ seve-aI Of the men who fought the & lanes
Yesterday and kept the bridge. Ei.Lyle de.
Seryes speoisl credit. When the nozzleman
In charge Of the hose on the roof OF the
br;dge deserted his position, driven off by
the fierce heat and The binding smoke, Lyle
took The NOSE, and in A position where he
almost breathed fire, kept q steady stream OF
water nm the exposed points on Inc bridge.
Gns Riack. Ina toll keeper at the SUSPENSION
brid0e carried water In buckets and poured
h over Lvle or he would have been literally
roasted 10 death. As Il was all parts of his
body exposed TO the heat were sconhed 10
a blister. Jim Richardson also did good ser.
vice on the roof, and shows 1t IN biistered
hands and lace,
Small hand hose worked by force pumps
were also used TO GOOD advantage uhoef tne
bridge. Had 1t not been ior these, saPetans
tendent Lawson THINKS lne otiuge "9ulo
have gone IN spite Oh the aamifaoie work oh
the roo.
THE LOSSES.
The srst bouse which caught was a COM
naTativelv nav one. and was owned BY Mr..
4 mosI0;borns. II was a two.story.frame,
with a roomy basement. Two families lived
in The basement, Mrs. Ben Rhodes and a bar.
ber named Cans The latter saved his fur.
nitnre. while Mrs. Rhodes loss was small.
The upper portion OF the house was occupied
by two boarding houses, kept by Willism
Wheeler n Lou CfisweIl. botn tnelf LOSSES
were smhll' mr. osoofne fslueu ~ house
at 5000, and there was no insurance on II
Hugh Meosws wagon shop anu yoseph
smiIhs oiacKsmith snop were iuslleu:
Ihe hotel outiall,e was owned py NJ;
William Cochran, VINO Sept y sois o ha . nno".sel
anu DoafdinR mouse. 9he SAlueu Nv house
at sS,V0V, oh wn,cn sue hau ! I''e in-
surance. one iost some nous en H. s S""s.
Amos Osborn had a mortgage on me nous
for Sl,O0o and A uouay one ior row.
DAMAGE 70 THE BRIDGE.
Superintendent Lawson estimates the
damage TO the bridge at So, 900. OF this very
IIltIs was done directly by the fire, but
necessary cutting of the roof and similar
damage will sweil The loss TO HE amount
nsmti, Some Of The interested ins1rance
man saw they can repair the damage for
SiSo The bridge Is insured for SIS Goo In
Wheeling Companies, OF which the Peabody
has As Oo6. Mali reinsured in the Anerica6:
The Fire and Marine, 1000, half Of which