The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-02-02
A BIG BONFIRE.
A ONE MILLION DOLLAR FIRE.
The Pier of the Inman Steamship LIne, at New
York City, Totally DsstrOytd-Ths Ship.
ping In the HarbOr Narrowly Is.
capss-Losses by the Fire.

NEW YORK, February line lnman
line dock at this city has burned. AT nine
o'clock this morning the dock was still
burning. Most Of the buildings on the pier
and contents are now consumed. The loss
Is roughly estimated ut Sl,OOO,00O. The
steamer Egypt OF the National line, which
was lying at the pier caught fire. She was
towed out into the stream and the flames
extinguished after she had been greatly
damaged. The fire department and two
fire boats are at work on the flames. OF
the large covered sheds on the pier nothing
remains save fragment OF the framework
at the entrance, that totlers in the wind
and threatens to fall at any moment. The
pier itself, with all upon It, burned down
to the piles upon which the structure rested.
DEFYINa TIE WATER.
Along the waters edge the flames are
yet playing hide and seek amid the wreck,
and licking up the the remnant Of the
million dollar bonfire. A great throng Of
people surrounded the scene Of destruction.
The National Line steamer Egypt lies out
in mid.stream with her port sides scorched
and her riggings and standing gear burned
and blackened. Beyond the pier itself
and its contents the loss proved inconsid-
erable. The Egypt is iron and thousand
dollars or5 less will mend her injury.
In twenty-four hours she will be in sailing
order. The wind blew directly in
from the river and carried the smoke
and ashes in over the city to the
embarrassment OF footmen but to the ad-
vantage to surrounding shipping, which
lact saved it from destruction. The Saw
annah steamer Chattahochee that lay at
pier 35, exposed to the full extent Of the
flames was hardly scorched, its crew being
on hand with hose and pumps. The
Ocean Steamship Company's dock is not
damaged at all. At pier No. 81 a full
rigged ship unloading soda ash caught
fire and was towed out into the stream
with her rigging ailame. She, however,
was not ibadly damaged, and was
towed over on the Jersey flats
where she lies. An Erie barge
loaded with flour was caught in the
slip, and vain efforts were made to tow it
out but it still remains where it was. The
woodwork on the deck caught fire and the
deck load OF flour in the barge partly
burned. On the bulkhead at the end OF
the pier large quantity OF crockery in
crates, carbolic acid and other merchan-
disc was stored. When the saving OF the
burning pier was given up as a hopeless
task the iiremen concentrated their whole
energy 10 the protection OF these goods and
succeeded we'll.
FEARS OF LOSS opnIIPE.
About sixty LongshoremeaY Ywere on the
extreme end OF the pier unloading the
Egypt when the fire broke out, and it was
feared that some OF these had been burned.
This fear has lin great measure been dis
PEELED this morning by the statement OF the
engineer who discovered and fought the fire
till the tiremen came. 1t iststil possible
that some may have been caught and
have, lost their lives, but il is not probable.
The engineer on the pier is Amos Smith.
lie was in the engine room>on the extreme
end Of the pier attending 10 his duties
when the fire broke out and was the first to
discover it. He fought the flames for fully
a quarter OF an hour and claims to have
been the last who left the pier. His hands
and face are burned, and his hair and eye
brows are Bcorched.
MARROW ESCAPES.
Engineer Smith made Q statement de-
scribing the manner in which men escaped,
which shows they had a narrow one. He
did everything possible with the help Of
others TO subdue the flames, but finding it
was useless be gave warning to those on
the pier to leave. He crawled out to the
street by placing his hands on the track
which runs from the end OF the pier.
All the bonds, papers and documents
are gone. He considered that nearly all
the cargo OF the Egypt had been discharged.
w. j. Hurst, Of the National Line Com.
pany, said the Egypt was not 30 much
damaged as might have been expected.
Her sails andrunning rigging were all burn
ed away. The masts and standing rigging
being OF iron and wire remained intact.
The vessel was slightly damaged, it is
believed, by water.
At a meeting Of the Board OF Fire Un-
derwriters to-day the committees appoint.
ed to adjust the losses on the pier, build
ings, machinery and merchandise the
amounts OF insurance were stated to be:
Pier, 1000, machinery S2l 900 and mer-
chandise $4,000.