The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-02-28
DESTRUCTIVE FIRES.
Great Loss of Life and Property.

GfeaL Loss OF Lie ana properly.
An explosion of natural gas occurred at
Wellsburg, West Virginia, at half-past one
O clock on Saturday morning, in the cellar of
two-story brick building occupied by r.
Helsely Brother, cigar makers. The house
and an adjoining one, also of brick, were de-
molished by the explosion and the ruins took
fire and burned for some time. The whole
family of John Helsely, consisting of himself,
his wife, mother and two children, and
young man named Walters, were killed.
Houses some distance from the scene were
damaged, glass being shattered and plaster
thrown from the ceilings. The loss on prop
erty is estimated at $50 600.
A fire at New Britain, Connecticut, on Sat
urday morning, destroyed livery stable,
large wooden block occupied by several stores
and the Central Block, four story brick
structure occupied by the Young Mems Chris
tian Association and other parties The losses
are estimated at 100000. The assurances
are under $4,000
The loss by the burning of JOS II. Browns
wholesale grocery store, at Fort Worth, Texas,
is now estimated at S206, 900. The insurance
on the stock and building is $1,000
The Marx Brick Block, in Texarkana, Ar
several stores, wagon factory and news
paper office. Loss S175, 600; insurance $118,-
| 600.
Schiff Brothers building and an adjoining
structure, in Charlotte, North Carolina, were
burned early on Saturday morning. The
losses amount to about S75, 900; insurance
S47, 500. A woman, named Grace Howard,
who was drunk in bed in the building where
the fire started, was fatally burned.
The Chappaqua Mountain Institute, at
Chappaqua, New York, was burned early on
Co+ ,1or Inc ,f,,fa
for Friends children, and had about so in
mates. All escaped in safety. The loss on
the building and its contents is estimated at
nearly $4,000. The fire is attributed to a
defective hue.
A fire at Huron, Dakota, on Saturday
morning, destroyed the opera house, two
stores and rink The Cardiff Giant, on ex-
hibition at the opera house, was destroyed.
When it crumbled away the giant showed
large iron rods projecting from the limbs.
A four-story brick building at the corner of
William and Beaver streets, in New York,
was burned on Saturday night. Two families
lodged in the upper portion. One of them
was rescued; the other, that of Patroman
Murray, persisted. The dead are: Mrs. Annie
Murray, aged 80; James Murray, Jr., aged 4
Daniel Murray, aged 5; Maggie Murray, aged
%, and Mrs. Venus, Murray wife mother,
aged So. Murray, who was near by at the
time of the fire, lost his life in trying to rescue
the others.
Early on Saturday morning the residence
of John A. King, 1889 Pine street, Philadel-
phia, was destroyed by fire and five lives were
lost Mr. King is supposed to have been
suffocated, and Jennie Hamilton, p years
old, sister of Mrs. King Charlie King, years
old; Catharine Barry, % years old, and Flea
nor Grade, 80 years of age-the two latter
being domestics Jumped from the windows
in the fourth story and died from the injuries
received. Mrs. King and daughter, about
4 years old, were somewhat injured in falling
from the fourth story to the ground on a
mattress, but it is thought they will recover.
Mary Burnes, another domestic, also jumped
from the fourth -story window and received
serious injuries, but it is thought that she will
also recover. Eight fires occurred in Phila-
delphia on Saturday and Sunday, entailing a
loss of over 100000
At Elmira, New York, on Saturday morn
ing, a three-year-old son of j. FL. Miller
pulled over a table on which there was a
lighted lamp, and set fire to its clothes. Mrs.
Miller ran to her sons rescue, and was dam
gerously if not fatally burned. The child was
burned to death.
The three nasted schooner F. K Collins,
of Somers Point, New Jersey, from Calves
ton to Boston with cargo of cotton and old
iron, caught fire from lamp explosion, seven
miles off Ocean City, Maryland, on Sunday
night. She was abandoned by her crew of
eight men, who landed at the life-saving sta
ton. The loss on the vessel and her cargo
is estimated at $4,000. 1t is believed to be
covered by insurance.
Twenty-Five houses in Savannah, Ga, &C.
cupied by poor people, were burned Monday
morning.
Roberta Lee Clay and Christophine Clay,
sisters, aged respectively 16 and IS years,
were burned to death in Petersburg, Virginia,
Monday morning, by their clothes catching
fire from a stove
The National Theatre and contents, in
Washington, D. c.. was burned yesterday
friday morning. Loss, about 5000, 900.
The cotton warehouses of w. w. Gwath
mey & Co., and Vaughan & Barnes, in Nor
folk, Va, were destroyed by fire Wednesday
morning with 2400 bales of cotton. The to-
tai loss is about S147 900, and is covered by
insurance.
A dispatch from Philadelphia, Pa, Febru-
airy %, says: About noon to-day spark from
passenger engine on the elevated railroad
started fire in the Coal Tar Works of Michael
Ehret & Co., located on the Schuylkill river
and adjoining the City Gas Works, and caused
damage to the amount of $4,000. As this
was the CID time that the fire department has
been called out during the past II days, and
as the burning tar sent forth vast and dense
volume of smoke, much apprehension was
felt throughout the city. The alarm created in
Philadelphia by fire just at this time may
be imagined by stating that in the past II
DAYS the succession of fires has been unpre-
cedented, and the losses aggregate 2o people
burned to death, % seriously injured and $780,
900 worth of property burned, as well as the
narrow escape of nine other persons from
being roasted to death.