Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-02-02
ABOUT THE CITY.
Items Taken With a News Net Last
Night.
The Kinks Versus the theatrical Pro-
fesslOn---Evading a Iam---Frozen
Fire Plugs, Etc.

II tel you, these skating Kinks are tax
ing the wind right out of our sails" said
an actor yesterday to REGIsTER reporter.
"How SOP
Merely by drawing of our audiences.
People are crazy over the roller skating
business, and the consequence is the pro-
iessiOn is suffering, All through Pennsyl-
vanis, New York and New England, first
class attractions are playing to empty SEATS,
while tie rinl are packed to the door,
Managers losing money, eh?'
Losing money! Well, | should say so.
No one show in three Is making expenses.
| tell you we hsue been playing in tough
luek for the past six months. First the
depression and stagnstion in trade reduced
our business to very small proportions and
q heavy out in salaries followed Even re-
auctions Of 25 and SO per cent. did not let
the managers out and q score or two OF
first class attractions were compelled to
e!ose up, and several hundred stars and
supers had to tramp ties to get back home.
Well, the more lucky Of US pulled through
Nuls GOhuAilOA VI dloAEof oA0 HAb1 NAS HAe0
ual improvement in business we looked for
reasonably good spring business. But we
are left sgain. These Kinks have sprung
up ike mushrooms all over the country, and
as We cannot compete with them in the
matter Of admission prices, we have to
either 90 on playing and lose money at
every town or close up entirely. As for
myself have only been drawing half wages
since Christmas, and some Of the boys are
even worse OF than that"
-
To say that the citizens of the Sixth ward
we're indignant over the failure Of the fire.
men TO throw water on the Cofay FIRE,
yesterday. morning, is putting in wildly.
From the FIRST outbreak Of the flames until
the building was consumed, not drop OF
water was thrown. That the building was
an old sable, was fortunate, for had it been
fine dwelling house, or a factory, or any
thing else, the result must have been the
same-the structure would have been re-
duced TO ashes, while the iremen stood BY
helpless to render aid.
Chief Dunning was seen by REGIsEER
reporter during the progress ofthe ire, and
asked the cause OF the failure to get water.
He said every plug the men had tried was
frozen with the exception of one, and that
was broken Just as the Niagara was making
an attachment and was therefore useless
This statement was stoutly eombatted by
the citizens in the vicinity, Who declared
that the plugs were all right, but that if
they were frozen it was the result Of gross
negligence on the part Of the Water Board
or the Superintendent of the Water Works
With a view of arriving at the truth Su-
perintendent Riddle and Messrs. Hastings
and Hoffman, of the Water Board. accom-
panied by John Carney, Waterman at the
Belmont Mill, James Reagan, a resident OF
the Sixth Ward, and John Curick, living al
2403 Market street, went over yesterday af-
iernoon and made thorough investigation.
They first examined the cistern plug on
Chaphne street. The screw stem Of this
bore unmistable signs OF having been turn.
ed the wrong wsy-to the left instead of
TO the right. This had forced the valve
down hard, and, operating like q jack-screw,
had broken the iron ring around the stem
short of. The other plugs were then ex
amined and all seemed to have been like
wise turned to the left, which explains very
etfectually why water was not obtained.
The plug men were evidently laboring IN.
der considerable excitement, and must have
turned the wrench wrong by sheer careless
ness.
~
"Why don't you newspaper men give