The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-08-18
A BIG SUNDAY FIRE IN PITTS
RURCH.

PITTSBURGH. August 16.-The finishing
hammer department. machine shop, black
smith shop and pattern and crucible housez
Al Park Bros. & Co.'S Black Diamond steel
Works were destroyed by fire Yesterday a.
ternoon. the loss of the buildings and ma
chinery being about $500. The fire was
first discovered iB the hammerslscp by .
waicl,man, who heard the dull sound as cf
q fash of natural gas. He found thar tie
woodwork over the heating furnaces be-
tween the hammer. and the machine shops
was on fire. An engine was at the boilers,
but a. there was no steam the hose kept
ready for an emergency was hooked on to a
city fre-plng. but the forue WAS not sufficient
to enable them 81 successfully combat the
flame. Rapidly gaining the fire got Through
the roof and an alarm was turned in by per
som outside who SAW il, and a. soon IA As
sistant Chief Steele, arrived a second and
third alarm quickly followed. This brought
ten engines and hose carriages and two hook
and ladder trucks, and every effort was made
10 save the surrounding mill, as TO save tina,
portion burning seemed impossible.
The shops covered about 5000 square feet
and were entirely surrounded by other parts
Of the mill. The buildings were frame,
sbeeted with iron, and being very old. BURN
Ell rapidly. In the hammer shop were two
large hammers. 5.S9 and 900 pounds T ;
pecfively. and 10 smaller ones, ranging down
10 60 pounds. In the machine shops were
Is planners and IS lathes, besides other ma
chinery necessary. The blacksmith shop,
crucible rooms and pattern rooms were III
ed The loss will be almost entirely ON this
machinery, a the buildi Is were considered
of small value. There were also about 100
tool chests, the private property of the men
employed in the shops. These Were valued
at about SIS each and are also a total loss.
The heat was intense, a. the building fell and
smouldered upon the machinery, and il is
though the majority if not. all OF il is ruined.
Willis the Waterman knows where the
fire started the origin is conjectural. AT
1879 yesterday morning the gas was turned
off by the Charters Valley Gas Company for
the purpose of repairing a leak in the line
Repeated calls for gas were made but it was
not turned on. The steam ran down and all
the furnaces began 10 cool of. The men
WHO were at work on repairs in the mill
went home to dinner, leaving only the watch
man and engineer. When the fires went out
the valves were turned off at the furnace
with. it is supposed, one exception and when
the gas was turned ON again, which the men
say was lone without warning them at all,
it escaped at one place, flashing out and
burning the woodwork.
Before the firemen got away men were at
work cleaning up the portions of the mill
not injured and at u O'Clock midnight the
other departments went To work. There are
| 400 men employed in the works of whom
i25 will be thrown out of employment by
the fire. Work of clearing away the rub
bish will be begun to-day (Monday) and it is
expected thai within 30 days an iron struc-
ture will cave replaced the old one. The fire
will not interfere with the firm filling
orders.
The loss is fully covered by insurance in a
Boston mutual insurance company which
has no agent here. Messrs. William and
Edward Park both praised Chief Steele and
the fire department for the quick work done.