Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1888-09-07
A GREAT FIRE IN BALTIMORE.
SEVEN MEN BURNED TO DEATH AND A
MILLION DOLLARS LOSS.

W
death by being burned alive. The fire
started about go i'm the morning In
the TOW warehouse of f. A. Prior q
Co. 100 Sharp street The alarm was
given, and soon after the -four twos
were struck, bringing the entire de-
partment to the scene and blocking
the streets with the engines. This
precautionary measure was not taken
a moment too soon, for the flames, fed
bv the dry material with which the
building was stored, spread with won
derful rapidity. The building adJoln-
ing. occupied by Tabb Brothers
Dimmock, wholesale hardware deal
ers. soon caught fire. The numerous
streams of water which We're poured
into the burning structures seemed to
have little effect and the flames con
tinued to spread, increasing the in
tensity of the heat every moment.
The wholesale drug store OF j. ii.
Winkelmann & Co., No. 105 Sharp
street, was still untouched by the
flames and two fire companies were
sent in there in order to reach, II pos
sible. the lower floors of the hardware
store next door.
They were engaged in cutting a
hole through the wall that separated
the two buildings, when loud eXplo-
sion occurred in the hardware store,
blowing the roof into the air and scat
tering fire in every direction. The
shock was so great that the buildings
around trembled and the firemen
rushed back from their work momenta-
rily dazed In the drug store the
men who were engaged in cutting
through the walls dropped their work
and attempted to escape, but before
they could reach a place OF exit the
wall. which began to totter when the
explosion occurred, fell with a crash,
carving with it the entire building
in which the firemen had been work
ing and burying them beneath the
mass of debris. \ cry of horror rose
from the crowd as the building went
down. but above the roar of the
flames. the kissing of the engines and
the noise of the crowd could be heard
the piercing screams OF the buried
tiremen. They were evidently still
alive. and their groans and cries could
be heard distinctly, gradually growing
weaker and weaker, until they were
finally succeeded by horrible silence.
Then all efforts were concentrated
upon the pile of ruins, under when
nine human beings were writing III
torture. The groans of the men could
be heard from within this living, vol
canic tomb, for it had now taken fire
and was belching forth jets of flame.
Half dozen strong streams were
turned on the pile and the flames
within were in short time subdued.
In few minutes John Kelly was res
cued. His left eye was burned out OF
the socket and his head was badly
mashed, but the physicians say he
will recover. Then a. l.. Eek was
dragged from the ruins. His right
arm was broken and his side badly in
iured, but he was still alive.
The unlooked-for explosion added
to the fury of the flames, while it de-
tracted from the energy of the fire
men, who began to congregate about
the ruins, under which their comrades
Law. The flames spread with degree
of fierceness that nothing could sup
press, and in a short time the whole
block of handsome buildings on Sharp
street, from Lombard to Pratt, were
but a seething mass of flames, while
the buildings along Pratt street were
beginning to burn also. 1t was now
nearly 10 o'clock, and it seemed as II
the entire square would be destroyed
if indeed the fire could even then be
controlled. Along Sharp street the
heat was so intense that even the ire
men had to abandon the burning
buildings, and to direct their efforts
to preventing, if possible the lire from
spreading further. On Pratt street
building was torn down and saturated
with water, over which the flames
could not cross, and a number of
engines located at the Lombard street
end of the burning row after hours OF
labor checked further progress in that
direction. In this way the flames
were confined to the block of build
ings on Sharp and portion of the
block on Pratt street and were finally
subdued when they had exhausted
themselves Before this occurred,
however, all the buildings within the
range of the flames were nothing but
smoking ruins. 1t was late III the
afternoon before this result was reach
ed and it was not until midnight that
the fire was fully eXtinguished.
During the progress of the fire the
utmost excitement prevailed among
the residents of squares adjoining the
scene. The excitement in the streets
was terrible and required all the
efforts of the police to prevent dis
order Thousands of people congre-
gated about the burning square, and
the police were obliged to extend the
fire lines for several blocks around III
order that the tiremen might have
room to work.
The origin of the fire will probably
never be known. No fire was used in
the Prior establishment and it is sup
| posed that spontaneous combustion
was the cause, but it is known that a
system of electric lighting was in tro-
duced in the building recently and it
was only tried the night before, and it
may be that defective insulation
started the flames and the combusti
BILE nature of the contents of the build
ing served as food for the destroying
elements The fire was discovered by
an intoxicated man who stopped to
rest ON the steps of a building oppo-
site. There was considerable delay
in getting the alarm, and When the
engines arrived, the building was in
flames from cellar to roof. The fire
works on the upper floors at once be-
gan to explode, and with the rapidly
spreading flames presented the grand
est spectacle ever seen in the city.
Among the firms burned out were
J. II. Winkelmann & Co, druggists;
Tabb Bros. & Dimmock, hardware; +.
A. Prior Il Co., toys; NJ. 5. Levy y
Sons, straw hats; Dobler & Nudge,
paper; Henry 5. King & Sons, hard
ware; S. Brafman, clothing; Hirsh-
berg, Hollander Il Co, paints and oils;
b. w. Osborne Ga Jefferson county
NAM, commission merchant; and
many others The losses altogether
foot up to about s1,G00,oO0, and the
insurance is almost enough to cover
the whole damage
1HzR WARMERS Log CABIN
zzAI@ REMEDIES "Sarsapa-
NlAM rilla," Cough and Con
A1A& sumntion RemedN v