Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-04-15
ORIGIN OF The BLAZE 4 MYSTERY,

lew factS known bearing upon itS start,
seem to indicate that it broke ont about a
heating furnace, in the south end of the
old factory building on Jacob street,
spreading thence, with terrible rapidity,
until the entire factory building, about
l50x75 feet in dimensions was mass of
flame.
The fire was first discovered about a
quarter past nine o'clock by Nightwatch'
man Reube Richardson. As soon as he
saw the blaze he made jump for fire box
No "a, bat he could not get his key in it
He then left the box, but moment later.
while he was on his way to the Atlantic,
the box was opened and the alarm sent in
The Atlantic responded almost imme-
distely, and water was on the fire in u
very short time after the last round had
tapped on the big bell, but by the time the
firemen got well to work all hopes Of
saving the factory building was over, and
the men turned their attention to cutting
of the fire at the point where tue factory
building joins the warehouse In this
they were successful, aud the large and
valuable stock in the maiu building was
saved from even the slightest damags
The factory building was entirely des-
troyed, but the new factory, which ad
Joins the warehouse on the west, was saved
4 IL h. ha
blacksmith shop and several smaller
buildings.
The building destroyed burned with
great ferceness, making heat which
caused the exposed wooden portion of the
Horkheimer tannery building, across Wood
street, to smoke to such an extent as to
necessitate the hose being turned upon it
to prevent IN outbreak OF fire there. The
6remen were driven to the expedient Of
improyising q shield of boards, which were
torn from neighboripg fences and sheds,
they being interposed bet ween the pipe
men and the fire by volunteers. Behind
the shelter thus afforded, thu frenen
fought the fire 10 cool advantage, and
partly from the combustible material
burning out, and partly from the great
i
part of the factory building next to the
warehouse, Was soon nearly out, and oil
danger of its spreading to the north was
sverted.
Meanwhile however the southern por-
tion of the factory had been burning mer-
rily, and by the time water was brought
to bear upon it in any very great quantity,
the timbers had collapsed from the weight
of the heavy shafting, etc, and the whole
was little else than a pile of charred and
blazing lumber, in the midst Of which the
costly and often intricate machinery could
be seen, glowing red from the intense heat
10 which it had been subjected.
By ten o'clock the fire waI entirely un-
der control, and soon thereafter the last
vestiges of the blaze had been exiinguished,
but great mass of hot embers was to be
seen for some time, it not bling desir-
able 10 throw any more water among the
hot machinery than was absolutely neCes-
sary.
Until the ruins have so far cooled down
as TO permit of q careful examination OF
the machinery, it will not be possible to
make anything like an accurate estimate
of the loss sustained by the Company, but
it was thought last night by President
Rawlings and some of the heavy stOckhold-
ers, that the loss would be in the neighbor-
hood of fifty thousand dollars. IL was
stated that the machinery in the factory
had originally cost from sixty to seventy
thousand dollars, but much of it could
now be replaced at less figures.
The building was not an especially valu-
able one, and can be replaced for some
thing like four or five thousand dollars.
There was good deal Of stock in the
factory in process If manufacture, aud con-
siderable raw material, and this, as mat
ter of course, il pretty nearly worthless
from the combined effects of fire and water.
The insurance upon the entire property
of the company is $50, 900. as follows:
Through the Peabody Company, SIS, 600,
viz:
Peabody, 81, 500; American, 81, 500; Ger
man, s., 500; Cooper, of Dayton, o, 81, 500;
City OF London, s., 500; American ~, 500.
Through Mr.. C. II. Collier, SIS, 900, viz:
Jefferson, 81. 900; Hanover, of New York,
81, 500; Imperial, of London, s., 500; Louis
Vile, of Louisville, $4,000; Niagara, OF
New York, $4,000; Hamburg Bremen,
s., 900. and AnglO-Nevada, of San Fran
cisco, $1,000.
Through the franklin Company, $l2,.
600, viz:
franklin, $4,000; Phoenix, Of New
York, 81, 500; Insurance Company of North
America, of Philadelphia, $500; Hart,
can, of Canada, 81, 500.
Through j. V. L Rodgers, S, 800, viz
Guardian, OF London, 81 900; Fire As.
ISOLATION of Philadelphia, S., 900; Royal,
of England, 1000, and London and Lam
caster, OF London, S. 900.
This insurance is divided az follows:
Warehouse, 5000; machinery in same,
81, 900; stock, manufactured, unmanufac
tured. and in process of manufacture,
$50, 900; Office furniture, 5000; factory
building, So 600; machinery, engines, ETC.,
in same, $l3, 400; stock in same, s., 600;
blacksmith shop, $500, tools in same,
$500. Total, $4,000.
As the warehouse building, aud con-
tents, and blacksmith shop are unirjured,
it will be seen that the insurance upon
that portion of the plant destroyed,
with its contents, is $40, 400 which at
the present estimate, which, of course,
IS subject 10 correction, will leave the
net loss to the Company in the neigh
borhood of $50, 900.
Manager George Simpson said last
night that the Company was RAINING
fully, and was working from lis to 120
men. Mr.. Simpson was near the corner
Of Market and Eleventh streets when the
fire broke out. His attention was at
tracted by the light, and he remarked to
his brother that it looked as though there
was fire in the vicinity of the factory. A
moment later box No. 81 struck, and the
manager threw his Overcoat in a nearby
store and skipped. Mr.. James Cecil had q
somewhat similar experience. He located
the fire from his Island residence as being
close to the factory, before the alarm
struck, and was on bis way over to the
city when his fears were confirmed.
The fire took bold of the building in
which it originated with great rapidity.