Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-12-27
A NARROW ESCAPE
PROM A DISASTROUS FIRB AT THE CBN'
TRIAL, LAST EVENING.
A MYSTERIOUS BLAZE Starts in the Straw HOuS
Of The Big Works, but the Loss
IS Comparatively Small.
Il was a cloge call.

1t wss q close call.
Given a less efficient fire department, q
less brave or energetic force Of employees
or a wooden roof to the building, and the
big warehouse and packing department OF
the Central glass works would have oeen
q mass of ruins this morning.
As it is the damage is comparatively
small. and will discommode the opera
tious of the works very slightly.
About twenty. five minutes past seven
O'Clock, Mrs. James Malorey, wife OF one
of the employ s OF the works, who lives IN
the alley just in the rear of the warehouse,
saw a bright light suddenly spring mp on
the south side Of the big building, next
the old graveyard. She az once called her
husbands attention to the light, with the
remark that she believed there was q fire.
Mr.. Malorey ran out, and a glance showed
the true state of affairs, and he gave the
alarm. Others discovered the blazs
almost at the ssms moment, and
b1x Sc was pulled, which
brought the entire department to the
scene, together with thousands Of people
Bero:e the arrival Of the firemen. the en-
ployes of the works, and others in the vi
tiuity, rallied in force and went 10 work
with a will. Two lines of hose kept in the
warehouse we're promptly brought into
service. and sn attack made on the fire,
which by this time had completely enyel-
oped the straw shed, on the south side OF
the packing building and warehouse, and
was rapidly eating its way into that i'm
mense building, under The roof and through
the doors The progress of the fire was
thus partially checked, bot the flames
could not be prevented from gaining some
ground, and when the water was frat
turned on by the tirtmen there were many
predictions that the bulldog could not be
saved, a. fire was pouring from the sky
lights on the roof and also bad crawled
along under the c1mb of the roof until 1t
became visible az q small widow over the
Office, on the McCulloch street side.
Tbs frsmen went TO work with a rush,
however, and so ell-directed were their
Efforts that by eight o'clock the blaze was
fully under control, and fifteen minutes
later was out, with the exception OF smonl-
| Gering embers in the ruins Of the straw
house, where the fire originated. The
osmage to the warehouse root is tri1ing,
and will probably rot materially weaken
tbs timbers, although it will take an ex-
| animation TO determine this fact. The
portions burned seemed to bs principally
arcuod the s~kylights, aud can be easily
rep3ired. TItre was q lively Tainicg OF
ID trks and embers down upon the second
| icor, but the flCoc was dampened down,
all dsnser from this source being avoided.
Tbs btx.shcp, adjoining the straw house,
On the west, seemed to be scOrGhed a lit
tie, but no. much, and the shed just east
of the straw house was pretty we'll chsrred
on the west eide.
The STRAW hou e~itself, with its contents,
was completely destroyed. 1t was an old
building, 1T one time an ice house, and
there was only one thousand dollars of iu-
surance upon it. 1t was pretty well filed
with hay and straw, among which the fire
originated.
The origin of the fire could not be def,
nittly a.certained last evening, but was
several times ascribed to incendiarism, as
employees stated there was no fire or light
in that part OF the works after dark. The
straw house was not open yesterday or
Christmas, and probably not on Monday.
The number of spectators was tsme-
thing remarkable. They filled all the hill
side streets from Twelfth down to Six
tenth, while the old grave yard was 10
vaded by hundreds unit! q glance at it, by
the light of the burning building, recalled
one of the big meetings OF the recent cam
psigu. These people stood patiently in the
rain for half an hour or more, or until the
fire Was completely out.
PRESIDENT Scott, Of the Central Company,
left for Cincinnati yts erdsy morning.
Mr.. GOshripg could not be found last
night. Others connected with the Com
plny in au official capacity estimated the
loss, as high as $40, 600, contingent upon
the damage 70 the roof Of the main build
ing Newspaper men and others e3timsted
thst So, OO0 would cover the damage.
The insurance vas placed with the Ger
man Company, and fOots up ST., 200, o.
which $4,000 is on stock and $2l,OO or
building. 1t is placed in thirty-tOur diff
fereut companies, mostly foreign, although
several Wheeling companies hold policies,