Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-18
BEING INVESTIGATED.
Inccndiary-The Police Reports on the
Subiect-The Loss $4,000.

| The Sunday Morning Fire Thought TO be
Incendiary-The Police Reports on the
Subject-The Loss $1,000.
An alarm of fire was turned in from box
II about 4:3O o'clock yesterday morning for
fire in the building at the corner Of
Fourth avenue and Market street occupied
by j. &. Durr as hotel and cigar store on
the corner and by. the toy and notion stores
of Joseph Wise, No. 402, and Will F.
Scott, No. 404 Market street. The origin
of the fire is not known precisely BY anyone
connected with either of the three estab-
lishments, but as there was gas jet burn
ing in the rear portion of Wise's notion
store, and the flames were discovered in
that vicinity, it is considered probable that
the gas Jet is responsible. How any in
fammable material came into contact with
it no one can conjecture, but according to
the statements of the attaches of the build
ing that was the only fire about that portion
of the building.
When Chief Evans arrived on the gro und
flames and sparks were shooting from the
topof the structure, giving the fire a de-
cidedly dangerous appearance, and he
promptly sent in two additional alarms,
bringing three districts to the scene. The
precaution of calling out SO many men was
timely, judging from appearances, but
energetic work by the First district pre-
vented the flames from spreading to any
great extent. The place where the gas jet
was located was directly beneath the shaft
leading to skylight opening at the roof,
and it was the draft obtained in this way
that caused the flames to reach the top Of
the building in short time. The fire had
HE,, - IL, a..
into Durr's hotel before it was
and cracking awoke some of the
boarders whose sleeping rooms were at the
side of the shaft leading to the skylight.
They lost no time in vacating and giving
the alarm, and in very short time the
people in the hotel had taken themselves
out of the burning building to places of
safety. The hasty exit was made in safety,
however, notwithstanding the confusion,
and in two hours time all were back again.
The damage to the hotel will not reach ST.
900, and was chiefly to the floors, walls and
furniture of two or three rooms.
The fire that sped toward the roof was the
least destructive. In Wise's store, where it
originated, it spread to either side, commu-
nicating to Durr's cigar store and bar on the
one side and Scott's notion store on the
other so rapidly that when the department
got to work the first floor of the place was
mass of flames. The efforts of the
department were so we'll directed, however,
that it did not reach above the two floors
strongly enough to do any damage, except
to the roof and the cornice of the old West
ern Bank building at 81 and SO Fourth ave-
nue..
The total loss on stock in the stores and
building will not be more than SIS, 600, much
of the damage being by w4ter, particularly
in No. 402, occupied by Joseph Wise, who
is the heaviest loser. His loss will reach
almost 81. 900, partially covered by insur-
ance. Scott's loss is due almost entirely to
water and will not be more than few hun
dred dollars. j. K. DUR, the hotel pro-
prietor. was the most fortunate of the three
men affected. His loss will be about $500.
The building, which is owned by the heirs to
the SchenleY estate. fully insured, was dam
aged to the extent of about So, 600.
There are several suspicious circumstances
connected with the fire which seem to indi-
cate incendiarism. The police authorities
have taken the matter in hand, and are in
vestigating it thoroughly. The report of
Officer James Burke, who watched the
buildings while Officer Alex Bovard gave
the alarm, is to the effect that he saw the
fire starting in three, if not four, different
parts of the building at once. The state
ment made by one of the insured that no
fire occurred in the basement is totally upset
by the testimony of the police, who saw the
burned material and the fire in progress in
the cellar. Altogether the probabilities are
that the late fire jEill prove fruitful theme
of discussion among insurance men, as well
as of investigation on the part of the police.