Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-12-01
WELL HANDLED.
A Fire Last Night, Which Might Have Been
Serious.
HOLLINGER'S TURKISH BATH HOUSE
Severely ScOrched by an Early Evening
Blaze.
SEVERAL OTHER NARROW ESCAPES.

just after the seven o'clock "test" had
been sent in over the department wires,
last evening, an alarm Of fire was turned
in from box No %, which cent the sppa
ratus and about thousand people to the
corner of Twelfth and Market streets. TIE
rumor spread that the Mcclure House was
on fire, and until the truth was learned,
there was not little excitement.
The Hope fremen we're the first at the
scene, and found the fire was located in the
rear of the new three-stOry brick building
recently completed by Capt. John Mcclure,
on the south side of Twelfth street, Just
east of the hotel. The fire was blazing
from the first floor windows on the alley
side of the building, threatening he east
end of the hotel, and it was apparent that
no time was to be lost il a disastrous fire
was TO be prevented. Water was on the
flames in a very few seconds after the fire.
men arrived, and in fifteen or twenty min
u,es the flames were completely drowned
not
The building was pretty thoroughly food
ed with water on the second floor, while tee
frat was very badly scOrched by the fire,
but the third story escaped damage from
either cause, very fortunate occurrence,
when the dangerous look of the IRE before
water was COTTON on it is taken into con.
sideTation.
An examination of the premises after the
IRE showed that the blaze originated in
one of the "hot rooms" of the Hollinger
Turkish bath establishment, which occu-
pied nearly all the first floor and a part
of the second story. Starting in room No
,, on the alley near, the rear Of the build
ing, the flames spread rapidly on all sides,
among the dry pine partitions which cut
up the interior into numerous little rooms
and corridors. In each of the "hot rooms"
was a mattress with natural gas heater
beneath it, and il was from the mattress in
the room named that the fire started. The
attendants had Just finished bathing GUS
toner, and the person in charge Of the
establishment in the absence of the prOpri-
etOr, who is sick, had sat down in the front
room to read paper. Some one in the al
ley cried fire." and the attendant, run
ming back through the bnilding, found the
room No. in flames and the fire bursting
out on all sides. Daring the progress of
the fire an electric light wire became
crossed with another wire, and the flying
sparks created the impression that cleo
tricity was in some way responsible for
the fire, but the true origin is as is here
given. The attendant in the building
stated last evening that Just a short time
before the fire broke out be went through
the rooms and turned down the natural
gas under each of the heaters, in the hot
rooms He thinks the gas ''came on"
shortly after, and faring up, set fire to the
mattress, which in turn communicated to
the adjoining woodwork.
As has been stated, the building was
owned by Capt. John McLnre, and was
insured for So 600, placed through Mr.. @.
II. Collier. One half of this amount is in
sured in the Citizens and the other 81, 800
was reinsured in outside companies, the
names not being Obtainable. On the sec
ond floor of the building Col Bissell had
two rOoms, Judge r. II. Cochran had one
room, and one was occupied as q real estate
Office by Mr.. Harry Mendel. Judge CCch-
ran and Mr.. Mendel escaped loss, but
Col. Bissell's apartments were thoroughly
drenched with water. Whether or not he
is insured could not be learned. Mr.. HOl-
linger occupied the rear portion of the
second floor with rooms for bathers, and
these were rather badly charred in spots
by the fire coming up from below, and
were thoroughly wet down.
The third floor Of the building was
wholly occupied by Mr.. Harry Mcclure as
a residence. Fortunately neither IRE nor
water penetrated to this portion of the
building. MI Mcclure was insured for
5000, but could not remember the COM
pany. Mr.. Hollinger was insured for $500
in Mr.. Paull's agency.
The loss will likely be about one thou
ssnd dollars, of which 5000 or 500 will
fall upon Mr.. Hollinger.