Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-02-03
100000 IN SMOKE
BUFFALO SWEPT BYA FIERCE FIRE.
Several Acres of Buildings in Appalling
Wreck and Ruin.
THE FLAMES FAMED BY 4 GALE.
Burned Buildings Collapse With Fatal
Results.

BUFFALO, February AT 2:35 o'clock
this morning a blaze YVES discovered on the
fourth floor of the fva story building Occu-
pied by Root and X satirg, wholesale sole
lea her dealers, at tde corner OF CaIron and
Wells streets. Alarms were promptly
sounded and dimmediately afterward gen.
eIal alarm was sent in. The wind was
blowing a perfect gele and thu angry
flames lesped higher and higher. Twenty
minutes after the first alarm the central
dep1t building could not be seen through
the mass of seathiag flames which enyel
Oped it.
Shortly sftsr o'clock the fire began TO
display its worst features, and it wss dis
covered that the flames we're working their
way up Exchange street towsrd Carroll,
and across Wells street into Seneca. The
inmates of the Boezel house, disgonally
across from where the 6Ie first started,
were hastily aroused, and by the time they
got cot the building was in fumes and it
buraed like tinder. The wind at this time
blew from the south, but it suddenly
shiftsd.
The new and large caudy manufsctory
Of Sibly & HOLLYWOOD, near the depot, was
set ablazs. In five minutes it was mass
of roaring flames, which, famed by the an
CRY gale, now held four streetsin its grasp
All the large factories in Exchange and
Carroll streets, and the railroad ticket Of
fcss in Wells street, where hidden by the
fire and thick smoke.
The wind was now blowing from the
east, and the Abingdon Hotel, opposite the
depot, caught fire and was soon heap Of
cIumblinS, falling and smOuliering ruins.
The flames by this time seemed almost
like things of life, as they loaped from one
place to another. Returning up Wells
street to the burning Sibly & HolmwOod
building and marching with the stride of
couqueror up Seneca street., with almost
feudish delight. as it seemed, they seized
tine Jewe.t bnilding, one Of the finest struc.
lures in the city.
Just at this time the Root & Kea!ing
building fell, and above the roar OF the
flames, could be heard the crash of some
explosion. By this time nothing could be
seen but smoke and flame on the four
streets already mentioned. Crowds of
anxious and excited spectators filed all the
adjacent side streets and watched the des-
psrste efforts of the fremen 10 deal with
the flames. There was a fearful din OF
screaming fire engines, roaring fire and fell-
ing buildings. Amhulanees stood reSdy
for possible emergency, but rone arose.
After burning for Ovsr three hours, at Z
o'clock the fire was practically under con-
troll. East of Wells street the great west
wall of Shepard & Co block proved
barrier to the progress of the flames in
that direction. At this hour the tired
fremen were making determined and
successful struggle with the flames in
Fowler & Sons building At times the
flames spread almost across the street,
bu. iuaily the deluge of water that was
being thrown on the structure began
to tell and the progress of the fire
was checked. On Exchange street the
Arlington House fire was also well under
control. TIE whole interior is gntted
but the fire was not permitted to encrosch
on the property east of the Arlington. AT
$50 o'clock the firemen had nothing left
to do except to extinguish the ember1.
The fi-e on the north side of the street was
Etopped on the west at No.102 Seneca street
the building occupied on the ground floor
by O'Brien & Sons, and the eastern progress
of the flames was arrested at the COD
fsctiopery establishment of Robinson q
Dick, No. 10 Seneca street. The row OF
buildings extended back to alley, beyond
which the flames did not spread.
About neon q number of fremen were at
work in the ruins at the rear of the Ar
Iiugton Hotel when the western wall OF
the rear extension fell without any warn
ing. All of the men were out of the way
of the falling bricks and timbsrs bat Dom
ioick B. Msrio1, of Engine 10, and John
Moest, foreman of Eugine Moest was
struck on the hesd with some bricks, re-
ceiviug bad scalp wounds and being other
wise il iured. Poor Marion was instantly
buried in the ruins, and if not killed at
orca his life must soon have been crushed
ont By the immense weight resting on
him. Frantic efforts were made by MS
comrades to reach him, but without avail.
Part of the wall to the east went through
a portion of an American Express barn,
completely demolishing a large section OF
the roof and ore side of the structure.
The official record shows that between 8
and D o'clock this morning the wlnd
maintained a velocity of 80 miles al nour,
and at times between and 4 O'Clock
rtached 35 miles. The fire beginning IN
the big Root and Ksating building, spread
bv contact or the force of tie high wind
bioWinp at the time in all directions, but
chiefly TO the northward and eastward.
Wells street is a complete WICK from
Senacl 10 Exchange street, snd an appali-
ing chaos of brick, twisted iron aud an IN
exsricable taDgle of wires. The total area
included in the burned district is roughly
estimated at seven or eight acres, and the
total number of buildings destroyed or
Quilted at forty.
The principal losses are figured about as
foliows: Root & Keating, $3.50, 600; their
tenants. 5000, 600; S. S. Jewett q Co,
5000 600; Broeszsl House, $l6O, ,OOO; Sio-
lev & Holmhood, $50, 900; Fowler " Sons,
$50 GOO: S. F. Egan, $40, 900; Sidney Shep-
nsrd & %. $50 900; Arlington Hotel, S4O,-
600. A. T Kerr & Co., $50, 900; Stroot-
man building and tenants, S5O, 600; losses
on Exchange street 5000; loss on north
side Ssnecs, 100000; other losses $lSO,-
600 This would make total OF S2,-
7s5. 900. Opinions have bean given how
ever that the entire loss will not fall short
of $3,OOO,O coo.
No Company VIII Suffer Severe Loss.