Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-08-19

persons had narrow escapes from beng IN
! iured by them. The fire department work
ed well, but was entirely unable TO subdut
! the flames until they were burned out fol
want of material.
How the fire originated is unknown
Those who first saw it say it was under
the roof above the battery of boilers. II
may have been smouldering for a long time
| before this for all any one knows and might
have resulted from a spark or Overheated
wood When it did break out in a flame il
was not long in spreading and enveloping
all within its reach in its destroying en-
brace. In five minutes after its discovery
the whole Of the boiler house was burning.
Last evenings Steubenville gazette said
4 view of the wreck after the fire was
under control, but while il was still burn
inc, was sufficient TO convince anyone that
bad disaster had visited SteubenVille.
Where only short time before buildings
had stood, from which sounds came caused
by the whir of machinery and which COW
cred over q hundred or more busy and in
dustrious wOrkmen, now nothing but
a blackened ruin lay, from which
angry flames still continued to shoot
up and then fall backward as
if disappointed because there was
nothing more within reach that they
could destroy. Looking at the nail ma
chimes, all of them half covered by the de-
bris and many tossed over endways or
sideways. il looked as if their days
of usefulness were indeed over. The bat
tery of boilers and all other machinery
connected herewith, together with the
large belts made expressly 10 order for
this works are also badly damaged and
perhaps totally destroyed. so that the out
look is an exceedingly disheartening one
In the opinion of persons actively con-
nected with the works the property cannot
be replaced for 100000. When we take in
connection with this that at the best it will
take months 10 put the establishment into
anything like the condition it occupied be-
fore the fire, during which large number
of men must necessarily be thrown out Of
employment, the magnitude of the disaster
can be appreciated.
On the entire Jefferson Iron Works there
is an insurance of 100000, but only a part
of this amount is directly on the portion
destroyed The total amount on the part
destroyed is So, 900, distributed as follows:
Ten thousand eight hundred dollars on
their frame, slate and composition roof
forge, plate mill and nail factory buildings,
and boiler house, situate IN the Sixth ward
of the city of Steubenville Ohio, on the
west bank Of the Ohio river, together with
buildings, and known as the jefferson
Iron " Orks.
-Four thousand six hundred on their three
steam engines and their connections, two
supply doctors, eight steam boilers and
their heaters. connections and attachments
contained in said buildings and boiler
houses
Forty thousand on their nail machines,
shafting, betting. pulleys and hangers, fly
wheels, ore crusher and ore pulverizer.
Cranes and theirtackle, grind stones, scales
of all kinds, muck and nail plate shears,
tolls and housings, squeezers and water
tanks, boshes, pumps, steam and water
pipe, hose. fan blowers, railroad tracks, nail
kegs, tools and implements, and ali fixed
and movable machinery of every descrip-
ton used in their business on the premises
above described, including all wood, stone
and brick foundations under said machi-
merry, i'm above described buildings, also in
Guiding trestle work adjoining the east,
west and south sides Of said iron works.
Seven thousand six hundred on stock Of
nail plate. nails in kegs, bins and boxes,
manufactured or in process Of manufac-
turc, while contained in above described
buildings.
This insurance is ia a large number of
companies. for which John McCraken x
Son. j. $ Maxwell, Agnes G.. Biles and II.
II. Fickes are the agents. In addition 10
the above there is separate insurance of
$500 on the building in which the grind
stones were operated, which was destroy
ed As the loss is much greater than the
insurance the total amount will likely be
paid.
In an interview with one of the officials
Of the company it was learned that it was
hoped that the engines were in such shape
that they would be enabled TO start the
machines in tine brick factory in
about three weeks. This factory has
eightv-one machines in IT,, which,
with the seyenty-nine machines in
the factory that was burned made total
Of one hundred and sixty that the company
operated In regard 20 rebuilding the
official said that while the amount of in
surance was not sufficient 10 cover the loss.
and nothing authoritatively could be said
before the Board Of Directors held Il meet
ing. which would be some time this week,
il was his candid opinion that the burned
part of the works would be replaced with a
new structure.
As 10 is apparent that the company could
not afford to let this valuable franchise 20
to waste. and as there will be $4,000 to
start with. there is little doubt but that the
company will rebuild the factory and mill,
and that the Jefferson will be operated on
larger plan than ever.
In addition TO the $3. 300 insurance men
toned above, there is a small policy for
800 not mentioned in the printed list,
which makes a total of $4,000 insurance
the company holds on the burned part Of
the works. All this insurance is in good,
solid companies.