The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-08-19
A NAIL MILL BURNED,
The Jefferson Iron Works, al
Steubenyi|Ie, Destroyed.
A DISASTROUS FIRE THERE,
Eatatftng u loss OF about SfOO,O 900,
and Throwing n Number of Men
out Of Employment..The In.
surance and who Holds 1t,

sA"s Ai6o paat VI tuc JcucIeul 1r(
Works had been destroyed by fire, e
failing a loss Of about 100000, stoppir
all departments Of the mill but the bla
furnace, and throwing a large numb
OF men out OF work. Tho mill is large
owned in Wheeling, and there was
great deal OF curiosity as 10 the detail
Several we'll known nail men and o,hel
went up. .',
The fire started shortly after s o'cloc
yesterday morning. About hali.pas
eight o'clock Jacob Msckey, working Ii
the blacksmith shop Of the works, locke,
ont OF the door and saw small lam
about the stack from tho main boiler
OF the mill in tho centre OF the works
he at once gave the alarm, but the fir
spread with lightning rapidity, aud 800,
the Immense structure was mass O
flames. The report that the JetIerso,
Iron works was atire drew hundreds |,
the scene, where Steubenville's leadin,
mandatory was being rapidly con
sumed.
The tarred roof burned like tinder
and in almost les time than it takes tt
write II the fire was running III ever,
direction. A telephone message wal
sent ut once to the Phunix engine
house, and 1t was ut once responded TO-
and few seconds later an alarm was
sent In. This caused some little con
fusion. A lew minutes after, however,
the Reliance steamer being needed, az
alarm was sent from box Gl at the inter.
section OF Third street and q. 4 P. rail
road, which brought that company
promptly to the scene Of action. Tue
force OF water there is not strong, bu,
perhaps as strong as needed, as the
framework OF the mill was beyond re.
demption, and it was not desirable to
throw water on the machinery, which in
some cases was red hot. Inside OF an
hour the flames had done their work. al.
though the tiremen remained at their
posts the entire day.
TIE MAIN BUILDING,
where the fire originated, is the original
portion Of the mill, and includes three
heating furnaces, one gus producer, two
large engines and smaller one, nail
plate rolls, shears, eight large steam
boilers, etc.
The frame nail factory, Just north OF
this, contained seventy.uiue nail ma.
chimes, valued at 81 900 apiece, together
with large stock OF finished nails. To
the weat of this the oil house, frame
building, containing among other
things about two dozen erindstones,
which faxed and clipped or by the
heat in lively manner. The east end
OF the annealing house adjacent was also
scorched. The flames burnt up close to
the new tirc-proof brick factory built a
lew years ago, but beyond burning out
the windows and doors in one end, no
damage was done here. Tbs steel plant
at the south end OF the main building
had some Of the iron work warped, but
being hre.proof, was not seriously in
jured.
1t is difficult to ascertain the amount
OF the loss with any degree OF exactness,
as it depends largely on the extent to
which the machinery was injured, and
this cannot be told until the ruins have
cooled of sufficiently to allow an exam
ination. Should the machinery prove
to be entirely destroyed the loss will not
be less than 100000. This may prob
ably not prove to be the case, neverthe-
less it can hardly fall below $4,000.
THE INSURANCE.
The entire plant was insured forSl00,.
00O, OF which S63, 900 is, on the burnt
portion, divided as follows: On frame
work, roof, etc, Sl0,S00; on three steam
engines, boilers. etc, $4,000; on nail ma
chlnes, etc, $4,000; on nail plate, nails,
ETC., $1,000. The insurance is divided
among long list Of companies, us fol-
lows, the figures given being the full
amount on the whole mill, the liability
in any case notexceeding 63 per cent Of
the amounthere given: Royal, $4,000;
Pheanix, Of Brooklyn, $1,000; American,
OF Philadelphia, $1,000; London & Lam
cashire, $1,000; London Assurance,
$1,000; German, Of Freeport, $500;
Westchester, $500; Dayton, $500;
Columbia, of Dayton, $1,000; North
ern, S. 500; German American, 5000;
Springfield Fire aud Marine, $1,000;
Commercial Union, $500; milwaukee,
Mechanics, $500; Imperial, London,
$1,000; Newark. N. j., $500; phnnix,
ot Hartford, $1,000; Fire Assurance,
$500: Guardian, s. 500; Home, New
York, $500; Insurance Company Of New.
ark, $500; Liverpool, London and
Globe, S., 900; Sun Fire Office, $4,000;
Hamburg, $1,000; Continental, N. y,
$1,000.
The works were Just resuming ate,
their summer vacation, The heaters had
begun yesterday morning and had made
three heats when the tile occurred. The
nailers were expecting to 20 on to-day
The disaster throws upwards OF 400 men
and boys out of employment. Tie com
pany will no doubt rebuild, although
the managers have given no indication
as to the future plans, and do not seem
to have formed any. :
HISTORY OF THE WORKS.
The Jefferson Iron Works has long
been the leading manufacturing corpora
ton Of Steuhenville. These works were
built originally by Frazier, Kilgore &
Co., in 1850, but were purchased by
David Spaulding, Q. B. Doty, W. n. T.
Elliott and others, who enlarged the
works and ran them most successful,
during the war. The name OF this arn
was Spaulding, Woodward g. Co., which
was afterwards changed into corpora
tion! known as the Jefferson Iron
Works, Spaulding X. Wallace being the
present president. The original nail
factory was on the west side OF the mill,
but few years ago the main building
was extended northward and what wa
then known as the new nail factory in,
stituted, with 70 machines. The Ole
factory on the west side was afterwards
replaced by q Gre.prooi brick structure
which was intended to extend 10 al
other parts Of the mill, but the projec
was never carried out. The frehas now
destroyed all OF the original strgeturl
built by Frazier, Kilgore 4 Co, the othe
parts having previously been remove,
TO make room Tor the brick factory an,
the ateel plant. }55s
In the main building WAS the man
moth endless belt procured few year
ago. 1t was IS inches wide and weighe,
$3.50 pounds, being the largest belt Q
the kind in the country.