The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-07-19
A DISASTROUS FIRE.
Tho Western Uoion Building in
New York Burned.
The ASSOCIATED PRESS LOSS

II very GIeAt..-allragH!Duy ant
Thrilling Escape Of Employees.
Gallant f:cscuo by FIrcmcn.
Great loss TO tho Company.
NEw IonH, July l8.-The Weslerr
un!on telegraph building caught lire a
: To'clock this morning. The distsibut
Ing room on the fifth floor, the operatin,
rom on the floor above, tho Associated
Press rooma and the restaurant on the
sevanth floor, were completely destroy.
cd, and aeven lives were miraculously
saved. a few minutes before 7 O'Clock
this morning tho operators began 10 nr.
rive to go to work. About fifty men and
young women had reached The operating
room. Amcasonger boy OF tho name oi
Matthews saw puff Of smoke under O
table in the distributing room on the
floor below the operating room. He
scarcely had time to investigate the
"ause whpn the wooden table was In
flames and the fire was spreading with
lightning rapidity. He rushed up stairs
TO notify tho new arriya!s that the build
ing was on fire. They were compelled
to 70 through the distributing room to
get down s!aira. A panic was the result
OF the messengers Information, and the
voting WOMEN screamed, while the men
rushed pcll nell down staira to escape
the flames, which ia less than two min.
r,trs mad spread almost over the entire
distributing room, burning up wires, in.
strnmrnts and tables Us ii they were go
much tinder.
AN AWFUL SITUATION.
The entirc room, when the panic.
stricken crowd passed through it, waa
filled with denae, sitting smoke. They
fell over each other in their wild efforts
to reach place OF saiety. The ,nessen-
ger boy, with m operator by the name of
skidmore, weso the only two persons
who retained presence Of mind enough
10 take in the awful situation.
The boy rushed down stairs and ont OF
the building and sent out m alarm
while Skidmore got down a fire ex.in.
RHtsher and endeavored to quench the
HAmes. He saw it was impossible to be
ol any service, and to save himself he
rushed Tor the Stairway before the fire
should overlake him.
BY this time the flames had reached
the ceiling OF tho distributing room and
we've eating their way through the oper-
ating room where the instruments that
connect with the wires that distribute
news throughout the country were 10.
Gated. In less time than it takes to tell
it, this entire floor was ablaze, aud the
flames were extending to the floor above
on which the Western Union Co. 3 res.
taurnnt was located. Just about this
time it flashed upon the minds OF the
frightened persons who escaped, that
there were seven others on tho res
taurant floor who had not been warned
OF their danger. All exit had by this
time been cut off whereby these persons
could escape and they were not aware OF
their peril until the smoke rushed up
the stairway leading from the operating
room in volumes.
TERRIBLE MOMENT.
There were four men and three women
on this floor. Seeing escape cut from
every quarter there was an awful panic.
The young women were walters in the
restaurant and the men were cooks and
choremen. The women rushed around
the restaurant screaming and wringing
their hands. One OF the men finding there
was no possible means Of escape down.
ovl IN I,a hal
roof. The trap door was pushed of and
the prisoneIs climbed to the roof.
Flames were shooting out OF the front
windows, volumes Of smoke puifed
heavenwafd. From under the caves Of
the great building flames were shooting,
and the structure seemed to be crowned
with fire.
When the great crowds on the streets
saw the men and women rush out on the
roof, cry of horror went up, for it did
not seem possible that they could be
rescued. The women on the rooi
screamed and wtung their hands, and
the nen yelled, ''for Gods sake do some.
thing to save us!"
The first engine had arrived before the
terrifying scene was presented on the
u
into the burning building. The second
alarm was sent, followed Immediately BY
third. In a few minutes there were
fourteen engines and hook and ladder
companies, and water.tester on the
ground. Water poured in through the
flaming windows and beat down upor
the roof. But the tlames were stubborn
in spite OF the tons OF water poured or
them. 5t
The water poured from the roof to tht
sidewalks like cutaract and the spra,
was dashed hundreds Of feet in every
direction. 4
Still the human beings were helples!
on the roof. They could DO seen lik.
spectres enveloped in smoke and mist
All OF the houses surrounding the build
Western Union, aud for those on top o
it death seemed certain. Two lines 0
hose were run up through the buildin.
on Day street, and two heavy streaml
were playou'on the rear OF the building
from which the flames and smoke wert
pouring an furiously rs from the front
and yet no effort bad bee n made to save
the terrified men aud women on til,
roof. and is.now looked as II the seve,
were doomed. 0.sz.
uI.M. MIRACULOUS ESCAPES. I
A long ladder was rushed upon thu
roof OF s Dey street, and placed agains
the rear oitlle burning building. 1t die
not reach. within fifty ioet OF the Weslerl
Union roof. Undauntcd, however,t tw,
iiremen scaled tho ladder and threw
rope to the roof. 1t was caught an,
tied by ono Of the brave girls, VIII
seemed never 10 lose her nerve. TIL
tiremen pulled themselves up hand.ovel
hand, until they reached the top OF III
burning building and, amid cheers from
the thousands below, they let the seve
down to places Of safety, which they az
complished just in time, for flames in
,onf,at.fv },n rs} uu thrdttHh tha ehrn In