Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-08-19
FIRES,
WHICH WERE EVIDENTLY OF lNCENDIARY
ORIGIN.
Fisher Bros. Planning Mil. on F9rty-buth Street.
Destroyed, and an Attempt 10 Burn New
DwelGng-Narrow Escape Of Two Men.

About a quarter before nine o'clock last
night fire was discovered in the planning
mill Of Fisher Bros, ON Forty-fourth
street. between Wood and Jacob, and with
in the succeeding hour the structure and
contents were q mass of ruins, involving a
loss Of between five aud six thousand dol
lars.
Just after the alarm was sent in which
called the department to this fire, blaze,
of uudoubted iucendiary origin, was started
i'm am unfinished dwelling and storeroom,
I'm Behrens x Speiders addition, and but
for the timely discovery of the fire, the
structure would have been consumed
The fact of this second fire, coupled with
the additional certainty that there had been
no fire about the planning mill for nearly
four hours, makes it tOlerably sure that the
mill was fired by incendiaries, and this
seems the more probable when II IS taken
into consideration that while two men were
I'm the Office of the mill, intent on saving
property, they were, as far as could be
learned last night, shut in, and had to make
their escape through window, after being
painfully burned.
The motive for the destruction of this
property can only beimagined 1.-THE pres
emit conjecture of a determination to 20 as
faras the sacrifice of life, TO ensure the com
picti0n of the dastardly work, be we'll
founded, the authorities should take prompt
measures TO ferret out the guilty parties
As soon as the fire was discovered an
alarm was turned i'm from box o. and al
though, from some defect i'm the striking
apparatus 40 the City Hall, the big bell did
not sound. the department was soon en-
route for the locality. Ia the meantime
Henry Reuter- and Edward jefferson, two
Young men, ran 10 the burning building,
where the fire seemed TO have had its or
igin in the northeast corner, on the lower
floor. and entered the Office, intent on say
inc whatever property they could. About
the time they were safely inside the apart
mcnt. which was full Of sitting smoke and
fire. the door leading TO the outside was
slammed 20, and the two men were prison
ers. They CROPPED their way 10 awndoW,
which Reuter- broke out, and the two
emerged into the fresh air again, but not a
moment too soon, for Reuter- was painfully
burned about the head and hands, and his
companion was slightly scorched In ad-
ditiOn. Reuter- cut his hand in breaking out
the window.
When the hrcmcn arrived on the ground,
the Eighth ward hose company being first,
the fire had "a good Roadway, but two lines
of hose We're soOd laid and were playing on
the fire There was a very noticeable
shortage of water, however, and few min
utes later, when the Niagara arrived and
gotto work. the drain OF the engine shut
the water of from the hose streams, and
the fire. which was in fair way TO be sub
dued broke out again. and ensured the de-
struction of the building and contents.
While the building was on fire, Mr. Au-
gust Fisher told a REGISTER reporter that
he and mis- employees, the latter being some
eight or ten in number, Had lett the mil
about five o'clock i'm the evening, and at
that time there was no sign of fire, or even
a lieht about the premises The only fire
during the day was the natural gas ire I'M
der the boilers, but that was turned OF
when the men quit work He had no idea
of how the fire started, except that II was
of iucendiary origin. Mr. Fisher said he
had lust put i'm "a car load of lumber, and
there was large amount of lumber, doors,
sash. and finished stuff generally about the
mill He thought the loss would run be
tween -. 900 and $1,000, ON which there was
not cent of insurance. In reply to a
question as 90 whether he would rebuild or
not Mr. Fisher said he would do SO, as far
as hc could tell at present. He had been
running right along, and had been doing a
good business all the time.
The burned building was about fifty feet
square, by two stories in height, and was
located ON the north side of FOrtyfourth
street. just at the corner of Wood The fire
attracted am immense crowd of people from
the lower portion of the city, but was not
generally known above the creek, as the
CITY Hall bell did not ring In cOuversa-
tions with residents of the lower part OF
town. after the fire, there was general re-
greet that there was not steam engine IN
that portion of the city, it being twenty
squares from the scene of this fire 20 the
Niagara house. There was also a great
deal of complaint, from firemen, as well rs
citizens. about the shortage of water and
lack of pressure i'm the mains.
About 1--WE minutes or probably little
less, after the discovery of the fire in the
planning mill, blaze was discovered in one
of the first floor rooms in an unfinished
building In the square formerly owned by
Joseph Seybold. but now divided up into
building lots Some person had entered
the house. which is owned by gentleman
named HonbrOO6, and placed quantity
of shavings chips, and small wood against
a partition which had been lathed,
I'm readiness for the plaster, and then leaned
I ldtuS. SUCKS, pieces OF uodtuS, cue. up
against the mass and applied match.
Mrs. Charles Viewig saw the fire while
watching the blaze at the planning mill, sew
eral squares below, aud attracted the at
teution of VIM. Kelsing to it, The latter
gentleman carried water i'm buckets, and
assisted by one or two others, drowned the
fire ont. In few minutes more it would
have secured a start sufficient to have de-
fed the divided attention of the depart
mcut
This second fire added TO the excitement
I'm the ueighborhood, and convinced many
that nceudiaries We're trying to burn that
part of town.