Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-07-19
TOWERS OF FLAME.
A GREAT FIRE IN THE WESTERN UNION
BUILDING
In New York Clty-The Associated Press Rooms
and Western Union Offices Gutted-HerOic
RescueS by Firemen-The Loss
is Heavy

RescueS BY hremen-The Loss
is Heavy.
New YORK, July 1s.-The Western
Union Telegraph building caught fire at
: o'clock this morning. The distribut-
ing Dom on the fifth floor, the opera
ting room on the floor above, the AsSO-
ciated Press rooms and the restaurant
on the seventh floor were completely de-
stroyed and seven lives were miracu
lousy saved. A few minutes before
o'clock this morning the operators
began to arrive to go TO work. About
fifty men and young women had
reached the operating room. a
messenger boy OF the name OF Matthews
saw puff of smoke under table in the
distributing room on the floor below the
operating room. He scarcely had time
TO investigate the cause when the
wooden table was in flames and the fire
was spreading with lightning rapidity.
4 panic was the result Of the messen-
gers information, and the young women
screamed, while the men rushed pell
nell down stairs to escape the flames
which in less than two minutes had
spread almost over the entire distribut-
ing room, burning up wires, instruments
and tables as If they were so much
tinder.
SEVEN LIVES IN PERIL.
BY this time the flames had reached
the ceiling of the distributing room,
and were eating their way through the
operating room, where the instruments
that connect with the wires that dis
tribute news throughout the country,
were located. In less time than it takes
to tell it, this entire floor was ablaZe,
and the flames were extending to the
floor above, on which the Western
Union Co.'S restaurant was located.
There were four men and three wo-
men on this floor. Seeing escape cut off
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 rush
ed around the restaurant screaming and
wringing their hands One of the men,
finding there was no possible means OF
escape downward, rushed for the Scut-
tie hole in the roof. The trap-door was
pushed off and the prisoners climbed TO
the roof Flames were shooting out of
the front windows; volumes of smoke
pulled heavenward. From under the
caves Of the great building flags were
shooting and the structure seemed to be
crowned with fire.
a BRAVE RESCUE.
The first engine had arrived before
the terrifying scene was presented on
the roof and volume of water was
flowing into the burning building. The
second alarm was sent, followed imme-
diately by third. In 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 upon the roof, but the flames were
stubborn in spite OF the tons of water
poured on them.
A long ladder was rushed upon the
roof Of Dey street and placed against
the rear of the burning building. 1t did
not reach within so feet Of the Western
Union roof. Undaunted, however, two
fremen scaled TIE ladder and threw
rope to the roof 1t was caught and
tied by one of the brave girls, who
seemed never to lose their nerve. The
frcmen pulled themselves up hand-over-
hand, until they reached the top Of the
burning building and amid cheers from
the thousands below, they let the seven
down to places Of safety, which they ac
complished just in time, for flames i'm
mediately burst up through the cOrnicc
and soon envelOped the roof.
WESTERN UNION CRIPPLED.
The entire upper part of the building
was gutted, and every instrument and
wire rendered useless. How the fire
originated no one seems to know posi-
lively, but it is surmised that two of the
company's electric light wires became
crossed and set the flooring on fire.
Had the fire broken out an hour later,
the loss OF life might have been enor-
nous. Fully seven hundred girls and
men are employed on these two floors.
The Offices of the Associated Press suf
fered rather more than any Of the 9TH
erS in the great building. The ruin of
the operating room rendered every
Western Union wire on Manhattan
Island useless, so the Associated Press
opened headquarters in Jersey City,
every facility being afforded them by
the officials of the Pennsylvania Rail
road Company, and before the fire was
under control the various circuits OF the
Associated Press were in active opera
tion.
The building is filled with offices on
the five lower floors, which are occupied
by some of the greatest railroad mag
mates in the world. The vast system of
the Pacific railroads is operated through
instructions given from the Western
Union and there are the private offices
OF Jay Gould, Sidney Dillon, DR.. Norvin
Green and others, who are famous
through the length and breadth of the
land.
VALUABLE RECORDS GONE.
All above the sixth floor is destroyed,
carpets, papers, etc. The fifth and
other floors below are soaked with water
The battery and storage rooms occupied
the sixth floor. The operating room and
the gallery devoted to the work of the
Gold and Stock Company, occupied the
entire seventh floor, and the Associated
Press and a part OF the bookkeeping de-
partment the entirs eighth floor. On
the ninth floor were the Western Union
files The loss of the telegraph com
pany is large and it will require
a long time to replace the ma
terial. The large switchboard in
the operating room alone cost $50, 0,00O
The Associated Press looSeS instru-
ments, type-writers, furniture and all
of its books, papers and records dating
from 1s45, and a valuable reference
library. This loss is irreparable. All
OF material for a history of the growth
of the Press in America contained in
letter books and flies is destroyed and
can never be replaced. The money
value is estimated at $4,000. There is
no insurance. Hon. William Henry
Smith, the General Manager, is person
ally a heavy loser by the destruction OF
rare books and papers, many of which
cannot be duplicated. Among these
were hundreds of rare pamphlets, col