Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-02-11
A PECULIAR FIRE.
IT STARTS MYSTgRI0USLT IN TIE OLD
COURT HOUSE TOWER
Bad Luck Of the Departmental Second Alarm
Struck-A Difficult Bsza to
Manage.

About the last place on earth one
would expect to see fire break out
would be in the tall tower of public
building, given over to solitude for half
a century, and almost inaccessible to
anything but particularly agile mon
KEY. and this being so, people in the
vicinity of the old Court House, at
Chapline and Twelfth streets, could
hardly believe their eyes when, about
two o'clock yesterday afternoon, they
saw wreatheS of blue smoke and
tongues OF fire pouring out of the inter
stlces between the timbers OF the big
square belfry whence the limbs OF the
law and their clients were called into
Court,'f the space Of round half
century.
As soon as the fire was discovered,
still alarm was telephoned to the Hope
chemical company, aud "a moment later
the nearest fre-aiarm box was pulled.
NilI UA Tie llllAf lllf 'lAAtAliA o. N'ts pun
arrived at the scene the fire was burst
ing through the entire upper portion OF
the tower, the timberS OF which, being
extremely dry, burned with great herce-
ness.
The chemical company NJ once ran
their small hose up through the interior
OF the building and got a stream of gas
charged water on the fire in the lower
part of the tower, but the elevation was
too great to do much good, and al
though the fire which could be reached
was cficctually drowned out, the capaci-
ty OF the engine was exhausted TO little
practical purpose. 1t is probable, how
ever. that the prompt arrival OF the
chemical kept the fire down long enough
TO allow the subsequent saving OF much
of the main building, which would have
been otherwise destroyed.
The remainder OF the department re-
sponded with reasonable promptness,
although the Nigilaut was little later
than usual, caused by the horses being
at the blacksmith shop to have their
shoes renewed when the bell struck.
They were gallOpcd back TO the engine
house in double-quick time, however,
and the apparatus was not over four or
| five minutes late.
The iiremen found the fire, by reason
of its peculiar situation in the tower of
| the building, 4 hard one TO manage,
and they were further handicapped by
a series Of miSfortunes which combined
! excited some adverse criticism. Chief
lIealy was called TO Bellairc on bust
/ g,..s hn hralra
out, and. as required by ordi-
nance, he asked for and obtained
the consent OF Mayor Seabright before
leaving the city. This left the depart
ment in the hands Of the Assistant Mar
Shal, a contingency which robbed it of
certain element of value. Then sew
eral sections OF hose burst at critical
times. the Atlantic engine failed TO
work satisfactorily. and finally the SIX
inch main on Twelfth street burst IN.
der the pulSatiOns OF the engines. food
| ing the street, ana necessitAting the
shutting OH of the water from that
pipe Then, As il all the ill-luck was
to come al once. small fire broke ont
| in the residence of Mrs. Fry, at No.
70g Main street, at 3 p. m. Box IL, at
. =
/ but the busy iircmen read the signal -.
aud the chemical engine and the Eighth
ward reel were detached 10 Main aud
| Twelfth streets. There some one said
the box was not -, but 81, and the fire.
men went to Nineteenth aud Jacob
streets. only TO find that they were still
on the wrong scent. They finally got TO
Seventh and Main streets, with badly
windcd horses. only to ascertain that
/ the fire had been eXtinguiSAcd by the
/ Babcock kept 40 TIE Nigiant.
While this was going on the remain
der OF the department kept at work on
the burning building, where The fire had
eaten its way down through the ceiling
under the tower into the room formerly
occupied by the Judges Of the Court and
the grand jury room. ltlooked as If the
whole edilice would 90, and the great
crowd which had gathered showed much
interest, but the firemen rallied. turned
streams in through the front windows.
and fought the fire from the top of the
stairway, leading to the old Office OF the
Board of Commissioners, and after
good two hours fight the blaze was
drowned out.
What the loss will be, under the cir
cumStances, would be hard to say, but
certainly very few hundred dollars
will cover It. The tower, which was
originally added to the building only
LecauSc tower was necessary, and not
because il was beautiful, wa, completely
burned of, and the rooms ON the second
| floor, rs well rs the roof timLcrS
over them, We're pretty e1ectually
scorchoj, and the whole interior
OF the building drenched with water.
/ One or two of the rooms We're
occupied as an annex to Clay school, and
the property OF the Board OF Education
and the books OF the scholars We're
ruined. Down in the basement EoGcl
Ford'S feather renoyatiug establishment
was set a0at, and he estimates his loss
at couple Of hundred dollars. Il is
not believed that there was any insur-
ance on the structure, although there
was report that the owners. McSsrs
Speidel * Wheat, had policy OF 1000 |
This was subsequently denied.
The most probable theory OF the
origin Of the fire is that it was started /
by school boys who strayed up into the
tower Of the building at noon. One gen
tleman said lac saw smoke issuing from /.
the belfry Monday, but any fire started /
at that time must have been eXtin- /
guShed. 1t is probable that the truth /
will never be known.
The building was erected by the F.
county about 1910, and in its day was
one OF the handSomeSt court houses in /
the West. The walls are very solid and /
contain an immense amount of building /
material. IL was abandoned by the /
county five years ago. 1t is probable /
that the tire will expedite the tearing 7
down OF the old house and the erection .
Of something more valuable and useful /
in its stead.
THE Mcclure House Pharmacy. A .
model Prescription Store. OrFN ALL /
NIGHT, in charge Of Registered Phar- +