Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-27
aCKENED BY SMOKE,
[any Firemen Overcome
While Fighting an Ugly
First Avenue Fire.
HEY WILL ALL RECOVER.
he Fire Was in Itself Rather In
significant and Harmless.
URNING STRAW AND LEATHER
,used All the Trouble and Created Wild
Excitement
HEY WILL ALL RECOVER.
URNING STRAW AND LEATHEE
,used All the Trouble and Created Wild
Excitement.
light MEN TAKEN To THE HOSPITAL


Eight firemen narrowly escaped death at
fire on First avenue yesterday afternoon.
II were partially suffocated by smoke.
aey were taken to the Homeopathic Hos
tai at once and after a few hours all but
,e was able to walk home. The other
an will be in condition to resume work to-
".
The fire itself was comparatively 1nslg-
6cant. 1t originated in the cellar OF u.
hestnut & Co.'s harness, hose and hard
are store at 147 First avenue. There was
light or fire in the cellar at the time,
I'd it is believed the blaze started from
GIFTED match or cigar stump careiessly
opped by some pedestrian. The smoke
ming up through the cracks IN the moor
d 10 the discovery. An alarm was sent
at once Engine Company No. was the
ct to arrive. Two men with Babcocks
n down to the cellar while the balance OF
e company laid line of hose.
The cellar was filled wit b packing straw,
Ills of heavy sole leather and cases OF
ock of various kinds, the fire seeming to
, at one end where the straw and heavy
ather was. Until air was admitted by the
,ening of the doors there was no flame, but
e moment the air rushed in the blaze
.ndled and burst out fiercely. The IRE
en- were driven out and began to work
ON above, tearing up the floor and turning
e hose streams down in that way.
The Sitting Smoke.
In a few moments the flames were par
slIy ouenched and several fremen re-
,rned to the cellar, among them Otto
Iauch. In a moment Hauch staggered out
! The street and fell unconscious. Follow
= him came great cloud of peculiarly
fling smoke from the burning straw and
arher, which drove the crowd on the
rect away. The smoke filled the store
Hiding for a moment and when the wind
ned it there was significant quiet in the
hiding, which caused the fremen to Won
r what had happened to their fellows
frightened, they ran into the building
I'd were horrifed to see fremen lying all
-er the floor. The spectators were called
assist and half dozen unconscious men
the first floor were carried out TO the
rect. among them Chief Steele. Chlei
oates, who was among the rescuing party
id been inhaling the smoke for some time
d he too keeled over, but did not lose
seriousness Those carried out from the
per floor all revived after few moments
the fresh air and returned to work.
There were four men in the cellar when
rescue began. Chief Steele and Otto
ch were among the rescuers, and had
,ly entered the cellar when the smoke
in oyercame them, and they were car
d out. Captain Hennigan. Hauch ano
her fremen returned to the rescue ant
apped out Emil Kuhn, of No. company
d William Park, of No 3. who had beer
q first to 60 down. Kuhn was floating il
e water, which had by this time filled tn
liar to the depth of foot. Fortunatel!
is head had fallen on a box when he keele'
rer. else he would surely have drowned be
re assistance came.
The Busy Patrol.
.John Schwab, of No. 2 company, an
srtlev Mccoy, of Truck A, were also @
first four down. When they were fnall
.rried out the patrol had made two trips
e hospital. They were also placed o
oard, making eight men taken to the hos
tai for treatment Otto Hauch was anon
number He recovered consciousness
the door of the building and refused
in, saving he was all right, and starte
walk away. Before he had gone te
cps he fell over unconscious and was cal
al
mex A: Emil Crow, of No. 2 company
d James Crowley, of No. 1, were ais
ken to the hospital Captain Henniga
as taken to his engine house and tainte
ter he got there, but he soon recovered.
MANY other firemen were affected by tn
,oke. but not sufficiently to prevent the
ntinuing at work. Detective Willial
,ore was tripped on a piece of hose an
rown headlong into the cellar, sustainln
slight iniurv. Before he was assisted oil
smoke affected him so that he WI
ken to the Mercy Hospital, but only r.
aimed an hour until he was able to wal
me.
Revived by Fresh Air.
All the men affected became deathly sic
their stomachs Those taken to the no
tai were quickly revived by pumpin
ash air into their lungs, which seemed
filled with the smoke. By O'Clock la
cht all the fremen had recovered ar
liked out of the building, except Villa
ark. He had been the first to succum
d had been in the cellar longer than ar
the others The doctor said last mig
at Park would be ready for duty tn
orning.
Miss Ida Chestnut, a clerk in her father
,re, had been to the bank and was just r
rning when she saw the flames issuir
om the cellar She was so affected tn
e fell in faint and had to be taken
r home in Allegheny in a carriage. II
Hiding where the FIRE occurred is own
the Lowry. estate. 1t is very o
ree-storv brick 1t was not damaged.
lestnut & Co. fix their loss al IS 900, b
v the fire will not Inconvenience The
siness. Johnsons, Eagye s. Earl, who
lie grocers, adjoining will suffersabo
800 loss to sugar and other articles ruin
water flooding their cellar. 9th
ighbors will suffer slightly, but all q
yered with insurance.