Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-11-04
A STUBBORN FIRE
9. MENDRL & CO. TIE VICTIMS OF A SERI-
GUS BLAZE.
The Total Loss to All Parties Will Probably Reac
Fifteen Thousand DOllars-Firemsn Hurt
Much Damage From Water
The Details.

What will. perhaps, prove to be the
most serious fire Of the year, occurred
last evening at the furniture store OF G.
Mendel & Co.
The actual loss, from fire and water,
TO all parties concerned, could not well
be estimated last evenin g, but 1t will
reach ten thousand dollars, and may
amount to fifteen thousand.
Necessarily, much of this damage was
from water. to the stock Of G. Mendel
& Co., to Reizenstein & Co., proprietors
OF the Ten Cent Store, to the Adams
Express Company, and to P. Welty &
Co., but the actnal damage by fire to
the stock Of G. Mendel & Co. and to the
building owned by Miss Belle Msndel,
will be considerable.
The insurance is ample, there being
about $4,000 on the stock OF Mendel &
Co., $4,000 on stock of Reizenstein &
Co., and from SIS, 900 to 100000 on the
buildings involved.
About twenty minutes after five
o'clock John Disson, the mattress maker
or the firm of G. Mendel & Co., who
had been hard at work in the third
story Of the building No. 1120 Main
street, making up mattresses for the new
steamer Sunshine, on rush order, dis
covered that bale of husks, part OF a
large quantity stored in the eastern end
of the long room in which he was at work
was in blaze. A glance showed that
it would be impossible for him to extin-
guish the fire, and he ran from the
room, through the third stories Of Nos
1922 and 1924, all of which are occupied
by the firm, and down stairs, calling to
those in the Office to turn in an alarm.
Mr.. Harry Stallman at once ran TO box
90, at Main and Twelfth streets. AL
most simultaneously colored girl in
the rear of building on Eleventh
street saw the smoke pouring from
the third story windows, and
she notified Officer Scally, who
lives close by, and he ran out and pulled
box No. 81, About the same time a
still alarm was sent to the chemical,
and in jiffy the whole department was
on the move. The chemical arrived
first, it being short run from their
house, but in the first attempt TO reach
the seat Of the fire, in the third story,
the hose was found to be too short, and
precious time was lost In making an
other attempt from different direc-
ton. As the companies arrived little
later, thin streams OF smoke were oozing
from the front windows and from
around the cornice OF No. 1920, which is
occupied on the ground floor by the Ad-
ans Express Company. the second story
being vacant, while the third is devoted
by Mendel & Co. TO storage purposes
and to the work in which Mr.. DissOn
was engaged. In the rear, the fire
was showing through the windows, aud
torrents OF smoke were pouring out.
The first lines OF hose were carried
through the Adams Express room, on
the first floor. with the intention of at
lacking the fire from the rear, but this
line, as well as a second one, was too
short to reach out of the back door, and
more time was lost while extra sections
of hose were attached. While this was
going on, the fremen made two at
tempts to get into the second story of
No. 1870, but the opening at the head OF
the stairs had not been used for years,
and had been closed by heavy plank, Sc
curely spiked down, and which success
fully resisted all efforts to force them
up with axes. While this effort was 60
ing on, the arrival of additional firemen
enabled the placing of streams in front,
one line being carried up to the
third story window Of No. 1922,
and thence along the third floor
and into the doorway connecting with
No. 1920, where, in the midst OF blind
ing clouds of smoke, the tiremen fought
for foothold against the flames raging
in the adjoining building. Ladders were
also erected against the wall OF the
building No. 1120, but they were found
TO be too short, and in order to reach
the level of the windows of No. 1920 the
firemen had to stand on the topmost
rungs, thence gaina precarious footing
on the top off the cornice OF the Sec
ond story windows, and draw them
selves up TO the level OF the third story
window sills.. In this manner Fireman
Ritter got TO the level of the third story
front window, broke in the glass with
his hands, climbed In the window, and
had the hose passed 10 him, disappear
ing in a black ,loul OF smoke
in which it seemed no one
could live for an instant. Ritter
pointed the hose back in the direction
of the fire and let it 90, holding his head
out OF the window for fresh air, while
keeping a grasp on the nozzle with his
legs. He was vigorously cheered by the
large crowd which assembled, and this
was repeated when, little later, Fire
man Shaughnessey did the same thing
at another front window from second
ladder, which, like the first, was too
short. While this was going on de-
tachment of iremen in the rear were
startled by the statement that man
aud woman were helpless in the third
story of No. 1922. and ladders were
hurriedly carried through the
Adams Express building to the
rear, and placed at the windows. 1t
was then ascertained that the people in
jeopardy had made their escape down
the interior Of the house. About this
time Fireman Elias Rolls, of the chemi-
cal, was seriously cut in the back OF the
neck, by falling glass, and Fireman
Herbert, of the Island hose company,
was also cut, while Fireman Bob Kline,
who was up on ladder on tin roof,
was thrown down, through the foot OF
the ladder slipping on the tia. and hurt
his back painfully besides cutting his
nose. A citizen, who was helping in
the capacity Of volunteer, also receiv-
ed bad cut on the hand.