Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-29
SICKENED BY. SMOKE.
Many Firemen Frustrated BY Oakum
Fumes at the Arnold Fire.
LOSSES AMOUNT TO ABOUT $4,000
Goods in the Adjoining Buildings Were
Damaged BY Water
BURSTING HOSE CAUSES MORE TROUBLE

Arnold's boat supply store at ITO Water
street and 142 First avenue was partially
destroyed by FIRE yesterday afternoon. The
damage to the stock and building amounts
to about S12, 900 and is fully covered by In
surance. The fire started at o'clock In
the oakum stored on the third floor.
Dense clouds of smoke were thrown off,
and the flames from the oakum were
SO offensive that it was about impossible for
the men to work, and it was feared for
time that . number Of other buildings
would CO.
The bookkeeper first discovered the fire,
some burning oakum falling down through
a skylight onto his desk. The employees of
the firm ran upstairs, and found the third
floor full of smoke. The place was stored
with oakum, and the flames were darting
from the inflammable stuff in half dozen
places. Four patent fire e1tinguishers in
the place were brought into requisition, but
they did no good whatever, and fire alarm
box No. 8, at First avenue and Wood street,
was pulled. u
Driven Back by the Dense Smoke.
By this time however, the fire had eaten
its way to every part of the third floor,
and when the department arrived the dense
volume of smoke enveloping the building
made it appear as II several stores in the
vicinity were doomed. Three additional
alarms we're sent in, but the engines of the
fourth district were not put in use. Lines
of hose were laid like an immense network,
and the building was flooded thoroughly
and the fire drowned out:
Arnold Bros. had stock of boat supplies,
pumps, pulley blocks, oakum and gro
ceries valued at about 100000. The
oakum consumed and the groceries
up loss of about 1000. This is fully
covered by insurance in the Royal Insur-
ance Company, through William Mahan;
the Insurance Company of North America,
through William L. Jones, and through the
agency of Reno & Johns, all OF whom have
SIS 600 on the stock The firm also did a
business in preserves and jellies, but were
not operating it at present. and the stock of
these goods on the second floor of the place
was not large one, and the loss on it will
be small. They had also a stock of $50 bar
rels OF pitch stored in the cellar, and at one
time 1t was thought this was afire, but the
flames did not reach it
All the Cellars Were Flooded.
The fire on the third floor ate away the
roof and it fell it. but did not increase the
damage to any extent. 1t damaged the
building, however, to the extent of about
1000, but good insurance was carried on
it by the owner. }. A. c. Moore, of Sewick-
lev. The great volume of water poured
into the building flooded the cellar of Full
ton, Bolman & Co. at III Water street, but
created no loss. The Office of w. Devices
Wood, on the second floor of the same
building, suffered slightly by the water
flowing through, but it only inconvenienced
the clerks.
The fire was hard one for the de-
partment by reason of the heavy, sickly
smoke emitted by the burning
oakum, saturated as the material is by tar.
The firemen could only work in the build
ing short time without retreating, and
some ten of them became so ill that they
vomited the moment they put their heads
out of window for fresh air. There was
some talk among the crowd of delay in the
department getting to the scene, but there
was no delay in throwing water, and had
the alarm been sent in at once the fire GER
tainly would have been cheAked in its early
stage. The Eurkea hose burst and some
half dozen sections were rendered useless