Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-01-03
Jefferson ..................... 1900
Hsnry Bis6erson.
German and Standard $500

German and Standard .--...... 4'ooo
WILL REBUILD.
The firm of Caldwell & Peterson was
asked yesterday afternoon what their
plans were for the future. In reply
Mr.. Frank Caldwell said:--
"You can say that we will rebuild,
and that as soon as possible 1t may be
that It will not be upon this site, but II
not il will be elsewhere In the city, and
we expect to be running again just as
soon as new building can be put up
and equipped. The new plant will
likely be larger and better one than
the one just destroyed"
Mr.. B. w. Peterson added
I'VE have been doing an excellent
business, with lots OF orders and big
stock. We will go ahead as soon as
possible"
Messrs. B. F. Caldwell, Mr.. Henry
Bieberson and Mr.. Howell, owner OF
the building occupied by Waterhouse
Bros, will make repairs as soon aspos-
sible, and the ruins will hardly be cold
before men are at work upon them.
THE DANGER" OF OIL EXPLOSIONS.
There was q good deal of apprehen-
sion at the time the fire was at its
height and all during the day about
oil, varnish, etc., kept in the Caldwell
& Peterson building. Mr.. Peterson
was asked about this and said:
There isn't a particle of danger
about that stuff. We keep that sort OF
thing in the old beer vaults, down
under ground. They have very heavy
walls, care arched over, and have double
doors, made expressly to keep out heat,
and which we covered with iron
since we took charge Of the building.
That stuff will be found safe and
sound when the fire is out"
REscUING THE SAFE.
The big safe in the Caldwell g. Peter
son office was rescued from the ruined
building yesterday afternoon by force
of men in charge of ID. r. Brooks. Dur
ing the fire the front doors of this safe
were red hot, and the combination
knob was melted of by the heat, but
when the doors were opened the books,
papers and cash were found intact,
greatly to the satisfaction OF the firm.
The papers and books in the safe were
all the firm saved, as 1t was impossible
to get anything out OF the Office when
the iremen arrived on the scene, be-
cause of the dense smoke and intense
heat In the front portion OF the build
ing.
NOTES ABOUT THE BLAZE.
Hot coffee was distributed among the
firemen during the day, and was great
ly appreciated.
A portion of the B. F. Caldwell build
ing wall looks like section OF a pud-
ding furnace, so fierce was the heat.
Some of the hose which lay on South
street was deeply charred by the heat,
and won't be worth much in the future.
Street railway travel WASN'T inter-
fered with much, for the reason that
linemen were at work taking down the
double trolly wires.
The baggagemen had to put up with
some Inconvenience in getting trunks
to and from the B. e. 0. depot, as the
depot yard was full OF lines OF hose.
The police were about the fire in con-
siderable numbers and did good work,
not only In handling the crowd, but in
aiding the fremen and business men.
A considerable amount OF charred pa
per, books, ETC., gathered up from the
Caldwell & Peterson office, was stored
in the rear of Mr.. B. +. Caldwell's store.
Several business men climbed the de-
partment ladders to the roof OF the b.
f. Caldwell building, yesterday, and
brought away souvenirs in the shape OF
chunks of melted tin and solder.
The fremen were congratuating
themselves, yesterday, that it wasn't as
cold as during last week. Had the fire
occurred last Wednesday or Thursday
mornings there would have been tons OF
ice left on South street and hanging to
the adjacent buildings.
The Caldwell & Peterson building, or
rather the lower two stories of 1t, was
built for brewery, and was operated
by Kingdom e. Co. and Mr.. Reed. The
walls were exceptionally heavy and the
timbering inside massive. These big
timbers added much to the fury OF the
fire. When the walls came down they
fell in great solid masses, and even after
they struck the ground there are frag-
ments containing several square yards
wbare the bricks still stick together.