The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-11-13

For fully an hour and u half the men
of the fire department battled with the
flames before the danger OF destroying
all the company's property was averted.
That the spread Of the blaze to the
other buildings was prevented when The
closeness OF the fire and it4 intense heat
are considered, seems little short OF mi-
raculous. The men worked in q space
of about twenty-five feet wide, between
the walls OF glowing fire and the other
buildings. Lines Of hose we're also run
through the buildings on the creek
bank, to the burning mill, which was
south OF this row OF shops, boiler sheds,
etc
The FIRE was not under control, in
spite oil the brave and efficient efforts
OF the fremen, until five O'Clock, and
for several hours after that the hardest
work was required to keep it down.
Up to last evening some fire was still
snoldering among the ruins and several
small streams were playing on the Gin
ders.
" hat made the fire more fierce and
stubborn was the unusually large
amount Of timber used in its cenBtFuc-
ton. 1t was an old structure, part Of it
dating back TO the early fifties, and it
was largely constructed of wood.
The dense fog which prevailed added
to the difficulty in locating the fire, as
the light could not be seen hundred
feet from the creek bank. This in
creased the unavoidable delay in the
arrival of the department and gave the
fire that much more Of headway.
The heavy iron rolls retained the
heat, as did also the masses of tirebrick
in the furnaces and stacks, requiring
lust so much longer for the engines 10
get the better Of the flames.
THE ORIGIN A MYSTERY.
What caused the FIRE will in all proba-
bility always remain a mystery. Three
nightwatchmen were employed in pa.
trolling the premises constantly. One
OF them, Mckinney, who was burned,
said he passed the place where the
blaze first started, which was popularity
called "the big engine" few minutes
before he discovered the fire, and there
was then no sign OF any flame. When
he returned shortly after this visit, he
was greatly astonished to fird flame
leaping clear from the floor to the roof,
and already kindling the roof. From
this column of fame the blaze spread
so rapidly that the workmen could do
absolutely nothing to check it, and in
an incredibly short time the entire west
half Of the main mill was enveloped in
flames and sending up great clouds OF
black smoke.
There was no fire near the big engine
and nothing to ignite blaze. The only
conjecture that has been offered is that
a natural gas main which passes Just
over the spot had sprung leak, and
that the escaping gas had come in con-
tact with a gas Jet or torch somewhere
and caught. No such leak had been
suspected to exist, however, and there
was no special strain on the pipe to
cause one. In the absence Of a moro
plausible theory, however, this one
gained general acceptance yesterday.
THE LOSS ESTIMATED.
Mr.. Albert Whitaker, the secretary
OF the company, was seen by an INTEL
IIGENcER.reporter yesterday afternoon.
He said ii would be utterly impossible
to place careful estimate Of the dam
age until the machinery and shafting
could be inspected by an expert and
the probable amount Of salvage deter.
mined. Mr.. N. L. Whitaker, the presi-
dent, is out OF the city, having gone east,
and q telegram was sent him yesterday
morning. He will probably be home
to-day.
People competent to form an opinion
estimated that the loss would reach at
least 100000. As one said, the intense
heat and the water on the rolls, ahatting
and machinery would no doubt ruin