Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-01-07
CAUGHT IN TIME.
TWO ALARMS OF FIRE IN TIE DANGER
DISTRICT LAST NIGHT.
A Blaze Gets Fine Start at n. J. O'Kanss Shoe
Store, but Was Quickly Extnguishsd-An
Oysr.Hsatsd Furnace at Eggsr, War
rick & Co.s-0Asr Fires

\ There were two alarms Of fire
IA the twenty" or danger dis
Grict" last night. which gave the depart
Ament two hard runs, and one Of which,
at least, narrowly escaped resulting in a
serious loss. The first, at the shoe
store of NJ. ]. O'Kane, No. 111S Main
street, was Of mysterious origin and
was the worst of the two. The other,
at the dry goods store Of Egger. War
rick & Co., was caused by natural gas
furnace becoming Overheated, the valve
having evidently been left wide open
during the early evening, when the
supply OF gas was short, and when 1t
"came on" late in the night the trouble
arose. Two other cases OF the same
sort were found.
Some gentlemen were standing on
Water street, near the Huseman Hos
abOut ten minutes before eleven, when
thew noticed smoke coming from the
windows over Morris produce store,
and an inspection showed that nre was
making its appearance through the
sheathing boards OF the ceiling, over
the office. The doors OF Morris store
were forced open and water was car
ried in buckets and thrown upon the
ceiling. holding the FIRE in check until
the department arrived. Two
alarms were sent in from box
"a. at Main and Twelfth street,
which quickly brought the
Chemical Company, followed by the en-
tire department. Some hose was laid,
but the chemical men and other persons
RainedtSccess to the rear OF O'ksne'S
by means OF ladders, and In short time
the ere was under control and out.
Both Morris store, down stairs, open
ing onto Water street, and O'Kane's,
no stairs, opening onto Main, were
filed with smoke, but the actual
damage done was confined 10
the burning and cutting OF
norton OF the floor in the rear OF the
O'Kane store, and the flooding OF Mr..
Norris Office. The origin OF this IRE
could not be ascertaiCed last night.
There was a flue in the south wall OF
the O'Kane store, near where the blaze
was found, but there was no connection
with It, either In Morris or in O'Kane's,
and it and the adjoining wall were per-
fectlv cold. Besides, the fire under the
floor was az some distance from the
wall.
The iremen had scarcely gotten back
10 their houses when Nightwatchman
Junkins, Officer Watson and others
were notified by Mrs. Brues, whose
residence is over Egger, Warrick q
from
the store room. Box "a was again
pulled, and the officers forced their way
into the store, which was full OF smoke.
An entrance was effected to the cellar,
from which the smoke seemed to
come, when IL was found, after
some little time, that the furnace was
the cause Of the trouble, it having be-
come over-heated and set the adjoining
woodwork on fire. A few more mo-
1ueuts would have seen the floor OF the
store. In the central part, In blaze,
and a heavy loss would have resulted,
but fortunately it was not necessary to
turn on the Wster, although some hose
was laid. II was nearly half-past
Twelve this morning when the fremen
Dnce more got back to their respective
houses.
just after the fire in the O'Kane store,
some gentlemen passing the wholesale
hat house Of Z. Buchanan Il Co., No.
1918 Main street, saw that the natural
Eas In the office stove was on the ram
page. and notified Chief Healy. The
latter ran down with some Of his men,
Ind got into the store just in the nick
" time, as in few minutes more the
Ire would have been communicated to
lome boxes Of hats and other tntamma-
Sic material in the vicinity. The Chief
turned of the gas and made everything
Iafe.
While this was going on Nightwatch-
nan Junkins made al investigation into
The offices and rooms In the second stO-
~ Of the Rogers block, and found
stove In a red hot condition, with the
gas boiling out at every opening and
threatening the destruction OF the
place. Junkins turned off the gas and
saw that the building was safe before
be left.