Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-06-16

About $50 o'clock yesterday morning
a fire broke out in the cellar of the
wholesale department Of j. C. Dent &
Co.'S drug store. and owing to the in
dammatory nature Of the stock spread
through the building with great rapid
ity, and resulted in a loss of $4,000 or
$4,000. The insurance is nearly equal
in amount, but unfortunately it was not
distributed in the same ratio as the
losses, and j. c. Dent & Co. are out
about $4,000 in addition to the total Of
their policies. The other losers come
out of the fire tolerably we'll fixed as to
insurance, and all viii resume business.
Just how the fire originated Will
never be known. From twenty to
twenty-five minutes before the flames
were discovered James Steweu passed
through the cellar of j. C. Dent & Co..
and found everything safe, and five
minutes later Mr.. W. IT. Graham also
passed through the cellar entering
from the rear and going out the front
way. There was no indication of fire
there then. or Mr. Graham would have
noticed IT, The next person to enter
the cellar was Frank Roberts, of the
drug firm, who started after some roof
paint for John smith, and shouted that
there was a fire down there. Mr.. Dent
grabbed a bucket of water and jumped
into the cellar, but the smoke by that
time was sitting and the heat intense,
and he ran out, followed by such a
volume of flame that those who saw
him were certain his clothing was on
fire. by this time a number of the
tenants of the building and citizens
from adjacent property and from the
street, had ran into the building, and
some water was thrown with buckets,
but the fire spread with great rapidity
and the effort to eXtinguish the fire or
even keep it in check by that means
was almost Immediately seen to be q
failure. Attention was aJ once turned
to saving what property to De gotten
out OF Dents and the adjoining places
of business. 1Ir. Bailey, the furnishing
goods and shoe dealer, at the south end
of the Oslebay block. locked up his
store and would allow nothing to be re-
moved. but he was an exception. John
McCOnnaughey and others succeeded i'm
getting a few papers and books from the
Office of Dent d Co., but they We're
driven out of the lower portion of the
building i'm a very few minutes. A
crowd of willing workers rallied at
South Bros liquor store, and quickly
had almost the entire stock out I'm the
street and far from the scene of dan
ger. while others invaded the Offices of
w. IT, Howell, George Mckee Robert
Howell. and others on the second floor
of the block. and removed most of the
property. and Shick's barber shop and
news depot. i'm the rear of Dents retail
department was also cleared out, while
the Imperial Hotel folks, in the rear Of
the Dollar Savings Bank, also packed
up i'm readiness to move.
While these preparations were going
on. it was very evident that the entire
square would burn unless prompt aid
was secured. and the fire department OF
this city was communicated with AS
a result the Island chemical and hose
company was soon across the river and
put q stream on the fire. The water
pressure was light, however, and in
deed, for q moment or so, no water at
an flowed from the hose. The shortage
was promptly remedied, however
Chief He9ly soon appeared and took
charge of the fire, and i'm response to
his order the Nigiiant engine company
went over. followed 10y the Chemical
The engine sol two streams on the fire
pumping from the river, and about half
past nine another load of hose enabled
the firemen to further increase the
number of streams BY the time the
streams had gotten down 10 work the
wholesale department of Dents, the
second room from the corner. and the
retail department. on the corner, was
q fiery and roaring furnace. and the
flames had involved nearly the entire
upper portion of the block, but the fire
men got down TO business I'm great
shape. and IS q result no better work
was ever done in this part of the c0un-
try. the Wheeling fremen earning the
admiration and lasting gratitude OF the
people Of Bridgeport Chief Healy led
the way for his men. and at times they
all took very considerable risks, but
came out without q scratch. There
were between sixty and seventy barrels
of whisky. oils, varnishes, paints. etc.
in the cellar of Dents wholesale store.
making a very hot fire. on which water
had little or no impression, and the
stock i'm the drug store generally also
burned with great favoaDaes hur Tho