Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-01-09
ELEVEN THOUSAND LOSS
Occasioned by a Fire in the McLain
Block, Yesterday.
The Main Loss Fell Upon R. @.
O'Neill, the Photographer, Who
Had Very Light Insurance-Phe
Real Estate Not Seriously Dam
aged-Firms Flooded by Water.
Cause of the Blaze Unknown.

Cause of the Blaze Unknown.
A fire which for a time threatened the
destruction of the big McLain block, at
Market and Twelfth streets, broke out
in the negative room of R. c. O'Ne;lrs
photograph:ng establishment, in the
third story of the building, on the
Twelfth streat side, about twenty min
utes after eight yesterday morning.
About all that saved the building was
the old-time policy of the Wheeling fire
department in getting there quick"
and the excellent work which was done
after the fremen arrived.
Through good judgment and lots of
water the fire was practically confined
to the room in which it originated, and
It's immediate ne.ghborhood, and as a
result the loss is but small fraction of
what it promised TO be during the
first twenty minutes after Dhe alarm
was turned IN. The aggregate none
tary damage VIII be within the eleven
thousand dollar mark, Notwithstanding
/ the wild guess work of an evening pa
per that the aggregate damage is put
at nearly $4,000"
The list of approximate losses and the
! insurance is as follows:
r. c. O'Neill, pohtographer-Loss
about $500, Of which $4,000 is repre-
! sented in the destruction of between
$4,000 and $4,000 negatives. accumulat-
| ed by the late J. A H. Parsons and Mr..
O'Ne,H, and extending back over a per-
iod of nearly twenty years. This loss.
as matter Of course, is irreparable
A few hundreds of the negatives may
be saved, but the vast majority 90 to
make up a heap of broken glass. In
addtlon 10 the negatives, Mr.. O'Neil
lost his costly studio fittings and fllrn-
/ ishlngs they being either damaged by
nre, ruined by water, or broken. Among
tne apparatus was the largest camera
IN the State. His insurance was but
500, placed by the w. R. Rice agency
N the Wes,Chester, of New York.
Mcbain Bros, real estate-The dam
age by fire will scarcely be over 81 900
| and by water perhaps $500 more. total
| Of $1,000. There were policies aggre-
eating $500 on the property. placed
| through Smith e Dickinson and Alfred
PAUL, Of this city, and r.. T. Howell, of
Bridgeport. AL was in foreign com
pan.es.
w. H. Frank, merchant tallor-Loss
by water $500 10 $500, insured for about
$1,000 in the Emshe!mer agency. The
loss was promptly and am:cably ad-
justed yesterday afternoon.
Noble Bros, hats and caps,Oe tc.-Loss
uncertain, but probably in excess of
$4,000 Insurance $500 as follows:
Phoenix, Of England, $1,000, through
PAUL; London Assurance. $1,000. and
Reading, $500, through Morgan; Union
of Philadelphia, 81 900, through Tatum:
Continental. of New York, $500, through
Rodgers; Jefferson and Standard. Of this
| city, $500 each.
B. & J. Latane McLane. surgical n
s.ruments, etc.-Loss perhaps 5000. In
surance, $1,000, in the Williamsburg
City.
J. B. Mckee, cigars-Loss $50 or SIS.
Insurance, $500, in the Germantown,
of Philadelphia.
H. SOnneborn, gents furnishing
gOods-Loss, S25; insured.
c. r. GOetze, drugs-Loss possibly
5000; insured,
These losses foot up $1,000 even.
which is rather over than under the
mark. OF course. there is the newt
able incidental loss 10 all parties
through interruption TO business. but
that unfortunately, cuts no figure with
the insurance companies.
As mas been stated. the fire originated
in the negative room of the ONe.ll
gallery, but no one could he found yes
terday who could account for 1t upon
any reasonable hypothesis. Roland
| Taylor. assistant printer, had been in
I the room but a few minutes before the
flames were discovered, and found moth
| ing TO attract his attention. He left the
room after arranging some frames in
the printing room, and few minutes
| later was astonished at seeing a heavy
volume Of smoke pouring through the
door into the studio proper. Mr.. Taylor
and his brother at once gave the alarm,
and box No. %, at Market and Twelfth
streets. was pulled, the department,
/ headed by the chemical, responding very
promptly. The building is a large one,
with a very complicated interior con-
s-ructiOn. and contains probably thirty
tenants of all descriptions. Although
the hour was a trile too early for some
of the occupants TO De IN their Offices
and places of business. SIN there were
enough 10 transform the interior, par
ticularly in the upstairs portions, into
a scene Of hustle and excitement, which
was not improved by the heavy smoke,
and the presence Of many persons from
the street. There was a hasty gather
ing together of portable property by
such of the tenants on the upper floors
as were not at once driven out by the
smoke while the feelings of the bust
ness men on the lower floors can be
better imagined than described. The
department got TO work very promptly.
but Notwithstanding the large amount
of water poured upon the locality of the
fire. Il was the genera. expectation
among the spectators that at least the
upper portion Of the block would be
DESTROYED. and the downstairs stores
flooded throughout. That it didn't turn
out that way IS due to the fine fire.
fighting qualities Of The department
/ The locality of the fire, in the extreme
TOP Of the building. where il could only
be reached from the inside by narrow
stairways and long and crooked halls.
made t rather risky TO get near enough
for the fremen TO know ju5t what they
were doing. but lines Of hose were got
ten into the operating room and the fire
attacked from that direction. while
other streams were dragged to the roof
by the route of q convenient permanent
&c laaEar N tha l..Lla .r.n-.o- no..--. g..