The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-10-28
SOME THRILLING ESCAPES
WHITE STONE BUILDING OF THE
WABASH RAILROAD BURNED.
coMPANY's L0SsEsTIMATED AT $500. 600
Electric Wires Were Cut and Fell Among the
Crowd But Fortunately no One Was
Struck--A Wire Fell on a Horse
Killing Him Instantly.

st. Louis, Mo-, Oct. PA lighted
cigarette dropped by thoughtless clerk
is supposed to have caused the fire which
this afternoon practically gutted the
white stone building at the
corner of Seventh and Chestnut streets,
occupied by the general officers OF the
Wabash Railroad.
AT 1925 O'clock just after the clerks
had returned from their noon recess, and
were beginning work, a policeman stand
ing ON the corner below noticed small
tongue of flame shoot out from window
in the fifth story of the building, which
was used as storage attic. Instantly
La puff of dense black smoke followed
and the officer rushed into the building
shouting the alarm. Instantly there was
a confused rush for every means of ex-
it. Fortunately the stairways were
wide, the building in former years hay-
ing been used for the public school IL
brary and the Polytechnic Institute.
The attic was stored with old papers
and documents, and within FIVE minutes
was roaring furnace. The whole floor
seemed to suddenly burst into flame in
|every part. During all this excitement
seven young women employed in one of
the inner mailing rooms on the fourth
floor, had not been notified and were still
working unconscious of their peril. When
they did discover their situation, they
found to their horror that it was i'm
possible to reach the stairs, as the stair
way was burning fercely. They appear
ed at the window and a cry of horror
went up from the streets.
The fire escape, shouted the crowd,
and the young women comprehending,
disappeared and moment later climbed
out on the iron platform Of the escape.
They hesitated, but advancing flames
gave them determination, and they start
ed on their descent, reaching the street
in safety as a laundering cheer went
up. With the first alarm, the real estate
agents, who occupied the lower floor,
began removing their books and papers.
Everything that could be gotten out was
taken across the street TO the massive
new Wainwright building. Fire Chief
Swingley sent in a general alarm, but
owing to the narrow street and the net
work Of wires it required fifteen min
utes to hoist and train the standpipes.
BY this time, the two top floors of the
building were doomed and it was APP
parent that the fire had gained such
headway that the entire building must
go. An order was given to cut the elec
tric wires. Dense throngs blocked every
thoroughfare. Without warning the
wires were clipped and in an instant the
throngs were madly falling back as flash
es of blue and yellow lightning sputter-
ed from the ends of the deadly wires
that came falling to the ground. Nobody
was injured, but a wire struck a fire
horse, killing it in its tracks. At 1:50
O'Clock the roof fell with crash, send
ing burning embers into the air which
fell on adjoining buildings and started
fires, but prompt measures prevented
further conhagration.
A. r. Field, clerk, was carrying
some books from the first floor when the
crash occurred. Flying debris struck him
on the head, tearing it open down to the
eyes and nose. At 2:30 o'clock, the fire,
though still burning fercely, was prac-
tically under control, and at o'clock,
with the exception of patches of burn
ing embers, had been extingushed. An
officer of the Wabash Company esti-
mates their loss at $500,000. Statements
place the valuation of the building at
100000. The Wabash Company had
occupied new quarters before the fire
was under control.