Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-04-10
FATAL FIRE At KNOXVILLE.
Six People Known to Have Persisted;
Others Are Missing.

and retail business houses in the South,
were destroyed. The loss is variously
estimated at from one to one and half
million dollars, with about sixty per
cent. of insurance.
The loss of life is uncertain, as the
hotel register in which. fifty-siX people
were sleeping was burned. The propri-
etor of the hotel says that he had five
or six guests who have not put in an ap-
pearance.
A. E. Weeks, of Locke, n. Y, drum
mer for a Rochester stamping company,
is known to have persisted in the flames.
R. w. Hopkins, st. Louis drummer,
was last seen in the burning building
in a suffocating condition. w. H. KEEP
hart, eX-Secretary of the Chamber of
Commerce, saved the life of John Boyle,
an old farmer, by dragging him to a
window and letting him out on the roof
of another building. Kephart jumped
one story and was uninjured.
When the fremen thought all the in
mates Of the hotel had escaped, wo-
man with an infant in her arms rushed
to the rear window and screamed for
help. A net was quickly stretched and
the woman was asked to drop the child
out. but as the smoke almost choked
her, she told them that if one had to
die both would die. The woman was
finally rescued by the firemen.
From the hotel building, which is five
stories, the fire spread east and west
and a stiff wind made the flames very
ugly. and the fire department was in
adequate.
In the wholesale hardware house OF
w. w. Woodruff & Co., a large dyna-
mite explosion occurred and scores OF
people were hurt by flying brick and
glass. It became necessary at last to
have the walls of the building blown
down by cannon to stop the mad career
of the fire. A mountain HowitZer OF
the Knoxville Legion, was called into
play and load of canister did the work,
at the same time tearing up some res
licences in a different portion of the city.
The city authorities, realizing that
the fire department was unable to con-
quer the flames, telegraphed to Chatta-
nooga for assistance.
An engine was placed aboard a fiat
car and started the run of III miles,
which was made by Engineer Robbins
in 100 minutes, breaking the record.
When the engine arrived here, the fire
was about under control, yet the CHAT
tanooga boys did some work.
A cabinet-maker named P. c. Dyer fell
dead on the street from fright.
man named Robinson, from Pu-
Iaski. Tenn, is supposed to be another
victim. He was registered in the hotel,
and has not shown up. A large force
Of men are at work clearing away the
debris tonight and searching for the
bodies. The street car lines are COM
pletely tied up and all the electric COM
panies have suffered.
One Knoxville architect received or
ders to-day for plans for eleven build
ings to take the places Of the ones
burned.
All the buildings are to be replaced
at once.
The losses and insurance given out To-
night are as follows:
McNulty Grocer Company loss $lo'VoO;
insurance 5000 ,-..
$4,000. go
Hotel Knox. furniture and fixtures ST.
900: insurance $1,000.
nanioI Briscoe Bros. & Co.. dry goods
stock. loss $4,000; insurance $l5.ON.
DANIEL Briscoe Bros & Co, building loss
$4,000: insurance $4,000.
z p King & Co., insurance company
loss $500: insurance 5000 $500.
NcNultv & McGhee, building loss SlooVO'
insurance nothing.
s. 3. Newman & Co., printers loss $40
600: insurance $1,000.
" ". Woodruff & Co., hardware build
in GLOSS $40. 600: insurance $4,000.
cullen & Newman. queensware, loss $40
600; insurance $4,000. -.-.
J. c. Cullen, building, $4,000; insurance
Henegar. Doyle & Arnold, clothing loss
$50 900: insurance $500.
NJ D Arnold, building, loss $4,000; in
surance $4,000 -, ..o ooo.
insurance $4,000.
NJ. L. Ross, building, loss Slo'oVO; lnsur-
ance $4,000.
W ". Woodruff & Co., hardware, loss
S1C0 600: insurance $4,000.
W w woodruff. building, loss $4,000;
insurance $lQcN.
Murphy & Robinson. hats. loss $4,000; IN
AP Lapier. dry goods, loss $4,000; in
surance $4,000 $500.
ance $1,000. ooo. =.
sterchi Bros furniture loss So9V0O' IN
surarca Sl5e' .,o mn. t..
c. c. Mech building loss SSoO0o; IN
surance nothin@. ,-
sanford. Chamberlain & Albers' drugs
loss $4,000: insurance $2oo0.
sanford. Chamberlain & Albers, build
inc loss $1,000. insurance 5000.
Wclriuan & Meek. building, loss $1,000
insurance nothing 10000 =,
Cns3ck. stable. building. loss $4,000; in
srra,cs nothing. warehouse, loss $1,000; in
surance $1,000. ,.-
arcs $1,000. .oooo. ,-.,-