The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-03
HOrne's Dry-GoOds Store and Office
Building and the Methodist Book
Concern Also Destroyed.
WATER WAS OF LITTLE AVAIL
BURNING OIL FILLED THE STREETS
WITH WAVES OF FLAME.
Allegheny City Department Called Out
to Assist the Pittsburg Firemen-
One Man Missing and Others Hurt.

PITTSBURG, May 3.-The greatest fire
that has visited this city since the memoir
able one of 1894 started soon after midnight
in the immense wholesale grocery establish
ment of Thos. C. Jenkins, on Penn
avenue and Liberty street, and at 2:30
o'clock was still burning fercely. Three
large blocks. extending from Liberty to
Penn avenue, and from Fifth street
to Sixth street, have been reduced
to smoldering ruins and while the fire is
now believed to have spent its fury, it is
not yet under control The loss will
ceed $250O,OOO and is we'll COW
cred by insurance. Among the buildings de-
stroyed are Jenkins's wholesale grocery
establishment; Hornes six-story dry goods
establishment, Horne's office building, the
Duquesne Theater and the Methodist Book
Concern.
The fire started in the cellar of the Jen-
kins building in a pile of barrels filled with
waste paper. The flames were discovered
by Watchman William Hunter while MAX
ing his rounds on the third floor. He had
smelled smoke earlier in the evening, but
believed that it came from the outside, and
had paid attention to it. The flames had
leaped rapidly up the elevator shaft and
he had made a vain attempt to extinguish
the fire with buckets of water An air draft
used to ventilate the great building famed
the flames and he found it impossible to do
anything. He made his escape from the
the immense volume of smoke. The alarm
was turned in about the same time by Off
Ger Milton Bailey, who noticed smoke
issuing through the window.
MADE RAPID HEADwAY.
The fire made rapid headway after it had
started and by 1890 o'clock flames began
to pour out the Penn-avenue front. All the
fire departments of the city and Allegheny
were summoned and the firemen fought
bravely to check the progress of the con-
hagration The fire, however, attacked the
immense quantity of barreled oil, sugar,
molasses and flour that this building con-
tanned, and by 12:45 o'clock the Penn-avenue
and Liberty-street fronts We're one mass of
flames.
The fire ate it's way so rapidly that the
firemen narrowly escaped falling debris.
pletely and shot into the air 200 feet or
more presenting one of the most magnif-
cent sights seen for years. The splendid
building of Joseph Horne & Co. opposite
caught and the firemen worked desperately
to prevent it's loss. At o'clock the Horne
building was burning from cellar to roof
and the flames had communicated to
Hornes immense Office building adjoining
The structure was of stone and also six
stories in height. 1t was occupied by w. P.
Grier & Co., china dealers; the Bon Marche
Glove Company, Snaman's carpet house and
scores of physicians. Hucks cigar factory
and Hall Bros building next fell victims to
the fire fiend. and they were quickly fol-
lowed by the Duquesne Theater, the Meth
odist Book Concern building and the Sur
prise clothing store The latter was an i'm
mense fve-story building, running back a
depth Of 200 feet.
SHEETS OF FIRE.
The fire was the most magnificent sight
seen in Pittsburg for years. When the Jen-
kins and Horne buildings had become en-
veloped in the conflagration, Penn
avenue was one mass of flames, and sheets
of fire, with heavy columns of smoke, were
sent two hundred feet into the air. The
glare of the flames could be seen for miles,
and the streets for blocks around were brill
liantly illuminated AS soon as the fire at
tackled these buildings several streams of
water were turned on them, but the water
had no more effect than if it was not an
extinguisher. The flames from the burn
ing oil in the Jenkins building rolled out
against them, and in five minutes the two
beautiful Horne buildings were burning
briskly. The firemen then left the Jenkins
building to its fate and used their united
and desperate efforts TO save the Horne
buildings All the streams of water that
could be summoned were turned on these
buildings, but they were now one mass of
fire. The fire department then turned its
attention to the surrounding buildings. but
the raging flames rapidly ate their way to
all sides.
At o'clock the fire was finally mastered,
but was still burning with intense fury
within the limits Of the books bounded by
Fifth and Sixth street. east and west. and
Liberty street and Penn avenue.
north and south. The loss. it is now be-