The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1897-05-13
A FIRE AT PlTTSBURC'
Three Million Dollars Worth
of Property Destroyed.

of Property Destroyed.
BEGAN IN WHOLESALE GROCERY
The Buildings Burned Were Mostly
Fine Structures Situated In
tho Business District.
Pittsburg, May 4.-The greatest fire
that has visited this city since the
memorable one in 1845, started shortly
after midnight this morning, in the im-
mense wholesale grocery establishment
of Thomas G. Jenkins, on Penn avenue
and Liberty street. Three large blocks,
extending from Liberty to Penn ave-
nue., and from Fifth to Sixth streets,
have been reduced to smouldering
ruins. The loss will exceed $1,000,
600, and is we'll covered by insurance
Among the buildings destroyed are
Jenkins wholesale grocery establish
ment; Horne's six-story dry-goods es-
tablishment; Horne's Office building,
the Duquesne theater, and the Metho-
dist Book Concern.
The fire started in the cellar of the
Jenkins building, in pile of barrels
filled with waste paper. The flames
were discovered by Waterman Hunter.
He had smelled smoke early in the
evening, but believed that it came from
the outside and paid no attention to it.
The flames leaped rapidly up the ele-
vator shaft, and he made vain effort
to extinguish them with buckets of wa
ter. An air shaft used to ventilate
the great building famed the flames,
and he found it impossible to do any
thing. He made his escape from the
building with great difficulty because
of the immense volume of smoke. The
alarm was turned in about the same
time by Officer Milton Bailey, who no.
ticed smoke issuing through the win
dOws.
The fire made rapid Roadway, and by
1890 O'Clock flames began to pour out
of the Penn-avenue front. All the fire
department of the city and of Allegheny
was summoned, and the fremen fought
bravely to check the progress of the
confagration. The fire, however, at
tackled the immense quantity of bar
relied oil, sugar and molasses and -four
that this building contained, and 12:45
O'Clock the Penn-avenue and Liberty
street fronts were mass of flames.
The fire ate its way SO rapidly that the
firemen narrowly escaped falling debris.
Flames filled Penn avenue completely,
and shot into the air 200 feet or more,
presenting one of the most magnificent
sights seen for years.
The building of Joseph Horne & Co.,
opposite, caught, and the firemen
worked desperately to prevent it's loss.
At l o'clock the Horne building was
burning from cellar to roof, and the
flames had communicated to Horne's
immense Office building adjoining. The
structure was of stone, six stories in
height. 1t was occupied by w. p.
Grier & Co., china dealers; Bon Marche
Glove Company. Snaman's carpet house,
and scores of physicians.
Huck's cigar factory and Hall Bros.
building next fell, and they we're quick
ly followed by the Duquesne theater,
Methodist Book Concern building, and
the Surprise clothing store. The lat
ter was an immense five-story building,
running back 200 feet. The fire was
the most magnificent sight seen in
Pittsburg in years. When the jenkins
and Horne buildings had became en-
veloped in the confagration, Penn
avenue was one mass of flames, and
sheets of fire, with heavy columns Of
smoke, were sent 200 feet into the air.
The glare of the flames could be seen for
miles, and the streets for blocks around
were brilliantly illuminated.
As soon as the fire attacked these
buildings, several streams of water were
turned on them, but the water had no
more effect than if it was not an ex-
tinguisher. The flames from the burn
ing oil in the Jenkins building rolled
out against it, and in five minutes the
two beautiful Horne buildings were
burning briskly.
The firemen then left the Jenkins
building to it's fate and used their unit
ed and desperate efforts to save the
Horne buildings. All the streams that
could be summoned were turned on
these buildings, but they were now one
mass of flames. The fire department
then turned it's attention to the sur
rounding buildings, but the raging
flames rapidly ate their way to all sides.
At 4 O'Clock, the fire was finally mas
tered, but was still burning with in
tense fury within the blocks bounded
by Fifth and Sixth streets east and
west, and Liberty street and Penn ave-
nue. north and south.
The loss, it is now believed, will be
greatly in excess of the first estimates,
and is estimated at S., O00, 900.
A number of firemen were injured by
falling walls and live wires, but none
Of them seriously.
Struck for Eight Hours.
New York, May 1.-Two hundred
and fifty union plumbers, steamftters
and gasfitters struck at Newark today