The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-05-03
LOSS is OVER IS, 600, 900.
PITTsBURG BUSINESS HOUSES DE-
sTROYED ny A FIRE.
of Them Ii Under Fallen Wall.
The Losses.

Pittsburg, Pa, May 2-The greatest fire
that has ever visited this city since the
memorable one of 1916 started shortly at-
ter midnight in the immense wholesale
grocery establishment of Thomas c. Jen-
kins. on Penn avenue and Liberty
street. and at 2:S0 o'clock was still burn
ing fiercely. Three large blocks extending
from Liberty street to Penn ave-
nue. and from Fifth to Sixth streets have
been reduced to smouldering ruins, and
while the fire is now believed to have
spent It's fury, 1t is not yet under control.
The loss will exceed s20oO,oOO and is well
covered by insurance.
Among the buildings destroyed are Jen-
Aims wholesale grocery establishment
Horne's Office building, the Duquesne
theatre and the Methodist Episcopal book
concern.
The fire started in the cellar of the Jen-
kns building in q pile of barrels filled
with waste paper The flames were dis
| covered by Watchman William Hunter
while making 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 no attention to
it. The flames leaped rapidly up the ele-
vator shaft and he made a vain attempt
to extinguish the fire with buckets of
water. An air shaft used TO ventilate the
great building famed the flames and he
| found it impossible to do anything. 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 noticed
smoke issuing through the building win
| dows.
The fire made rapid Roadway 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 ana
| Allegheny were summoned and the hre-
men fought bravely TO check the progress
Of tho conflGgratiGn. The fire. however,
attacked the immense quantity OF par -
| rels of Gill; flour and molasses that ms
building contained and by 12:45 the Penn
|
mass of flames.
The fire ate its way so rapidly that the
| iiremen narrowly escaped the failing ue-
bris. Flames filled Penn avenue completely
and shot into the air 200 feet or more, pre-
| senting a most magnificent sight
The splendid building OF Joseph Horne
g. Co, opposite, caught, ana the EfeiiieH
worked esperately to prevent It's loss
At / o'clock the Horne building was
burning from cellar to roof and the Games
| had communicated 10 iorne's immensa oil
flee building, adjoining. The structure was
of stone. 1t was occupied by w. r Grlcl
| G. co china dealers; Bon Marche glove
cop,nanv Stnnham's carpet house. anf
scores Of physicians Huck's cigar factor!
and Hall Bros building next fell victims
IN the fire fcnd and they were GuloklS
followed by the Duquesne theater' we
Methodist building and the Surprise elo'r'
ing store. The latter was an ihnense o.
story building, running BACK "ep'h W
200 feet. 80,
The glare Of the flames could be seer
for miles and the streets for blocks arouh'
were brilliantly illuminated. AS soon u,
the fire attacked these buildings. seVcrhi
streams of water were turned on them nu
the water had no more eHecl IMAM IL I" was
not eXtnguish1De. 10,
The flames from the burning oil In TN
jenkins building rolled out against then
and in Ave minutes the two peaultui iio'h
buildings were burning brlskly me lWe
men then left the jenkins building 10 !!
fate and used their united and desperate 81
| forts 10 save the Horne buildings. All IN
streams of water that could be summone'
we're turned on these buildings, but the!
were now one mass of the hre' me "l
department then turned their attention
the surrounding buildings. but the ragihi
flames rapidly ate thor way 10 an Slues'
AT 3 o'clock the FIRE was finally mas
tered. but was still burning with intens
fury within tho limits OF the blocks bound
ed by Fifth and Sixth streets, east and
wost. and Liberty and Penn avenues, mort
and south
The loss, 1T is now believed, will be great
lv in excess of the first estimate ana II
placed at SO 900 GOO
number of iremen were injured ol
falling walls and live wires, hut none q
, them are seriously hurt. Fireman Geors
, Acheson. who was one OF the three me
In Cecil allev when the jenkins wall fel
is missing and is supposed to be under IN
debris
The names OF the fremen hurt are: MIX
DAILY, Elmer Crocow. George Meekin. vii
liam Irwin. Robert McGregor All wer
taken to hospitals.
Individual losses so far as known, are:
Horne a. Co. dry goods and office build
ing, with stock, 81 10000; covered by IN
;, surance in "A hundred companies.
l. T. C. Jenkins, s900.0 900 on stock an
n 5000 900 on building.
The Duquesne theater. still burning; los
. will probably reach $4,000.
/ Mayors glove house, 5000, 900.
d w. p. Grier & Co.. SO 600.
Stanham's carpet house, the Methonls
book concern buildings. with tenants, prop
y ably 100000.
n Huoks cigar factory. $4,000
!, Speer mansion. $4,000. ara
Tenants OF Hornets office building soV
600 :,
Some losses were sustained by j.
= Chantler, Brown Paper company, Harmon
= creamery and Force g. Briggs Machlhe'
: Supply company. ,,
Il At No. 500 Penn avenue the Molns,
L Remedy company occupied two floors WI, WIN
c OF the lower floors we're Sweeney iniihn
c cry parlor, Jordan millinery estabiisninenr
= the Novitia Remedy company ana d. J.
Is II. Baskerville occupied SOC; DR.. sykes, ~
4. 7. II. Swift and Miss NJ. j. Conion' ulv
J. makers occupied 5Ot. Nine. Melva, M
,f lnery: NJ. T.. Hart. dressmakine. Men.
d Gels manicurng parlors, and NJ. p. EVAN
infants dress goods, occupied NO. ov