The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-05-03
FIREMEN FIGHT THE
FURIOUS FLAMES,
But Their Utmost Efforts Avail Very
Little.
The Worst Fire That Has Visited
Pittsburg in Fifty Years.
Flames From the Burning Buildings
Shot for Two Hundred Feet Into
the Air, Taking HOSt Magnifi-
cent Spectacle, But Carrying Up
With Them Three rliIlion Dollars
Worth of Property.

WI LII VI
PITTSBURG, May 3.-The greatest
memorable one of 1915 started shortly
after midnight in the immense whole
sale grocery establishment of Thomas
c. jenkins on Penn avenue and Lib
erty street, and at 2:30 o'clock was
still burning fiercely. Three large
blocks, extending from Liberty to Penn
avenue, and from Fifth to Sixth streets,
have been reduced to smoldering ru-
ms, and while the fire is now believed
to have spent it's fury it is not yet I'M
der control. The loss will exceed S.
000,0 600 and is we'll covered by insur-
ance. Among the buildings destroyed
are Jenkins wholesale grocery estab
lishment, Horne's six-story dry goods
establishment, Horne's office building,
the Duquesne Theater and the Meth
odist Book Concern
The fire started in the cellar of the
Jenkins building in a pile of barrels
filled with waste paper. The flames
were discovered by Waterman Will
lam 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 rap
idly up the elevator shaft and he made
a vain effort to extinguish the flames
with buckets of water, An air shaft
used to ventilate the great building
famed the flames, and he found it i'm
possible to do anything. He made his
escape from the building with great
difficulty because of the immense vol
ume of smoke. The alarm was turned
in about the same time by Officer Mil
ton Bailey. who noticed smoke issuing
through the window.
The fire made rapid Roadway, and
by 1870 O'Clock began to pour out of
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
confiagration. The fire, however, at
tackled the immense quantity on bar
relied oil, sugar, molasses and -four that
this building contained, and by l2:4o
o'clock the Penn avenue and Liberty
street fronts were one mass of flames.
The fire ate its way SO rapidly that
the firemen narrowly escaped falling
debris flames filled Penn av-
enue completely and shot into the air
200 feet or more, presenting one of the
most magnificent sights seen for years.
The splendid buildings of Joseph Horne
& Co., opposite, caught fire, and the
firemen worked desperately to prevent
its loss.
At 1 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
hight 1t was occupied by w. P. Grier
& Co., china dealers: Bon Marche Glove
Company, Snaman's carpet house and
scores of physicians.
Hucks cigar factory and Hall broth
ers' building next fell, and they were
quickly followed by the Duquesne The
alter, Methodist Book Concern and the
Surprise clothing store. The latter was
an immense five-story building, run
ming back 200 feet.
The fire was the most magnificent
sight seen in Pittsburg for years When
the jenkins and Horne buildings had
become enveloped in the conflagration
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
extinguisher The flames from the burn
Ii, hill 1nI
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 unit
ed and desperate efforts to save the
Horne buildings. All the streams that
could be summoned We're turned on
these buildings, but they We're now one
mass of fire. The fire department then
turned their attention to the surround
ing 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 fu-
nv within the blocks bounded by Fifth
and Sixth streets east and west and
Liberty and Penn avenue north and
south. The loss it is now believed will
be greatly in excess of the first esti-
mates and is placed at S3,000,0O0
A number of firemen We're injured by
falling walls and live wires, but none
of them seriously. Fireman George
Acheson who was one OF three men
in Cecil Alley, where the Jenkins wall
fell, is missing, and is supposed to be
under the debris. The names of the
fremen hurt are: Mike Daily, Elmer
Crocow. George Meekin, William Err
win and Robert Badger. All were TAX
en- to hospitals.
The individual losses as far as can
be ascertained at this hour are as fol-
lows: Horne & Co., dry goods and of
flee building. with stock 81 600. 900.
covered by insurance in a hundred in
surance companies: T. c. Jenkins.
$500. 600 in stock and $4,000 on build
ing.
The Duquesne Theater is still burn
ing and the loss will probably reach
$50 600; Mayors glove store So. 900: w.
P. Grier & Co, 100000 Snaman's car
pet house, the Methodist Book Con-
Germ building with tenants probably
$50, 700; Huck's cigar factory s.. 900:
Speer mansion $4,000; tenants of the
g.