The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-05-03
Great Conflagration Rages in
Pittsburg.
BIGGEST FIRE SINCE Ie4s.
jenkins and Horne's BuiIdings, and
Other Fine structnres, Reduced 10
Ruins-Flames FIJI the street and
Leap Two Hundred Feet An Air
Fireman Caught By Falling Walls
-Connagraaion Under Control,
After = Might OF Hard Fighting.


FIRE that has visited this city since the
memorable one OF ls45 started shortly
after midnight In the immense wholesale
grocery establishment Of Thomas c. Jen-
kins. on Penn avenue and Liberty street.
and at z.3o o'clock was sfill burning
fiercely.
Three large blocks. extending from LIB
erty street 10 Penn avenue and from Fifth
TO Sixth streets. have been reduced TO
smoldering ruins. and while the FIRE Is now
believed 10 have spent its fury. IL Is not
yet under control. The loss will exceed
GooJ,oo9. and is well covered by insurance.
Among the buildings destroyed are Jen-
kins wholesale grocery establishment,
Horne's sax-story dry goods establish
men;, Horne's Office building. the Duquesne
theater and the Methodist book concern.
The fire starred in the cellar of the Jen-
kins building in a pile OF barrels filled
with waste paper. The flames were dis
covered by the watchman. William Hun
ter. He had smelled smoke early In the
evening, but believed that il came from
the outside and paid no attention TO It,
The flames leaped rapidly up the elevator
shaft, and he made a vain effort TO extin-
guish the flames with buckets of water.
An air shaft used TO ventilate the great
building famed the flames. and he found
II impossible TO do anything. He made his
escape from the building with great diff
Guilty 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 window.
The fire made rapid headway, and by
12:3o O'Clock the flames began 10 pour out
of the Pennsylvania avenue front. All
the departments of the city and Allegheny
were summoned. and the firemen fought
bravely to check the progress of the con-
fiagration. The fire. however. attacked
the immense quantities of barreled oil. su-
gar, molasses and -four that this building
contained and by 12:45 o'clock the Penn
sylyania avenue and Liberty street fronts
were one mass OF flames
The fre ate its way SO rapidly that the
fremen narrowly escaped the falling
debris.
Flames filled Pennsylvania avenue COM
pIetely and shot into the air 200 feet or
more. presenting one of the most magnifi-
cent sights seen for years. The buildings
OF Joseph Horne & Co.. opposite. caught
and the firemen worked desperately 10
prevent Its loss
At / O'Clock the Horne building was
burning clear to the 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. the Bon Marche Glove Company.
Snaman's carpet house, and scores of
physicians.
Huck's cigar factory and Hall Bros
building next fell. and they were quick
~ followed by the Duauesne theater the
Methodist Book Concern and the Sur
prise clothing store. The latter was an
immense five story building running back
200 feet
As soon as the fire attacked these build
ings several streams of water were turn
ed on them. but the water had no more
effect than IL Ii was not an extinguisher.
The flames from the burning oil in the
Jenkins building rolled out against them
and in FIVE minutes the two beautiful
Horne buildings were burning briskly.
The iremen then left the Jenkins build
ing TO its fate. and used their united and
desperate efforts to save the Horne build
ings. All the streams that could be sum-
moned 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 master
ed. but IL was still burning with intense
fury within the blocks bounded by Fifth
and Sixth streets east and west. and
Liberty and Pennsylvania avenues north
and south. The loss. 1t is now believed,
win be greatly In excess of the first es-
Inmates, and is placed at 100000. A num-
ber OF tiremen were injured by falling
walls and live wires. but none Of them
seriously.
Fireman George Acheson. who was one
of three men in Cecil alley when the Jen-
kins wall fell. Is missing, and is supposed
10 be under the debris
The names of the firemen hurt are:
Mike DAILY. Elmer Crocow, George Meek
in. William Erwin and Robert Badger. All
were taken to hospitals.
The individual losses as far as can be
obtained at this hour are as follows:
Horne & Co, dry goods and office
building with stock. si.61oo0 covered by
insurance in 100 insurance companies.
T.. c. Jenkins. s9eo.eoe on stock and $780,
csa on building.
The Duquesne theater is still burning.
and the loss VIII probably reach $1,000
Mayors glove store. 5000
w. p. Grier & Co. $4,000.
snaman's carpet house. the Methodist
Book Concern building. with tenants.
probably $4,000.
Huck's cigar factory. 5000.
Speer mansion. s50.p00
Tenants of the Horne Office building,
Sscoeo
Small losses were sustained by j. D.
Chantler. Beeson Paper Company. Har-
rnony Creamery and Force q Grfggs' Ma
chinery Supply Company.
In No. so Penn avenue. the Mollinger
Remedy Company occupied two floors
while on the lower floor was Sweeny'S
millinery parlors. Jordan's millinery es-
tahllshment the Novita Remedy Com
pany and Or. T. F. Baskerwitch occu-
pied No. 5a9; DR.. Sykes. Or. Swift and
Mia conlon. dressmaker. occupied No.
sn4: Nine. Nelma, millinery: NJ r Hart.
dressmaking; Nsiu & Gels, manicure par
iors. and Mr.. Z. Evans. infants dress
goods. occupied No. ss. which adjotned
the jenkins block on Penn avenue.