Semi-weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings Co., S.D.) 1894-1898, 1897-05-05
PITTSBURG'S BIG FIRE
That City Visited by the Most
Destructive Blaze in Over
Half a Century.
Several Blocks of Business
Houses Burned at Loss
of 100000.
One Fireman Killed by Fall
ing Walls and a Num-
Der Injured.


that has visited this city since the
memorable one Of 1916 started shortly
after midnight in the immense whole
sale grocery establishment of Thomas
9. Jenkins on Penn avenue and Liberty
street and in three hours three large
blocks extending from Liberty street
to Penn avenue and from Fifth to Sixth
street were reduced to smouldering
ruins The loss is $3, 900, 900 and is we'll
covered by insurance. Among the
buildings destroyed are Jenkins whole.
sale grocery establishment, Horne's
6-story dry goods establishment,
Horne's office building, the Duquesne
theater and the Methodist Book Con.
Germ.
The fire started in the cellar Of the
Jenkins building in pile of barrels
filed with waste paper. The flames
leaped rapidly up the elevator shaft,
famed by an air draft used to venti-
late the great building.
Made Rapid Headway.
The fire made rapid headway after 1T
had started, and by IL 80 o'clock flames
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 confagration. The
fire, however, attacked the immense
quantity of barreled oil, sugar and mo-
lasses and -four that this building con-
tanned, and by IL :45 O'Clock the Penn
avenue and Liberty avenue fronts were
one mass of flames. Flames filled Penn
avenue completely and shot into the
air 200 feet or more, prese nting one OF
the most magnificent sights seen for
years. The splendid buildings of Jo-
seph Horne 81 Co., opposite, caught, and
the firemen worked desperately to pre-
vent it's loss. At o'clock the Horne
building was burning from cellar to
roof, and the flames had communicat-
ed to
Horne's Immense Ofiice Building
adjoining. The structure was of stone
and six stories in height. 1t was oc.
cupied by w. p. Grier g. 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 victims
to the fire and they were quickly fol-
lowed by the Duquesne theater, Meth
odist Book Concern building and the
Surprise clothing store. The latter
was an immense 5.story building rum
ming back depth of 200 feet.
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
burning oil in the Jenkins building
rolled out against them and in five
minutes the two beautiful Horne
buildings
Were Burning Briskly.
The fremen then left the Jenkins
building to its fate and used their unit
ed 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
departments then turned their atten.
tion to the surrounding buildings, but
the raging flames rapidly ate their way
on all sides.
At 3 O'Clock the fire was finally mas
tered, but was still burning with in.
tense fury within the limits OF the
blocks bounded by Fifth and Sixth
streets east and west and Liberty and
Penn avenues north and south.
A number of firemen 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 Jenkins
wall fell, is missing and is supposed to