The herald., 1897-05-03
eLAMEs FROM WASTE PAPER
srRuAp TO PITTsBuRUs BEST
BUILDINGS
Three Blocks Make More smoke-The
Total Loss Incurred Exceed
Il Ing Two Million Dollars
Associated Press Special wire.

sale grocery establishment of Thomas
3. Jenkins on Penn avenue and Liberty
street, and at $3.50 o'clock was still burn
Ing fiercely. Three large blocks, extend
ing from Liberty to Penn avenue and
from Fifth to Sixth streets, have been
reduced to smouldering ruins and while
the fire is now believed to have spent Its
fury 1t is not yet under control. The loss
will exceed 81, ,000. 900, ard Is we'll covered
by insurance. Among the buildings de-
stroyed are Jenkins wholesale grocery
establishment, Horne's six-story dry
goods establishment, Horne's office
building. the Duquesne theater and the
Methodist book concern.
The fire started in the cellar OF the
Jenkins building in q pile of barrels nliec
with waste paper. The flames were dis
covered by Watchman William Hunter.
He had smelled smoke early In the even
ing, but believed that 1t came from the
outside and paid no attention. to 1t. The
flames leaped rapidly up the elevator
shaf., and he made vain effort to ex-
tinruish the flames with buckets Of wa
keT. An dlE SudAk ubCu W vSAAssAt~~S Ss~~
great building famed the flames. and he
found 1t impossible to do anything. He
made his escape from the building with
great difficulty, because OF the immense
volume Of smoke. The alarm was turn
ed in about the same time by Officer Mil
ton Bailey. who noticed smoke issuing
through the window.
The fire made rapid headway, and ny
1880 flames began to pour out OF the
Penn avenue front. All the fire depart
ment Of the city and Allegheny were
summoned and the firemen fought
lbravely to check the progress of the con-
Migration. The fire, however. attacked
the immens. quantity of barreled oil,
sugar. molasses and flour that this
building contained and by 12:45 o'clock
the Penn avenue and Liberty street
fronts were one mass of flames. The fire
ate its way 80 rapidly that the firemen
narrowly escaped falling debris Flames
filled Penn avenue completely and shot
for years The buildings Of Joseph
Horne & Co. opposite caught and the
.1iremen worked desperately to prevent
its loss.
At / 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. It was occupied by w. P. Grie-
e. Co., china dealers; Bon Marche Glove
company. Snaman's carpet house and
;scores of physicians
Huck's cigar factory and Hall Broth
iers building next fell and they were
<o11 hut J,a D,vr a hoo
ter, 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 for years. When
the Jenkins and Horne buildings had be-
come enveloped in the conflagration,
Penn avenua 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
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 II it was not an exiting |
lishes. The flames from the burning oil |
In the Jenkins building rolled out against /
them and, In five minutes the two beauti-
eul Horne buildings were BURNING
briskly.
The firemen then left the Jenkins
building to it's fate and used their united |
and desperate efforts to save the Horne
buildings. All the streams that could be
summoned were turned on these build
lnge but they were now one mass Of fire.
Ehe fire department then turned their
attention to the surrounding buildings
but the raging flames rapidly ate their
way to all sides. At o'clock the fire was
inally mastered but was still burning
With intense fury within the blocks
bounded by Fifth and Sixth streets east
md west and Liberty and Penn avenue
forth and south. The loss, It is now be-
leved. will be greatly in excess Of the
lrst estimates. and is placed, at So, 900. 900.
a number OF nremen were injured by
eHlng walls and live wires but none of
nem seriously. Fireman George Ache
On, VINO was one OF the three men In
'ecii alley when the Jenkins wall fell.
missing and is supposed to be under
ne DEBRIS The names of the firemen
lurt are Mike DAILY, Elmer Crocow.
george Meekin. William Erwin and Rob-
rt Badger. All were taken to hospitals
the individual losses, as far as can he
ptained at this hour, are ae follows:
Horne & Co., dry goods and Office
uilding with stock 81, ,eoO, 900; covered +
y insurance In a hundred insurance
ompanies; T. c. Jenkins, $Soo,O0o on
fock and 5000, 900 on building. ]
The Duquesne theater is still burn,nr
nd the loss will probably reach $50 ood: l
layers glove store, $4,000; w. p. Grier a
o., $4,000; Snaman'e carpet house; the
[ethodist Book Concern building with
ontents, probably $4,000; Huck's cigar !
actory, $4,000; Speer mansion, $1,000: ten !,
nts Of the Horne Office building, $4,000:
nall losses were sustained by J. d. r
hantler, Beeson Paper company, Har-
lony creamery, and Force & Kriegs !
.achinery Supply company.
n NO. 500 Penn avenue. the Mollineer
emedy company occupied two floors.
NE on the lower floor was sweeny,s
y parlors. Jordan's millinery 4
!sar rnshment, the Novita Remedy com
my and Dr. T. +. Bas1serwitch occu. :
- NO 6oe; DR.. Sykes. Dr. Swift ana Z !