The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-05-06
large BUSINESS HOUSES N RUINS
ATWO MILLION DOLLAR FIRE.
Several Large Establishments in Pit,sburg
Destroyed

The most disastrous fire that has visited
Fittsbure since the great fire OF ls45 except
ing during the riots OF 1877, destroyed mil
lions OF dollars worth OF merchandise and
property Monday morning. couple Of
minutes before midnight burst OF flame
lenping from the roof Of the huge warehouse
Of 4. G. jenkins, at Penn and Liberty ave-
nues and Cecil alley, gave the advance warn
Ing OF what was TO be night OF destruction
hy the lire demon.
IL was battle with fire, such rs has not
been seen in Pittsburg for many wears. A
whole block was Rblaze at one time, and on
the four sides of 1t there were fights with the
flames that had been ignited in other
squares. The great establishments OF I. c.
jenkins. the wholesale grocer. and Joseph
Horne 4 Co., the dry goods trm were al
most completely wiped out. together with a
number OF smaller establishments and many
dwelling houses. Ono entire block and u
portion OF another were completely in ashes.
The total loss is estimated at 8, 500, 900.
The buildings completely destroyed were
those OF T. {. jenkins. Joseph Horne Il Co.,
the Horne office building. J. Hauch's build
ing on Liberty street the building Of J. J.
Hall, on Liberty street, the J. W. Scott Il
Co. structure and the dwellings at 502, t04
and SOC Penn avenue. The buildings of the
Surprise Clothing Company, the Methodist
Book Concern, the Duquesne thcater. Scobe
& Parker and J.. ii. Noight were badly dam
aged
The FIRE started in the cellar OF the Jen-
kins building about midnight The flames
were discovered leaping up the elevator
shaft, which is located near the eastern side
Of the store, by Night Watchman William
Hunter who was making his rounds on the
third floor. He had smelled smoke in the
cellar in the vicinity OF grea; pile OF bar
teis ill!ed with waste paper, and the sweep
inHs from the store He searched for flames,
but had been unable to discover any.
When be reached the third story 80 min
ntcs later the flames were running madly up
the oiled side 81 the shaft, and immense col
umns of smoke were pouring into the store.
The elevator shaft is separated on each floor
from the store proper 10y tight ,lreproof
floors, and the Waterman imagined those
would conilne the lrc to the elevator shaft.
He rushed for the fire cxtingusher. bu, mn
mir draft, which runs through the side OF the
building. 10 yentilate the different depart
ments, famed the flames, and he soon found
he was unable to cope with the conilagra-
tion. He escaped from the building with
the creates; difficulty. us the store rapidly
tlled with smoke, and almost suflocaicd
him.
About the same time Onlcer Milton Bailey.
the patrolman on the beat, discovered smoke
issuing from the windows on the Liberty av-
enue side. lie hastily turned in un alarm
apd rushed to the rescue OF Waterman Hun
ter, whom he supposed was lost The Fire
Department quickly responded. and when
Chief Humphreys discovered the nature OF
the blaze he sent in additional alarms for the
other districts.
The jenkins building is great seven
story affair running from Penn avenue
through to Liberty avenue, and from Cecil
alley almost TO Fifth street, several three
story residences being to the east. 1t was
erected in 1887, and was OF brick Of heavy,
slOw-com bustlon construction. 1t was filed
from cellar TO roof with great quantities OF
oil in barrels, sugar, IN molasses, -four coffee
and groceries OF all kinds.
George Atkinson, of No. 10 engine COM
pany who was killed by falling walls, would
probably be alive ut the present moment
had 1t not been for the cable pit in the car
barn OF the Penn-ave line on Cecil alley
With fother members OF his company, he
entered from the Penn-ave end OF the barn
10 fight the names better in the\, alley when
tho firemen heard the crdcking of tie alley
wall OF the T. C.. jenkins building. They
knew 1t was coming down, and all OF them
started to get out from under the shed. At
kinson was the last Of the purity. and blinded
by the smoke and dust from the flying debris.
stumbled into the cable pit. An instant later
the wall came down and he was crushed
beneath tons OF brick and stone. The Others
escaped with few minor injuries.
The latest estimate ofthe principal losses