The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-12-20

TERRE HAUTE. Ind. Dec. 1s.-The
worst FIRE in the history Of Terre Hahte
took place tonight, causing loss Of
nearly 100000. The blaze started in
the big show windows OF the HavenQ &
Geddes Company. wholesale and retail
dealers in dry goods and notions. The
cause is not definitely known, but 1t is
supposed that a live electric wire set
fire to the cotton with which the wine
dow was decorated ana before the blaze
could be extlnguished the fire spread to
the decorations OF evergreens in the
the store and the building was wrap
ped in flames In an Incredibly short
space OF time.
The following firms are the losers:
HaVens & Geddes, 100000; Brelnlg q
Miller, furniture. $4,000: Pixley g. Co.,
1000; Terre Haute Shoe Company,
wholesale, $l50,OOO; Albreeh & Co., re-
tall dry goods, $76O,000; United states
Banking Company, $4,000; Thorn1an g.
Schloss, clothiers, $4,000.
A number OF small concerns were ut
terlV .annlhiIated In the fall OF the rear
wall OF the HaVens & Geddes whole-i
sale house and the loss in their case Will
more than bring the total loss up to.
the $2,OO0,OO0 mark
The fire started at $3.50 when half
the employees OF the establishment were
at their homes for supper. There Is q
force OF 300 or more In the retail de.
paytment OF the establishment and had
the entire force been present the loss Of
life would have been frightful.
AS 1t is, Kate Maloney. clerk IN the
notion department, Is lying at the
point OF death. She sprang from win
dow In the second story and sustained
injuries from which she Will probably
die. Miss Lucia Ferguson, clerk In
the same department, jumped Just be-
fore Miss Maloney, but was caught by
some men who were watching for her.
She Is internally injured, but viii re-
cover. Louis Kramer, the trimmer, who
was in the show window when the fire
started, Is frightfully burned about the
head and arms. When rescued from the
burning building he was insane from
the pain and begged to be killed. Fire
men Austerloo. Walsh and Shay were
badly injured in the falling Of the floor
IN the Albrecht building and are now In
the city hospital. The fire department
worked admirably and there were many
narrow escapes among the men. Sever
al Of the firemen are in a precarlous
condition from burns and the effects OF
the sitting smoke. but.it Is thought to-
night that all will recover.
At II o'clock tonight, the fire was
still burning fiercely in the rear Of the
United States Baking Company, but the
fremen had the FIRE under control.
A heroic act on the part Of a man
named Peters. a travelling salesman
from Chicago, for the Baldwin music
house, called forth cheers from the
crowd watching the flames. When tho
fire first started Peters was standing in
the crowd and saw the MaloneR and
Ferguson girls appear at the second
story windows. The girls were panic
stricken and were in momeutary dan
ger OF going down with the floors. Pet-
ers sprang through the door with his
coat over his head and dashlng through
flame and smoke reached the window at
which the girls appeared and after talk
Ing with them swung out from the
ledge and dropped. His example was
followed by the two girls.