Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-12-05

on a dozen windows was afire in mo-
ment, and from that time on, several
streams were played on this building,
to save it from destruction.
When the Warren street wall OF the
Rogers, Peet & Company building fell
at 1890 o'clock, dozen flremen were
directly beneath. Several of the men
were struck by bricks, but none was
more than slightly injured. Acting
Chief Perle fell, but
WAS DRAGGED TO SAFETY
by some of his men.
Just before II o'clock the Home Life
Insurance Company's building, sixteen
stories high, at Nos. 255 and 257 Broad
way, caught fire. The fremen already
had their lines in the building up to
the seventh floor They were greatly
handicapped by the many stories.
Flames had eaten their way through
the side wall in many places and the
huge white structure burned fiercely
The elevators made trips up and down
until the men running the cages were
compelled to fee for their lives, and
in this way many of the effects OF the
offices were saved The three top floors
Were on fire almost simultaneously
from the beginning The smoke was
dense. Flames shot high above the
roof and over the massive brown stone
Postal building, on the corner below.
All the operators of the Postal build
ing, eerybody at work in the structure,
had been ordered out of the building
long before.
DESPERATE EFFORTS
were being made to save it. The in
terror of the Home Life Insurance Com
pany building was by this time fur
mace. From the windows of the six or
eight upper stories the flames were
pouring in masses. In the rear nine
stories were afire and the fire depart
ment. SO far as this portion OF the
building was concerned was absolutely
powerless.
At 11:15 o'clock the Postal building
of fourteen stories caught fire. Chief
Bonner. who had charge of the fire.
took the elevator and went to the roof
to give personal directions. At this
time there was a few operators VINO
had ignored the orders of the fire chief,
two or three clerks and few boys at
work in the building in the sitting
smoke and messages were sent until The
flames came and all were forced to
rush for their lives. The unsent mes
sages were
LEFT AT THE TELEGRAPH KEYS
Chief Bonner had under his direction
all the engines stationed in fire houses
below Twenty-third street. In addl-
ton five hook and ladder companies,
including water towers, were at the
scene. Most of the men worked in the
lower parts of the building or to save
adjoining buildings. Only a few gangs
were with the fire chief on the top of
the Postal building. Tney TougnI with
all their strength to keep the flames
back. But Notwithstanding all their
efforts, at / o'clock this (Monday)
morning three floors of this building
had been partially destroyed. The fire
was then working it's way downwards.
Chief Bonner thought, however, that
he had it under control. He did not
expect it to get much below this.
The Home Life Insurance building
was occupied by that company and by
a large number of prominent men of
various lines of business.
Every effort was made to save the
valuable papers stored in some of the
Offices, but many of them were lost.
The offices of the Rapid Transit Com
mission were on the ninth floor of this
building, and it is believed that all the
plans and schemes of work with which
the commission have been working this
many years
HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.
In the Postal building, as we'll, there
were many serious losses Of a private
nature, and when the flames reached
the operating room of this structure,
which they did within three hours of
the outbreak. the one or two solitary
operators who remained at their posts
were compelled to flee for their lives,
leaving unSent messages at the KEYS.
The fire burned even more fiercely
in the Home Life building, owing to
the great height of this structure, and
In an incredibly short time, the upper
portion of this magnificent building
was in flames. The water towers in
the street were able to throw their
heavy streams only into the lower part
of the structure, and the fremen,
though they worked with great brav-
cry and untiring energy, in the blind
ing smoke and heat, could do little in
the face of such fierce sweep of flame
and gale. 1t was only a question of
time when the Postal building, so far
as the upper stories were concerned,
WENT THE WAY OF THE OTHERS.
The estimate of the losses by Chief
Bonner soon after midnight was q
million dollars, with a probability of