The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-11-06
WORK OF A TRAMP
Probably Was the $1,000 Fire
Which Partially Destroyed
THE WILSON LUMBER YARDS
On North Main Street, Between II
O'Clock Last Night and / O'Clock
This Morning - An Exceedingly
Warm Fire, Which Required All
The Resources Of the Fire Depart
ment to Hold within Limits.


Last night at Ii o'clock an alarm of
FIRE was rung in from three boxes In
North wheeling, all located within a
square of the extensive lumber yards of
w. A. Wilson & Son, located on the
west side of Main street, between
Fourth and Fifth streets Late home
goers who rang in the alarm from
these boxes saw simultaneously a
bright glare suddenly flashing up into
the bank of darkness at the southeast
corner Of the yards, on the street front.
With remarkable rapldity the fire ex-
tended to the entire front division OF
the yard, running about 200 feet north
ward. Along this entire front is a long
shed in which the firm stored shingles.
hath, plaued and prepared lumber the
most valuable portion of It's tremendous
stock, and of course the flames fed upon
the stuff with the utmost avldIty.
The Are department, owing to the
long run for most of the apparatus, was
slow in reaching the scene, and when
the vlgiiant boys got their frst stream
at work the entire front was mass of
fire, the flames rolling hundred feet or
more skyward.
AT first the fire laddies fought the
fire from the street, and for time d.
rected their efforts to preventing the
blaze from crossing the street and
communicating itself to the Wilson
planning mill and other houses, which
fora time 1t threatened to do. Soon.
however, the danger from that score
was over, and then as stream after
stream was brough; into action by
Chief ClInes men the fire was attacked
from every available point Of vantage.
Two or three streams worked from the
street: two others were introduced via
the entrance to the yard at the lower
end, and went at the fire from its rear,
at the same time paying some attention
to the piles OF heavier lumber, most of 1t
undressed, which were piled, row after
row, clear to the river front, and other
streams were sent into the vacant lot in
front of the Riverside Pottery Com
panys plant, and thus made the second
attack in the rear.
For two hours the firemen kept plug
ging away, pouring thousands Of gal
Ions of water upon the flames, but, as is
always the case. lumber yard fire is
difficult to handle, and 1t was owing
only to the fact that the wind was
blowing In favorable direction,
straight down Main street, that the
blaze did not sweep the entire lumber
yard, with its 100000 feet of lumber
valued at $4,000, out of existence. Had
the breeze, which was blowing pretty
strong, been toward the river ut would
have been all of, as one of the firemen
remarked.
As 1t was, the entire contents of the
front sheds were destroyed, and when
Mr.. w. A Wilson. the senior member Of
the firm. was seen by an InteIlIgencer
representative at midnight, he said
that the loss would reach between $4,000
and $1,000, possibly more. as he said he
could not make a careful estimate at
that time. In the sheds burned were
one lot of 100000 red cedar shingles,
100000 lath, another lot of 10000 shin
giles and between 100000 and 100000
feet of ceilings. fioorings and partitions,
oil finished goods.
Mr.. Alfred PAUL, who went through
the yard with Mr.. Wilson and the In
.telllgencer man during the height Of
the fire. to Investigate closely as to any
inclplent blazes the fireman had posi-
bly, overlooked, said that the entire In
surance on the yard was carried in his
dgency. amounting to 5000 and dtstrib-
uted among the following companies: