Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-01-11


AT half past twelve o'clock this
morning an alarm was sounded from
box No. % for as nasty little fire as
has occurred in the city for long
time past
The blaze was on the second floor of
the building Nos. 1853 and 1155 Market
street, owned by Martin Thornton, and
occupied ON the first floor by Robert
Kyle's plumbing establishment, and on
the second and third floor by Mrs.
Reed, who keeps boarding house,
which was well filled with dodgers last
night, except the front room on the
third floor, which appeared to be va
cant for the night, as the bed had not
been slept in.
The fire originated in the rear por-
ton of the second floor, from a range
apparently heated by natural gas.
The people in the house were mostly
asleep when the fire started, and it had
apparently been smouldering for some
time before the fact that the building
was on fire was known. Passers-by on
the street discovered the fire about as
soon as the inmates of the building,
and there was lively scurrying on the
part of the latter. all getting out in
safety before the arrival of the firemen,
the ladies taking refuge in Bayhas res
idence, few doors below. Box No. %
was pulled, and when the first firemen-
the chemical boys-appeared on the
scene, the building was filled with
smoke to the roof, and there was
merry blaze in the second floor, which
had burned through, sending showers
of sparks and embers down into the
plumbing establishment The firemen
had no means of knowing whether all
the inmates of the boarding house had
escaped or not. and member of the
chemical and a Register reporter led a
forlorn hope up stairs, dragging the
line of chemical hose and a lantern
with them. On the second floor the
smoke was thick enough to make snow
balls with, and the lantern was knock
ed over and eXtinguished. The two
men threw themselves on the floor,
however, and wiggled along under the
smoke from room to room, until as
sured there was nobody there. They
then made their way to the third floor,
where every room was examined and
windows were opened to allow the
smoke to escape.
In the meantime the entire depart
ment had arrived. and the firemen at
tackled the blaze vigorously from be-
low, using nothing out chemical
streams, however. and in fifteen min
utes the blaze was out, after hole ten
feet by five or six had been burned
through the floor. There was little
damage by water, as a result, most of
that occurring resulting from a water
pipe which was broken during the ex-
element.
Mr.. Thornton. the owner of the pro-
perty, arrived just before the fire was
out, and was eloquent in his praise of
the firemen for the good work perform
ed. Chief Cline was personally in
charge of the operations. Several lines
of hose were laid, as a precaution, but
no water was thrown through them, as
the chemicals held the blaze down from
the start
BY one o'clock several of the male
boarders were back in the house fixing
up their bed rooms for occupancy for
the remainder of the night, and by to-
day there will be little evidence of the
fire, aside from the wrecked section of
the second floor. The loss will come
inside of two hundred dollars, but it
was a narrow escape from bad blaze.
The police were on hand in large
numbers.