The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-05-07
PIER DESTROYED
By an Early Morning Fire-Ioss VIII
Amount to One Million Dollars,
Filled with Valuable Freight-one
Life Was Lost.


Amount to One Million Dollars.
Filled With Valuable Freight-one
Life Was Lost.
NEW YORK, May GA fire that
started at the river end of the Mallory
line steamship pier at the foot of Maid
en- Lane and the East river, early this
morning, completely destroyed the pier
and It's valuable conteNts. The police
place the loss at S1,OOO.OOO. Several
barges which were moored near the
river were also destroyed and many
rescues Of their captains and OF the
members Of the families on board were
made. Only one life was lost. The
nine-months' -old daughter OF Captain
Charles Loeb, Of the barge Sherwood,
was drowned.
The Mallory line pier was two hum
dred feet long and fifty feet wide. The
pier shed was filed with valuable
freight Of n miscellaneous character,
but mostly cotton. On the north side of
the pier were moored number Of coal
and cotton barges, while on the south
side was the steamer San Marcos and a
number of barges.
No sooner had the work Of fighting
the flames begun than the firemen and
citizens turned their attention to saving
the lives on the barges which were ly-
ing within the line of danger. Nearest
to the pier was the barge Stephen B.
Elkins her captain, Frank Fox and his
wife, his ee-months' -old daughter
were on board sleeping A skid was
quickly run from the pier to the coal
barge, the occupants Of the boat were
awakened and were hurried from their
hunks to place OF safety before the
flames had reached them.
Awakened by the Flames.
On board the barge Sherwood were
Charles Loeb, the captain. thlrty-six
years old; his wife, Lena, thirty years
old, and their daughter, Rosie, nine
months old The Loch family was
awakened by the flames. Their barge
was already on fire at the time they
were aroused from sleep. The father
took the nine-months-Old baby in his
arms and with his wife, Jumped into the
water. Captain Timothy Boylan, for
merly In command Of the barge New
Brunswick, whose home is at Rendout,
N. Y, plunged In to save the woman,
who had become exhausted. Her hus-
band, who still held the baby in his
arms, saw that his wife was on the
point OF going down. 1t became n
question as to which he should save,
his wife or babe He therefore let the
baby go in the hope that she would be
picked up by some one else, and went
to the assistance OF his wife. He man
aged to hold her head above water un-
til Boylan reached them. All three
were landed by life lines. The half
drowned captain and his wife were re-
moved to the Hudson street hospital,
where later they recovered,
on the coal barge S. H. Hand, which
lay alongside the other burning barges,
were Captain Joseph Plumb, his wife
and two children. All were rescued by
the police, but PatTolmRn Jeremiah
CronIn was badly burned while taking
one Of the children ashore, All hands
on board the lighter Arno got ashore
safely. Michael Sheldon, OF that boat,
was compelled to jump into the river
from which he was rescued.
Three large vessels were lying so
near the blazing pier that their safety
was endangered. The steamer San
Marcos and the steamer Nouces, which
was towed out into mldstream and the
bark st. James. the rigging Of which
was burned before she could be towed
out OF hnrm way.
Scene IN Exciting One.
The scene on the water was an excit-
ing one, for the river was filed with
river craft engaged in towing the var
Gus vessels and barges TO safety from
their dangerous positions -Four coal
barges, others loaded with cornmeal
and some loaded with coal caught fire
and were destroyed. Some OF them
were also sunk to prevent the further
spread Of the flames.
A number OF buildings on South
street were scorched and several were
emptied OF their tenants, who feared
that the buildings would be burned.
Henry Mallory said regarding the
fire:
II have no idea how the fire started.
and can form no definite idea OF the
loss. The entire pier is destroyed to-
gether with the offices and other build
ings on the bulkheod. My brother
Charles sailed for Europe on the Teu-
tonic ten days ago, and he viii remain
abroad two months. Notwithstanding
this catastrophe. cannot tell what
our immediate plans will be, nor when
we shall begin to rebuild, Our books
and our docks were destroyed and /
cannot say anything about the insur-
auce nt present. The only positive In
formation that can give at present is
that fortunately at the time OF the fire
there was not the usual amount OF
freight on the pier. MS the Comal sailed
Mt o'clock on Saturday afternoon, and
cleared mp most OF the overflow. pos
itlvcly cannot fix the origin Of the fire,
give the amount OF damage or HpproXi-
mate the amount of the insurance"