Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-07-09

FIVE Fireman Killed and Twelve Others
Injured-Loss Covered by Insur-
ance- business will be Interrupted
For Some Tfme-Many Regrets in
M0rgantoWn Over the Affair-Par .
ticuIars of the Catastrophe.
The Pittsburg papers of Sunday had
long account of the destruction of
T. @. Evans g. Cos china store in
Pittsburg on Saturday evening. One
account says:
Fire in the big china and bric-a-
brac store of T. G. Evans s. Co. at 255
Fifth avenue, yesterday afternoon
brought death to five fireman and
serious injury to nine others. 1t was
the most serious fire in regard to fatal
tiles that has occurred in Pittsburg
since the storage house fire on Pike
street early in 1898, when 10 were
killed and many injured. The fire of
yesterday was one of the most Stub
born on record, lasting from 3 o'clock
in the afternoon until 1890 O'Clock
this morning. For hours firemen bat
tied necessarily against it and were
just gaining the mastery of the situa-
ti0n when the heavily freighted Sec
ond floor which had been slowly eaten
away on the under side gave way.
Eleven flremen, attached to No. 4
Engine Company which is located on
Fifth avenue near the High School
and No. II Company which is on
South Ninth street, were precipitated
into the burning mass beneath. The
second floor giving way carried the
first down into the basement and the
third floor was pulled down on top
The accident occurred in the mid
die of the building, where the fire
ragged fiercest, and came at a time
when the f1remen were just gaining
antrol Noble examples of bravery
were shown by tiremen and detectives
in the work of rescue.
DISCOVERY OF THE FIRE.
At ESQ o'clock the first discovery
of the fire was made by people passing
on Fifth avenue. Smoke and heat
were found emanating from the mar
row basement windows underneath
the show windows of T. G. Evans &
Co.'S store. A hasty examination
proved the presence of FIRE in the base
ment, and an alarm was sounded
three minutes later from box 81 across
Fifth avenue at Masters.way. By the
time the downtown contingent OF the
Gre department arrived in quick re-
Spouse to the alarm the smoke was
rolling out lively in dense, choking
clouds o. amber. The occupants of
the Evans store by this time had hast
lily gathered their effects and left the
building, which began to fill up with
the suffocating smoke from the base
ment beneath. The store with its
stock OF fragile china and crockery
ware was left untenanted and to the
fate of the fire fend, which was
knawing away underneath.
The basement was filled with ma
terials OF highly inflammable nature
There much of the goods shipped in
were unpacked, and the accumulation
of excelsior and straw packing was
very extensive. There was in addi-
tion to this considerable stock that
had been standing there yet unpack-
ed.
DEADLY ALFALFA HAY.
The company used largely in pack
ing their fragile wares alfalfa hay
In the front part of the basement and
extending back quite distance were
six carloads of it. 1t required only a
spark to render this hay kindling to
the Ignition of the building. The
smoke produced by it is of a thick
yellowish character and suffocating in
the extreme.
As the smoke rolled out of the
building in dense clouds it was sent
scurrying by the winds for squares tt
the great annoyance and pain of hun
dreds in whose way it came. 1t irri.
tated the eyes aud flremen labored al
great inconvenience in not being able
to see or breathe during the time the
smoke rolled over them.
Stumblingly they would come out
OF it to gain relief and then hurry
back into it again.
When the first fireman reached the
scene an iron cellar way in the Fifth
avenue pavement was thrown open
As the iron doors were thrown back
clouds Of the yellow, choking smoke
rolled out, driving the firemen bach
to the curb. The store filed with
the smoke, and the windows looked
as If they had been given a coat o.
yellow ochre, so thickly were they
filed.
TWAS AN INsIDIoUs BLAZE.
1t seemed at first that a dash or sc
of water sent into the seething hole
below would smother the flames out
At great expense Of comfort severa
fremen started down the cellar way
with hose and sent the water into
the very center of the furnace. They
were baffied in their efforts, however
as return current of air and water
from the rear end would send the
smoke into their faces, and inch b,
inch they would be driven back anf