Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1904-01-18
$300,00O FIRE
IN WHEELING
The Most Disastrous Conf1asration in
WheeIins's History Broke Out at
l0:45 Last Night.

chez King the NameS' "nllc TUG
hose lines were laid water had not
vet been turned init being several
minutes before there was a stream
OF water playing on the FIRE
When the water was hnallN
turned % it seemed inadequate. The
plug pressure barely reaching the
FIRST q ,or and then with little
power. This, however, was soon
remedied by Superintendent NC
Kinney, of the wa'er works, or
deriug the high pressure turned into
the pipes. When this was done the
effect was Immediately apparent.
The twenty odd streams, how
ever, had no effect and within
twenty minutes after the alarm
had been sounded the entire
interior of the building Was
a raging furnace Of flames bursting
out o. the windows, licking the
wooden shu tiers that projected the
windows of the Shaefer & Drie
horst Company's building, located
Immediately across the alley, and
those In front making the cornlces
and woodwork of the business
houses on the opposite side OF Matn
street emit smoke bat fortunately
without creating a blaze,
Shortly before midnight or about
an hour after the Ere had started
the interior of the News building
was completely gutted and a por,
ton of the wall on the alley side
had fallen, litteriug the alley with
an amount of brick and debris
covering up several lines of hose
that had been stretched there at thu
beginning to reach 10 the rear o
the building where the FIRE origi'
mated.
Owing to the extreme heat II
the narrow alley there were nc
fremen there when the walls fell
One Nan Believed to Have Pesished
Lew Haller and another gentle
man who happened on the scene o
the fire shortly after 1t got unde
headway. stated they had pulled ont
man whose name they did no
know, ont of the basement of th'
News building who Was nearly
smothered with flames and smoke
and he stated that he believed ther'
was still another man In the base
meat. The second man If there
was such a person, undoubtedly
was caught In the downfall OF de
bris and perished In the fire.
Fireman Seriously Injured
John Reynolds, fireman Of th'
Chemical company, met with al
extremely painful and serious acci
dent. He was In the front of th'
News building. In the heat OF th'
battle to savr 1t, when a pane o
glass bursted on the third floor. A
huge piece Of glass came down anc
struck him on the head, while b.
was hanging on to the nozzle o
the hose. The piece broke wher
striking him, one piece cutting hi
nose and face, the other cutting
him on the back of fthe neck.
It was a horrible wound, net
wi'hstanding the brave fireman
stood at his post of duty through 1
all until he tainted from utter ex'
haustion and loss of blood. he wa
hurried away on a truck to Water
mans drug store, where DR.. Noomt
was summoned and dressed his In
juries. he was then taken to the
Chemical house and was resting
easy, though In dangerous condi
ton at last reports.
Cause Of the Fire
The cause of the FIRE, as near a:
can be ascertained, originated from
an over heated gas pipe In the press
room, which communicated with
the oily snd greasy wooden Aool
communicating Immediately with
the elevator shafts, the uprights ol
which being of wood and oiled com
municated the blaze to the upper
stories.
In the press room, where the fire