Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-15
Dynamite Was Vainly Tried to Check
the Flames.
ONE BIG FACTORY DESTROYED
Twenty-Five Business Houses and
Dwellings Were Wiped Out OF
Badly Damaged. j.. .a

Special Dispatch to The Star.
PITTSBURG, Pa March 15.-One Of the
most disastrous fires in the history OF
Mount Washington occurred this morning
when. owing to the utter absence of water
to combat the flames, seven business
houses and four residences were burned to
the ground:
Building after building was swept by the
flames. and the efforts Of the firemen and
residents who fought the flames by means
of the chemical wagons and buckets OF
water proved fruitless.
AT 10 O. clock the flames were still spread
ing. and it was decided to use dynamite In
destroying nearby houses to prevent more
valuable property being a prey to the
flames No water was available.
The fire started In the dry goods store OF
Israel Shirboll, three-story brick struc-
ture. 1t was discovered shortly before
o'clock by Shirboll, who went Immediately
to No. II engine company, at the corner Oh
Shiloh and Virginia streets.
AS water was not available, the de-
partment did not take out the engines
but the members hurried to the place. car
fire-tightings implements might prove use
full. .-.-.
IL was stated that had it been possible to
get a supply of water the flames could nave
been extinguished without much loss. AS =.
matters were, however. the flames had IL
practically their own way, and In the IN
terval of a few minutes the highly imam
able nature of the stock soon apparently
had the whole building on fire.
Dynamite Was Used.
From the dry goods store the flames
spread in the direction of Thorp alley, and
also attacked the buildings on the oppo-
site side of the street. Superintendent of
Police Thomas McQuade arrived at the
scene of the fire shortly before 9 O'Clock,
and soon saw that unless desperate remedies
were resorted to the damage to property
would be excessive. He suggested that
dynamite could he used for the purpose of
causing so wide gap that the flames could
not cross 1t. .
A can of dynamite was used. to which
was attached a fuse seventy feet in length
This was lighted and the flame crawied
slowly along the fuse, reaching the dyna-
mite, and the explosion followed Its Ell
feet was TO destroy the buildings ana cause
a fair-sized gap, but not wide enough TO
prevent the flames from continuing their
devastating courses. At IL o'clock the fire
was under control. d. ,s.,. -.
In addition to the Mt. Washington fire the
plant of the American Sheet Steel and lin
Plate Company on South 14th street was
destroyed, and the bolt department or the
Oliver Iron and Steel Company. adjoining
the tin plate factory was damaged The
loss to the tin plate company was about
So 900 and to the Oliver company $1,000.
The fire originated from car OF lime
which was set on fire by the high water.
Folr business houses and fifteen resi-
deuces were burned to the ground in the
Mount Washington district, or twenty sew
enth ward, across the Monongaheia river
Two attempts were made to stop the flames
by dynamiting adjacent buildings. but the
wreckage caught fire. No water was avail
able and the flames were fought with chem
icals and a bucket brigade. Several of the
residences were tenements.
The fire practically burned itself out at
noon Insurance men estimate the loss at
$.DO0OO.
Twenty-Five business houses and dwellings
were destroyed or badly damaged.