Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-12-10
EARLY MORNING BLARE
CAUSES LOSS OF $4,000
The vehicle Company With Offices
and Show Rooms in Heiston Build
ing IS Nearly Burned Out.
From The World of Friday:


From The World of Friday:
Fire broke out in the large three
story brick building on West Race
street, near Raleigh, shortly after 3
o'clock this morning and destroyed
much stock for the Vehicle Company
and for a time threatened The desruc-
ton of the entire building The build
ing is owned by Mr. w. H. Heiston
and is occupied as a warehouse and
storage house by the Vehicle Company
the latter occupying the greater part
OF it.
The fire was discovered about $50
o'clock by Mr.. D. ]. Heiston, who lives
in the house on the east side of the
warehouse. He Weakened up Mr.. Chas.
Seibert across the way and had him
telephone the fire alarm to Ryneai
Company. Receiving no answer from
the fire house he phoned to police
headquarters and an officer notified
Ryneais.
When Mr.. Heiston reached the
building the office of the Vehicle
Company was all ablaze and the
flames were shooting out of window
on the east side and eating their way
into the display room of the company
on the west side of the building and
burning the floor above
by the time Rynea Company and
Tuscarora Hose Company got to the
scene about half an hour after the
fire was discovered the flames had
gained much Roadway and nothing
could be done to save the things in the
salesroom of the vehicle. Company,
whose office was in the rear of it.
In this room were three fine bug
gies. a large lot of harness, horse
blank is, zap spreads, collars saddles,
bride halters, whips, etc. These were
all consumed. Everything in the office
was burned except the stove and safe
andssome books in the latter.
Back of the Heiston building front
ing on West Race street is large
three-story brick storage house with
a fire wall beween the two and large
steel door communicating. This lat
ter was closed and thereby the flames
were prevented from spreading to
the warehouse, whose three floors are
filled with buggies and ether vehicles.
Messrs Heiston and Son have Their
Office on the second floor front and it
was damaged by heat and smoke. The
vamish on all the Office furniture was
badly blistered. A lot of their leather
and canvas betting for mill work that
was kept on the first floor was burned.
But Mr.. Heiston's principal loss is to
his building which was damaged by
the fire. Two steel Orders over the
first floor were expanded by the heat
and bulged out the walls to some ex-
tent on the east side, while floors,
window frames, doors, ETC. will have to
be rep aced with new ones. Mr.. Heis-
ton places his loss at 81 1900, fully in
sured.
Fortunately the fire did not reach
the third floor of the front building
where lot of furniture, belonging to
different parties, is stored.
The heaviest losers by far are the
Vehicle people, the estimate being
$4,000, but covered by insurance.
There is some mystery about the
cause of the fire. A large steel slid
ing door on the west side of the
building and nearly opposite the We
hicle office, which can not be opened
from the outside, was found pushed
opened a foot or more this morning.
Then the elevator the shaft of which
is jus back of the Vehicle office, was
is just back of the Vehicle office, was
it is always kept down at night. But
be that as it may the fire started in
the Vehicle office, and the natural sup
position is that it was of incendiary
origin and not caused by an over
heated stove, as there was little fire in
the stove when the Office was closed
last night.
The firemen worked bravely and de-
serve much praise for keeping the
flames confined ito a comparatively
small area.
y was reported this morning that
Ryneal had, by mistake in the call,
gone up to the Stewart Vehicle Com
pany, along the C. V. Railroad This
is mistake. They went straight out
West Burke street to Raleigh and then
to the fire. That they did not hear
the first call is that the boys at the
fire house were sound asleep, as they
are accustomed to do, they say by
permission of the authorities. This
accounts for their not reaching he fire
sooner though they stil got there a
quarter of an hour before the Tusca-
roras.