The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-03-10
men
INJURED.
IN DISASTROUS FIRE THAT
DID Sl30.OO0 DAMAGE r
AT CLARkSBURG.
Union National Bank and Lowe
Buildings Gutted-Many
Thrilling Escapes.
Special Dispatch to tbs Iutelligcncer.

Special Dispatch 20 ths IutcIIigcncer
CLARkSBURG. w. Va. March a.
a canvass OF all the persona who oc.
cupied the Lowe business block and
the Union National bank buildinr.
the former OF which was Consumed
and the latter half burned early this
morning by fierce fire. shows thar
all have been accounted for. while
reports from the hospitals are TO the
eHect that the i've men who were In
lured by jumping and falling from
upper stories have chances OF re-
coyery. Between twenty-five and
thirty persons who occupied rooms
ana apartments in the upper floors
OF the Lowe buildings had narrow
escapes in scanty clothing The fire
had gained such headway that prac-
ucally nothing was saved
The Injured Are:
archie Wilson, "a mechanician EN-.
ployed at the Newcomer garage, who
had his arms. legs face and neck
badly burned. his back Injured and
was internally injured
Dallas Swiger, employe OF the Rob-
erts Hardware company. who had
his left leg broken and was badly
burned and bruised
Earl Brown, clerk. who was
burned, bruised and internally in
jured.
These three. all young men. were
trapped in the upper part of the
burning Lowe block and jumped from
a third story in the rear TO the
ground.
Marsh o. Cannon, district superin-
tendent of the Philadelphia Company
OF West Virginia. who was badly
bruised and internally injured.
Robert Husili. clerk OF the same
company. who was badly bruised and
internally injured
The latter two were trapped on the
sixth floor of the Union bank build.
ing by a roaring mass OF flames that
swept through floors of the entire
building and cut OF all escape They
let down cord from a window TO
the sixth floor. drew up rope and
iastened IL inside and started to slide
down. At the fifth floor ice that had
formed on the rope from water
thrown by fremen caused them TO
lose their hold and they fell TO the
street Their descent was partly
broken by the ledges and the rope
and they had miraculous escape
from death.
Started in Lowe Building.
The fire started in the basement OF
the Lowe building on West Main
street and when discovered. about
$3.50 O'Clock. the basement and the
large clothing store of Millirn Broth
the ground floor. were mass OF
flames. The cause is unknown. Cur
us r. Prunty. owner OF the building.
heroically ran the elevator up and
down through sitting smoke and
creeping flame and brought most OF
the twenty-five persons who occupied
apartments and rooms on the upper
floors TO the ground in safety. Within
half an hour a conhagration seemed
imminent and a call for assistance
was sent to Fairmont, to which a
prompt response was made The Fair
mont fire department with apparatus
was rushed to Clarksburg on a spe-
cial trolley covering the thirty-two
miles in fOrty-nine minutes. and ma
terially helped in getting the FIRE un-
der control.
Just as steel constructed and CO.
ment ire proof buildings were fire
swept In the Baltimore and San Fran
cisco coniiagrations. so was the mod
ern Union National bank building
gutted this morning bv the terrific
onslaught Of a huge volume Of flame
that poured from the Lowe building,
melting wire. glass windows. crum-
bling and consuming plaster cement,
WOODWORK and Office furniture Fire
men managed to COnfne the flames 10
the second. third fourth. fifth and
sixth hoors. but the other stories
above and below were much damaged
by smoke and water
Loss over sf3O.COO.
The total loss Is estimated al $40.
2JO. and the insurance at sG1fO0. The
Lowe building loss is given AZ $50. 600
and the insurance $4,000 The loss
in the bank building is figured al s25.-
600. As 10 was considered fireproof
no Insurance was carried Milirn
Bros lost $4,000 which is fully cover
ed. Dr. a. T. Post. physician. lost
$4,000 and had insurance OF 1880.
Other losses on which 81 900 insurance
is reported are a. follows. DR. G. o.
Post $1,000. Nathan Post and family.
$1,000. Dr. John =. law. 81 1000. DR..
J. %. PAYNE. S2.2OO: Earl Jones ana
family. 500. G. a. Osborne. $500:
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