The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-01-18
STOCK IN BASEMENT AND BUILD.
ING DAMAGED TO EXTENT
OF $1,000.
Firemen Do Effective Work at Early
Morning Blaze, While Police
Rescue Several Families.

Fire originating in the basement of
the Sam b. Mckee grocery. al 2235-3s
Market street. shortly after 2 o'clock.
this morning. did damage to the stock
ana building, conservatively estimated
at 50 900.
The blaze had considerable start be-
fore IT was discovered. and owing TO
the fact that water plugs in that vicin-
NY were frozen up at the time. the
hre was in progress probably fifteen
minutes before the firemen could COM
bat IL The department did effective
work. however. keeping the blaze con
nned To the basement and rear of the
hrst floor. and had il under control
before o'clock.
the origin OF the fire is unknown
Neither Fire Chief Rose nor Mr.. Z. c.
Leonhart, manager OF the store. could
advance any theory other than Il
might have been started by spontane-
Gus combustion. II could not have
been started by incendiaries. was the
general opinion expressed. as the
doors and windows were locked. and
the fremen had to batter down the
doors TO gain admittance.
The fire communicated from the
basement through the floor into
small section of the sales room. The
damage there. however. was slight.
The stock in the basement was dam
aged considerably by water. Only
yesterday. the entire stock of potatoes
was removed from the section where
the hre occurred. into the front base
inent' as protection against the cold.
Alarm Rang at 2:o5.
The alarm was turned in at 2:O5
O'Clock, from box No. As. at Market
street and Alley 10. calling all com
panies OF the department south of the
creek Almost Immediately "two-two"
was sounded. calling out all companies
IN the city. and the Island Hose com
pany moved over TO the Chemical En-
CINE house on Eleventh street. where
II was held in reserve to protect the
business district.
The alarm was turned in by William
Schott. a driver for the NELL Grocery
company. He resides in the building.
Families Were Rescued
Several families reside on the sec
ond and third floors of the building
. These were rescued by Officers Jack
West. Thomas Kelly and George Crum-
hacker Of the police department, and
were taken 10 nearby homes. but
. AdhFi A'luIIfu lOE the remainder OF
night. Many were sCantily attired. not
having time to fully dress. and suf-
fered from the intense cold
The fremen were handicapped at
the start by the fact that several
water plugs were frozen. The plugs
on Alley No. 70 az both Market and
Main streets We're frozen. and the first
stream Of water on the fire was by the
Atlantic engine from Twenty-third and
Main streets.
The building is a three-story brick
structure. with basement The first
floor and basement were occupied by
the Sam b. Mckee Grocery company.
while the second and third floors were
fitted up as apartments. occupied by
several families.
Everyone who witnessed the FIRE
praised the firemen for their good
work. 4 thicS coat of ice quickly
formed on their clothing, and hindercd
their actions.
Mr. sam B Mckee owner Of the
store. is visiting in Toronto. Canada.
al present He was notified az an
early hour this morning
While the fire was in progress the
iremen were served hot coffee by w.
j. Zeller's restaurant This was great
ly appreciated by them.