The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1922-09-04
LOGAN IS SWEPT
BY COSTLY FIRE
Damage of 100000 Caused
By Blaze Which Breaks
Out In Basement.
Telephone Office, Hotels and
Many Stores In Pathway
Girl Gives Alarm.

Logan, W. Va, Sept. S~F1rs cary
today destroyed one large building IN
the center Of the citys business sec.
ton and badly damaged several otherg
near by, with total loss estimated
AT appro1imately a million dollars. The
telephone exchange, which was IN the
building where the fire started, vas
DESTROYED. What started the ola1e In
a billiard and bowling establishment II
the basement was unknown.
The heaviest losses. beside that 70
the telephone company. were on the
White 8. Browning building. the ons
destroyed; the Elks' lodge. the Logan
Coal Operators association and three
stores and a number OF Offices, AL ID
that building. Rowley F. White ana
Thomas E. Browning. owners OF the
building, set the loss on 1t At more
than 100000, while the Chesapeake
Potomac Telephone company eIpscteo
Its loss would be about $4,000.
The greatest loss to the Coal Opera
tors association was destruction OF its
records.
GIRL Discovery DIass. =
The fire was discovered before b.
o'clock in the morning by Miss Alice
W!dner, night operator at tho telephone
exchange she remained At her post
until 6:l5 summo oning aid for hShtine
the fire. The roof fell at 1880 a. m.
and emergency toll service 10 Hunting.
ton and Charleston was established hall
an hour later at the Aracoma hotel,
across the street. although the hotel
had suffered from the heat which broke
every window on the side facing the hre.
officials Of the telephone company who
came to Logan to direct installation OF
raergency equipment shipped from
Charleston. Huntington and wheeling.
hoped to restore service with permanent
Equipment In a week or 10 days.
The stores IN the building that WIS
DESTROYED were the Logan Department
store, the Ideal store, deling In dry
goods. snd =. A. Browning's grocery
store. The Elk Drug companys store
In a nnall building adjoining. was alss
S.stroyed. and among the Offices In the
nve-story White & Browning building
were those OF the Logan Mining COM
pany, the Thurmond Coal company ana
the Rich Creek Coal company. "A num-
ber Of lawyers. doctors and Insurance
corpanies also had Offices In the ouilo.
Ing.
Insurance On Kalf.
Beside the damage to the Araeoms
hotel, the Pioneer hotel, the Leader
store. dealing in general mercr andiss.
and a restaurant and barber hhop II
small buildings in the rear OF ne lat.
ter were also damaged by hre ana
water. About nifty per cent Of the loss
was covered by Insurance, 1t Wa ssti.
mated, the main exception being ths
Logan Department store, insurance on
which had lapsed a few day ago ana
had not been renewed. No1odo va
injured.
The billiard and bowling rooms 10
the basement. where 1t was thought the
fire started were conducted by the Ar.
acoma Amusement company. Amon0
the offices in the White and Brown.
ing building were those Of England and
Haser. Lilly and Shrewsbury and J. r
Mann. lawyers. the offices Of Mayor J.
\. Hoes. those Of Doctors c. T. Morris
F.. r. Lawson, y. E. Steele. Fl. II. Far.
icy and J. 4. Rupert, and the Insurance..
office. Of Georse P. Steele and Justice
and Bryan.