The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-01-19
From the indianapolis Journal.
DESTRU TIVE FIRE.
Burning OF EorFls0n's Opera Hall
Less 1hFee hundred and Fifty
Thousand Dollars.

Last night Norrison's Opera Hall |
was crowded with people, assembled |
to hear Coughs lecture. About ten |
minutes past nine the attention of |
/ persons in the audience was attracted |
/ by the smell of burning wood, and |
presently smoke began to fill the hall. |
4 Soon it became evident that the
/ building was on fire. Fortunately
/ there was no Panic, and nothing ap-
preaching a panic. The audience
melted away as fast as they were sat
| isfed the building was on fire. Every
body had the good sense to abstain
from the cry of fire, the doors of both
entrances were opened, and the
large audience got safely out of
the building without accident of any
kind. In the meantime the alarm
/ had been given and the engines came
to the rescue. The fire as yet was
smouldering. and no one seemed to
apprehend that it would prove seri
| Gus. The engines began to play
but presently it famed out over Pat
terson, Moore q Talbett's wholesale
drug store, and the utmost efforts of
the engines we're unable to subdue it.
Soon the entire upper portion OF
the magnificent building was one
mass OF roaring, seething fame, and
it became evident that there vas no
hope of saving the building, while
the intense heat endangered the new
building of Murphy, johnson Il Co.
on the opposite side of Maryland
Street, aud the millions of flying
sparks, carried by the wind In the
direction of the livery stables along
Pearl Street. made it Exceedingly
probable that the fire would spread
in that direction. Fortunately, how
ever, this was prevented by careful
watching, and the loss Of Morrison's
; building, and that OF General L. A.
Morris, just north of it, is the extent
Of the disaster.
The south room in Norrison's
building was empty, having been quite
recently vacated by Murphy, John
son u Co, who moved into the new
building on the opposite side of Ma
ryland Street. Tne next room was
occupied by Afford, Talbot 4 Co, as
a wholesale grocery, while the third
was occupied as a wholesale drug
store by Patterson, Moore g. Talbot.
very little was saved out OF the gro
Gerry. In the drug store large qantl
ty Of coal oil was stored. and this was
taken cut OF the back krdoor aud to a
rl4ce Of safety as soon as the fire was
discovered
General Morris building was occu-
pied by Copelaud's millinery store,
; and West Il Co.'S quecnswaTe estab
lishmeat Copeland saved a good
deal OF his stock, but nothing was
attempted to be saved out Of Vests.
1t is impossible to give the exact loss,
T, but the following is an approxima'
ti0n:
Afford Talbot < Co... C01
Patterson, Moore IaleOtt...... d. .0tt
west "
The following is the insurance SO
far as we have been able to learn it
On the Opera Hall, s., 600 in the Se-
curity, OF New York; $4,000 in the
Lorillard; $1,000 in the Republic, ol
y Chicago; s., 900 in the Market, oi
d New York; $1,000 in the Cleveland
s., COO in the Buckeye; S., 900 IN th6
y City Fire, of Hartford.
Of Afford, Talbot a. Co. have S10O0(
In the Security, 50, 900 in the Lorll
Of lard, s. 600 in the Republic, S., 600 il
J. the Market, S. 900 in the Buckeye
IS and $4,000 in the North British anC
Mercantile
$ Patterson, Moore & Talbot hat
in $500 10 the Security, S3 500 in Cleve
land. 81, 500 IN Bay State, $4,000 il
he the Republic, s., 800 in the Buckeye
Il; $1,000 in the City Fire, $4,000 in tn
ne Market, So, 500 in the Home, Of Go
e. lumbus. 81 900 IN the Western, Q
he Buffalo, and $1,000 in the Home. Q
as New York.
T. lard, and s., 900 IN the Security.
pt West Il Go. had $4,000 IN tn
Home, of New York, and 5000 /
of the Indianapolis.
y Companies represented by Snyde
& Hays are also heavy losers, but "
could not learn the amounts to whlc
they arc implicated
The origin Of the fire has bee
~ traced to the furnace in the ticke
80 ofice. Mr. Mcdowell. book keepe
90 for Bowen, Stewart d Co., had bee
% selling tickets IN the office, but ha
left some time before the fire brok
60 cut Mr.. Crawford, pastor of Trinit
Chapel, first discovered the fire. Il
smelled the smoke, and putting hl
m hand down to the crack in the hoo
20 felt it not Mr. Crawford acted wit
. extraordinary discretion, and by b.
1Fs 1Ie coelness and self possession doubles
of prevented q panic. After SaEiSfylD
nItee, himself that the building was on fir
o. he walked down the aisle, and whis
ng pered to the people on either side
}. get up and 90 out quietly. By tn
Lncaus the building was half emptie
== before it became generally know
what was the matter.
Fortunately there were no seriot
accidents. VIM. Stevenson, a de-
man. was run over by a hose carrias
on Maryland Street, and serious
III confused. About eleven o'clock
portion of the south wall fell with
crash, but fortunately no one wi
hurt.
The water in the various cisterl
contiguous to tue fire gave out und
the continuous drain Of the engine
D. but fortunately the fire had done