The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-07-21

Y. Scammon, ]. X. Forrest, city clerk. E. G.
Hall. Esq, corner Peck, Court and Wabash
avenues. This last was very elegantly fur
nished. Mr.. White saved his library. The
Jones school building on the corner of
Harrison street aud Eldridge court, was also
burned. The colored people are
GREATLY AFFLICTED
by the loss of Olivet church. The Times
makes the following estimate of the losses
which will be found to be pretty nearly cor
rect. THE area burned over covers fifteen
squares. Taxing bits and half blocks here
and there and Jumping the whole, the
burned area is about half mile long and a
little less in width, and embraced the tum-
BILE down shanty and the palatial residence.
Clark street $50 900; Fourth avenue Sl75 900:
Third avenue $3.50 O0O; State street Sl30,000;
Wabash avenue 81, 700 600; Michigan avenue
Sl50,000; Taylor street S50.000; Polk street
$4,000: Harrison street $4,000; Congress
street S75, 900, Van Buren, street $4,000;
Court, between Wabash avenue and State,
$3.50 900; total S4,025000" The following
general description of the progress of the
fire and the exploits of the fire department
to get it under control is furnished bv the
Times: NEARLY east of the shanty where
the fire originated was the large brick oil
refinery of Fetch Bros, the interior IF which
with It's large tanks of oil was all ablaze be-
heat emitted by the burning of its infan-
mable contents was intense. and when the
wall, but few minutes after the first stream
began to play upon iL, fell the whole neigh
bOrhood for radius OF thirty rods around
seemed to burst forth in one simultaneous
blazs. just north of the rag shop was a
story and half barn filled with
hay which famed up in instant
aud the flying wisps of burning hay
lit the roots nearly block away. With
such rapidly did the fire spread after IL was
first discovered that two horses in this barn
were burned to death before they could be
rescued. The eight ten engines in tae
first distric5 were speedily on the ground,
and the most of them ok their stations on
Clark street, where Marshal Benner at
tempted to check the northern spread of the
flames. Engine No. 81 aud one other were
stationed on Fourth avenue, and a vigor-
Gus fight with the advancing foe was CON-
menced at this point. In ten minutes after
the irst alarm the pine shanties stretching
eastward toward the avenue were all afiame
for nearly half square. At 4:40 o'clock
ELEVEN MINUTES AFTER THE FIRST ALARM
rang out, Marshal Sweeney turned in the
second alarm. and engines from the greater
part of the south division aud from several
of the west side engine horses were soon at
the scene of peril. The heat arising from
the breeze stiffened as the heat increased
bearing destruction to the dry roofs that lay
| i'm the path of the destroyer for rods ahead
A large part of the augmented fire force was
concentrated on Fourth avenue half way be-
tween raylor and Twelfth streets. where
they worked with terrible energy to stay
| the progress of the advancing enemy. In
twenty minutes after the first alarm, the roofs
! of the buildings on Fourth avenue were all
1 fra for "A wi of a north n
No 2S5 At 4:5l o'clock, ii minutes after
| the second alarm, the general alarm was
turned on by Assistant Marshal Petere The
last warning brought To the spot the entire
| fire force of the city. At the time the alarm
/ was struck seven of the West side engines
| were at a small fire on the corner of Ashland
avenue and Twenty second street. and they
were thus retarded nearly half an hour. In
less than half an hour the engines tn were
posted on Fourth avenue, directly in the
path of the fire, were compelle5 TO beat q
retreat. All succeeded in escs ping excepi
engine company No. 81, the colored company
of the force, who delayed minute too long
and the flames bursting upon them before
they bad attached their horses 70
the engine, they were compelled tC
abandon it.. and the hansome steamer
was warped and twisted into a mass O
furnace that girdled it. The fire had SWEEP
diagonally across the block to the corner o.
Taylor street and Fourth avenue. and was
rapidly eating its way through the remainder
of the block fronting on Clark and Taylor
streets. The marshal stationed a numb bel
of engines on Clark street, and every effor
was made to stay the the northern progress
of the flames along that thoroughfare, bu
the shsntles from which poured swarm o
fallen women, laden down with wardrobe:
and furniture, were ripe for destruction anC
no sooner had the torrents of water extin
rnl.r. han
root of finder boxes still further to the nortl
would burst into flame, but the mos
7 of the marshaps attention was directed t
the front of the fire and every energy wa