The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-02-09
An Immense COnfiagratiOn---LOss
Over Half Million.
Insured for S3S5,OOO in a Number of
Companies.
The Large Packing-House, Almost
a Total Loss, Will Be Rebuilt.
A Grand Scene-The Fire Still Burning
at the Time of Going to Press.

CuIIeu III lllS CITY lot NUMBER OF years
took place atan early nOur Tuesday morning.
At about - o'clock an alarm. of fire Wa
turned in from j. C. Ferguson & Co.'S
pork house, located on the east
bank of White River, Immediately
north of the Vandalia round-house. When
the alarm was sounded there was no blaze
apparent in that direction to indicate much
of fire, and for some little time it was not
known that the immense establishment that
afterward burned to the ground was ali
ablaze in the cellar. The Department was
slow in getting on the ground on &C
count of the great difficulty experienced in
Obtaining access TO the buildings, the way
being blocked up by long lines of freight
cars of the I. II. and /. Railroad. Only a
short while after the first stream was
brought to play upon the fire, the blaze burst
forth through the lower floor, and in
chronicle the fact, the whole lower floor was
ablaze, the flames shooting through the
north windows with glare that lighted up
the entire Western horizon. The
scene was a grand spectacle, and one
that will long be remembered by the
thousands who were upon the ground and
witnessed it. Grease, lard, hams, sides and
dressed hogs, still on the rack ready to be
quartered, furnished food for the flames
making the air so hot in the immediate vi
cinity ofthe fire that itwasalmOst impossible
for the firemen to work especially on the
north side of the building The wind was
direct from the south and pretty strong.
| furnishing a motive power that drove the
| flames kissing through the immense build
| ing and out the north windows distance of
100 feet.
There appeared To be all excitement
among the employees that had cOngregated
on the grounds, and it was some time be-
fore Mr. Nathan NJ Neeld, one of the firm.
could get gang of men together to save the
few hundred barrels of lard and hams that
were lying on the east platform
in front of the building. a gang of men
were also placed at work taking barrels of
lard from the cellar, but they were soon
driven away by the scorching heat that the
flames in their fury were distributing about
the entire building. The
FIRE DEPARTMENT
did nothing at all toward quenching the
flames, the fire having gained too great
llCslnNdl fOloAC ~ lew llIIlc
streams were thrown upon the building
which were about effective as an elder
squirt-gun in the hands of three-year-old
boy.
The entire Department was on hand, a
second alarm having been turned in soon
after /. was discovered that the pork house
was really on fire.
THE WATER SUPPLY.
According to the statements of the firemen.
was wholly insufficient. The nearest
water plugs were on the corner of West and
Missouri Streets. a distance of about twen-
ty-five hundred feet. The water had to be
forced through hose of that length
The result was that stream of water
not exceeding thirty feet from
the nozzle could be thrown upon the
fire. At no time was there more then two
streams of water plying upon the fire. 1t was
utterly impossible TO get more water supply
In a conversation with the Chief of the Fire |
Department he said to re-
had for the past two years advocated |
the sinking of cisterns near the building, |
but itsliad never been done, and the conse- |
Quences the above story. Had it been possible /
to have had greater quantity of water there |
would hare been no difficulty in checking |
the fire while in its infancy.
ITS ORIGIN.
The fire originated i'm the cellar, but how
no one appears to be able TO tell. |
The Waterman, Paul Snyder, a German, |
who was very much excited when questioned |
by the reporter. said II Schmeldt dot
schmOke, unit know not yer it comes from. /
look around, unit could see no fire. 1t was
in dot cellar den turn in dot alarm"
This was all that could be got out of him. |
The reporter next questioned Mr.. -Neeld. /
He only repeated in substance
what had been communicated to him by the |
Waterman, adding: Il expect it originated
from gas let or a candle" No one else
upon the ground last night could offer any
other solution as to the probable cause of
the fire, and the matter rested here.
During the progress of the conflagration, |
at intervals, loud explosions were heard, in |
two cases tearing the walls down on the
east and north sides. The explosions were
caused by the blowing up of two
immense tanks of lard and of
fifty barrels of saltpeter the last
explosion Quilted the inside of the building,
tearing down what few of the inside walls
and iron beams that were left standing.
THE FIRM
is composed of J. c. Ferguson, Edward b. |
Howard and Nathan B. Neeld and had been
engaged in killing and packing up to
yesterday evening, 500 hogs still remaining
upon the racks, fresh killed during the day. |
lnlS same mousse WIS DuTIeu N TIE lall Ol
1866, the building and stock being almost a
total loss.
When the house rebuilt many i'm
pr0vements were added, and it was consider
ably enlarged, being next TO the largest
packing-house in the State, having a capaci
ty of l,500 hogs per day when run with
force of hands.
THE Loss.
There were two members of the firm
upon the ground last night, Messrs. !
Howard and Neeld. Mr.. Neeld stated |
to the reporter that the build |
ings and improvements were valued at
500, 900, and were insured for $50, 600. The |
stock he roughly estimated at being worth |
in the neighborhood of 100000, in
sured in number of Com
panies for 1925, 900, making the total los
5000, 900, insured for $3S5000. Although |
there were several insurance agedts upon the |
ground it was impossible to obtain correct |
list of the Companies representing the
losses.
THE SCENE
in the immediate vicinity of the fire was
grand, all the long lines of cars,
locomotives, and Greenlawn Gene |
to.., kos,,.. l.oontif,rllu l;rhfad nm r1rpSquf-