The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-09
Nineteen Lives Supposed to Have Been Lost
-rhe Ruins Take Fire, and Cause a
Scene of Horror.
Disaster on the Ocean Brings Death
to a Number of People.
Injured by a Fall Through an Elevator
A locomotives Work-Four Persons
Drowned-Into Molten Metal.
THE ENDE HOUSE ENDED
Its End Brings with 1t That of Man.


People.
DALLAS, Tex, April News was received
here to-day of terrible calamity that oc-
CURED at Greenville the county seat of Hum
county, last night. The large three-story
brick hotel known as the Ende House, fell.
The cause is not known, or at least not as yet
made public. The guests had retired and
nearly everybody in the house was asleep,
when suddenly, without the least warning,
about half the building collapsed, and almost
in less time than it takes to state the facts
was mass of shapeless ruins, In an instant
flames burst forth from several parts OF the
debris, and the whole thing was converted
into a funeral pyre. 1t is not known how
many were in the hotel, as the books and reg
listers we're burned, but very few escaped un-
injured. 1t is known nineteen people had
their lives crushed out in the ruins
or met a worse fate in the fire. The
flames spread, and the town was the
theater of one of the most deplorable
tragedies that ever occurred in Texas. Tele
grams were sent to Sherman for assistance,
which was sent, but 1t was two hours before
the Sherman engine reached the scene, and
destroying, besides the hotel, half a dozen of
the most prominent business houses in town.
As soon as it was possible, the W ork of rak-
ing the ruins for the dead was commen ced,
but it progressed slowly, and when the bod
les were brought out identification in most
cases was impossible.
| L. L. CLANCY, whose home is in st. Louis,
but who has been travelling in Texas for the
firm OF Keith Brothers, of Chicago. is re-
ported to have been one of the victims, but
the report is not confirmed. The names of
| the dead are given as follows so far as
known: George Pruitt, the proprietor; Mrs
N. E. Pruitt, Louis Albert j. e. Ford tele-
graph reparer; f. d. n. Riley, contractor
Frank West, r. R. Neal, a cotton buyer
Miss Lou. Davis, the chambermaid; - Hill,
mattress-maker and four negro walters,
names not obtainable.
Only thirteen are thus accounted for, but
it is asserted positively that nineteen were
lost. Fifteen people who were in the build
ing at the time escaped. Nine of these are
burned or bruised. DR.. T. r. Turner is so
badly mangled that recovery is considered
impossible Besides the hotel, the following
| business firms were burned out:
The stores of James Armstead, hardware;
| Gee e. Wilson, and K. l.. Lowensten, agri-
| cultural instruments, with some minor
buildings, were burned; all partially insured.
| Business houses are closed to-day, and a
gloom hangs deep and dark over our city.
| The excavations still go on The railroads
acted nobly in clearing their roads for the
train bearing the fire engines. They also Of
fer other relief The telegraph offices are
| flooded with news going and coming from
| all sections, and no thought is entertained,
and no subject discussed but the terrible Wis
| itation of fire and death.
1 Tbo tol1 Nv A.
scription. DR.. Turner lay beneath timbers
till they burned in twain, eleasing him, but
| not until he was badly burned and mangled
| Mr. Denton was imprisoned and would have
killed himself to escape burning to DEATH
| but a second crash of falling walls released
him. One man cut his throat when he
| found the flames consuming him. NJ. d.
Pruitt raved like maniac when he knew of
his mothers horrible death, and it required
| several strong men to save him from plung-
ing headlong into the flames.
| A telegram was sent to Sherman for the
| fire engine, which came at the speed of a
mile minute arriving at daylight For six
| hours it poured stream OF water into the
| flames, but too late to save any lives.
| The cause of the calamity is uncertain 1t
| is thought an explosion of powder in hard
ware store, which had caught fire in the first
story, blew out the west wall causing the
entire building to come down with crash of
| death.
1t is generally supposed that the falling of
the building caused the fire to spread to the
adjoining buildings, causing heavy losses
upon the following parties Fred Ende, loss,
SIS, 900; insurance, $4,000; Joseph Armstead,
hardware, loss, $4,000; insurance, "a, 900; r. l..
Lowenstein, hardware and agricultural i'm
plements, loss, $4,000; insurance, $2,500;
George H. Wilson, agricultural implements,
loss $15,000 insurance, $1,000; Mrs. N. e.
Pruitt, hotel furniture, loss, $4,000; insur-
ance, $500.
| OTHER CASUALTIES.