The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-28
A VERY DANGEROUS FIRE.
A Tenement House, in Which Sixteen Fam
lilies Lived, Destroyed.

The building known as the old Nickel brew
cry, at the corner of Washington and California
streets, which has been used in thelast ten years
as a tenement-house, was burned last night, A
livery stable adjoins the building, and there was
-baling establishment in the rear part of it,
from which the fire is believed to have started.
The flames were discovered issuing from the
building on California street. by Sergeant Sauers,
and before an alarm could be turned in, although
the No. engine house is within half square,
the whole place was in a blaze. Between fifty
and sixty persons were living in the building,
and they were panic-stricken in their efforts to
get out All escaped, but none, with the excep-
ton of those living on the first floor, saved more
than the clothes which they wore. Mrs. Alice
Michaels, widow with two children, who
lived in the rear of the building on
the fourth floor was compelled to jump to the
ground to make her escape The fire started in
the part of the building in which she lived, and
the flames broke into the room before she was
aware of her danger She gathered up her
youngest child, an infant of about two years,
and started out in the hall, to escape by the
stairway, but was twice driven back by the
flames. Dropping the child into the arms of a
man below her window, she jumped to the
ground, and her son followed her. 1t
was reported through the crowd that a girl liv-
ing on the second floor, who had been seen to
return to her room, had persisted, but after the
flames had been subdued a search was made and
it is believed that no lives were lost.
The fire blazed up in a frghtful manner, and,
as there were many people on the streets at the
time hundreds of persons of both sexes
bod 81 TlApa
were probably no less than 5000
spectators congregated in the vicinity of the
burning building The fire department did very
effective work and, although it seemed impossi
bic to save the rickety old trap, the flames were
gotten under control within an hour The
building is old frame structure and was as
infamable as birthstone 1t has been twice con-
demned as unsafe, but was used as tenement
and was occupied by poor people, many of them
being widows. There were sixteen families lv-
ing in it, numbering between fifty and sixty per-
sons. The rental agent was Benjamin Elder, an
old man, who lived in the house. He believes
that the fire was of incendiary origin, but has
no idea what motive there could have been for
trying to destroy the building. The property
was owned by Fletcher & Churchman. They
value it, one hundred feet along Washington
street. at $4,000. The loss on the building,
which was worse than worthless will probably
not exceed 81 600. twas insured for 81 500 Until
a few months ago no company was willing to
risk insuring it. The loss on furniture of the
tenants win not exceed $1,000
Mrs. Michael, the woman who made her escape
by jumping from a second story window, was
badly burned about the face, shoulders and feet
in her attempts to get out through the hallway.
She says the front exit was nailed up, and it
was impossible to get out in that way. She was
taken to the City Hospital.
A bed saturated with blood was found i'll one
of the front rooms on the second floor by the
fremen and the police thought they had struck "a
clew which would lead to something sensational,
but after a little investigation the matter was
satisfactorily explained.
The building was one of the landmarks of the
city. 1t was built over forty years ago for hotel
purposes and was known for long time as the
Carlisle House. 1t was afterward used as a
brewery by the Meikles, but for ten or dozen
years has been utilized as tenement house.
The cupola of No 6 engne-house caught fire
from flying spark and was damaged to the
amount of about $50.