The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-22
persisted In THE FLAMES.
A Horrible Tragedy Enacted in a Burn
ing Building in the City of Boston.
The Destruction of Huge Workshop Causes
the Loss of Twelve Lives-Eight Charred
and Blackened Bodies Recovered.

-
by loss of life, this afternoon destroyed the Now
England Institute Fair Building, on Huntington
avenue. The building was built by the New Eng
land Manufacturers and Merchants Institute
for exhibiting purposes, at cost OF nearly $780,
600. Last winter it was purchased by the Met
| ropolitan Street Railroad Company for 100000.
and has since been used as place for storing
and repairing cars. So quickly did the flames
spread that before the FIRST engine arrived the
immense roof had fallen in, and the building
was roaring mass Of flames. The
workmen sought to save their tools.
they could get out of the building while
othere were unable to escape In the building
| were about seventy box cars. The great barn
like structure, which covered an area of FIVE
acres, with floor space of nearly eight acres.
was so full of fame that the walls were blown
out AS soon as it was learned that lives had
been lost in the building all streams we're turned
| to the rear of the structure and the fremen
! bravely forced their way into the blazing ruins
| to secure the bodies The flames refused to sur
| render until they had consumed everything COM
bustibie within the building, and the work of
rescue was attended with great danger. The
charred remains of two men were brought out.
and are thought to be those of VIM Taylor and
a man named Frost both carpenters. It is be-
leved that other bodies buried in the debris,
as several workmen are missing. All is confu-
sion and no correct statement of the loss Of life
can be made The flames are still burning in
the interior of the building, of which nothing is
| left standing except the lower portion of the
walls.
The fire caught in the front right corner, on
Huntington avenue, directly under the paint
shop, and when the flames reached the shop the
oil and paint stored therein spread over ar i'm
| mense space proved a speedy carrier of the
| flames. There were many men inside when the
| fire broke out, and all rushed for the rear win
| dows. Most of them were helped out but while
| rush was being made to one of the windows, at
which scorched and bleeding face was seen
| the person who had been looking out fell back
into the seething mass and was past all help. A
colored man, name unknown, went back into the
not seen to come out again. Chester L. Hazelein
| and F, Farren had plenty of opportunity to
escape, but tried to pull out some cars and were
badly burned.
While the thousands of spectators were view
ing from neighboring roofs the magnificent spec
tacle, horrible tragedy was being enacted with
in. all out of sight and unknown to the throng
After the flames had been sufficiently extn-
guished, search was begun among the charred
ruins for possible victims, and up to p. M. eight
dead bodies had been removed most of them
burned beyond recognition. 1t is believed that
there are at least four more bodies in the ruins
Inside the building were 400 horse-cars, fully re-
paired, each worth $780, The total loss is about
$4OO OOO
The burning of the vast building was one of
the grandest sights seen in this city since the
great fire of 1872 The wind blew freshly and
added much to the power of the flames as they
rapidly swept from one part of the building to
the other
The spread Of the flames when they burst
forth was something almost incredible. Work
men on the opposite side of the building from
the point where the fire originated had almost as
great difficulty in making their escape as did
those nearer the first fiery burst of flames. 1t
was at the east end of the building, in the car
penter shop, that a most heartrending incident
occurred. man, whose name is as yet un-
known, was driven out of window Of the second
story by the flames. He was about to leap, aud had
put one leg over the wipodw-sill, when the roof
fell in and pinned him fast to the spot No
ladder company had arrived, and the crowd
vtere poyyarlesS repdar assistance and the m
underwent aeonies of torture before the eyes of
his friends below. Two of his fellow workmen,
John McNulty and j. F. Fallen, were terribly
burned while trying to scale the wall to reach
their dying comrade. His suffsrings were mer.
cfully short. The awful furnace of flames
wrapped about him with fire and smoke, hiding
him during his last moments from the gaze of
the spectators Not long afterwards the wall
itself gave way, and nothing more was seen.
E. L. Fallen says he the last man to leave
the wood-workers' shop alive. The room is in
the southeast corner of the building. At the
first cry of fire he ran, but turned back at the
door to see if he had time to gather up his tools
The moments hesitation nearly cost him his
life He hardly got out of the building before it
was mass of flames. Four or FIVE of his fellow
workmen, he says. turned back. They were left
behind and were certainly burned to DEATH
Four of the bodies removed were SO badly
charred and disfgured that Identification ia i'm
possible. The names of the others are believed
to be as follows: VIM. Easter, p. Oliver Frost
Pat Lyons and Aes Campbell. The body of the
negro known to have been burned has not been
recovered This makes nine fatalities known to
have been caused by the fire.
The foreman of the repair shop says that all of
the eighty eight workmen in that department are
accounted for.
The following persons were seriously burned:
Joseph Whdden. car builder, seriously burned
about the face aud shoulders, taken to the hos
ptal; Chester L. Hazeltine badly burned about
the face, hands arms and throat; E. l.. Farren,
IL. ~. l. l..