The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-06-14
A NIGHT OF FIERCE FIRES
Four Large Industries Destroyed by
Flames that Defied the Firemen.
The Loss Is Great. with Only Partial Insur-
ancs-Seyeral Dwellings Burned and
Hundreds Of Men Out Of Employment.
AN INDUSTRIAL SQUARE DESTROYED.

AT the upper emo or massachusetts, Bvonue,
Just across from the railroad station in that To-
cality. 10 a space Of two-thirds of square on
which were severa, frame buildings owned by
Marshall d. Williamson and George F. Adams.
who operated the Indianapolis Veneer-workA
To the original building others had from time
to time been added, until the place became one
Of the most valuable industrial squares
In the city. The greater part of it was used BY
the veneer works, the buildings of which were
next to the tracks OF the c.. c., c. & L Railroad
Company. Peru street runs between them
and the tracks, and on the south is space
touching ST. Clair street. To the northwest on
Massachusetts avenue was the lumber yard of
NJ. J. Osgood, and between that and the veneer
works was d. E. Stone e Co.'S mandatory Of
fancy cabinet articles In and out OF this
space run switches, and In tho vicinity is q net
work of tracks on which nearly every hour of
the day or night train of some kind is moving.
About $50 o'clock. last night, an alarm came in
from box fifteen, corner Of Massachusetts
avenue and Peru street At the same time
people down town could discern in the north
east the red sky. indicating that FIRE of large
proportions was doing ruinous work. The fire.
arriving at the end of the avenue. saw the veneer
works, the undergrad and cabinet factory
being destroyed by the flames. Nothing
could be done TO save the property,
but second alarm brought another relay Of en-
einos to aid in saving adjoining buildings. all of
which were frame Beyond the tracks were
Miles Reynolds's lumber-yards, and off to the
north were those Of a. G. Long, while to the south
were A B. Meyer g. Co.'s cosl-yards- 1t was
locality where everything promised great con-
fagratiou, but the iremen, by hard work. con-
fined the flames to the space described.
The last stroke of the alarm had hardly
warned all the companies not called out to be
ready for second" Els wsll-srained eye did
not deceive him. for Chief wsbsters first move
upon reaching the scene was 20 turn in the Sec
ond alarm. which brings out nearly all the COM
panies in the city. SIT il just what have been
expecting for many day. was the
first remark he made when the hook
and ladder wagon men faced him
for orders. "Yes," remarked foreman Davis.
Il always said IL would come. and it has in all
its glory The flames were then bursting out
Of the roof of the soutb end Of the cabinet-shop,
and strong wind made it evident that nothing
The fire, according to the foreman. originated on
the first floor OF the south end Of the cabinet
shops. While making his rounds . little after
8 o'clock. he detected burning lumber and hur-
ried around toward the engins-room. By the
time he reached the south end of the structure,
the fire was beginning to burst out the side
walls, and making its way to the upper story.
Many people in the neighoorhood had seen the
FIRE about the time he did. sad there Was no de-
lay in turning in an alarm.
The dry timbers of this wooden building,
which Was three stories high. fed the flames
like so much powder. It was Of tho liehsest
kind Of material There were two four-story
and one half story building besides the one then
burning. In addition were le.ge sheds adjoin-
ing them. In the undergrad were piled thou
sands of feet Of dry lumber mostly walnut Inside
the sheds were also stacked . greass mount
of seasoned lumber and other material. Before
the companies called ont by the first alarm
could get stream OF water on the FIRE it had
spread to almost the entire structure, and be.
fore the companies brought out by the
second alarm reached the scene there
not single portion Of the entire four
acres Of buildings that that was not in flames.
The heat was so intense that the hremsn for
time could not get close enough to throw an ef-
fective stream Of water. Hundreds OF citizens
who bad come to the scene could not venture
within square Of the burning buildings on &C.
count OF the flying embers and heat As the
flames grew more furious the wind rose, and for
time the iremen were compelled to leave their
posts on account of the heat The high wind
sent great embers hundreds Of feet in the al
and scattered over buildings squares away. Tho
Lake Erie s. Western depot was in most dan
ger. The heat around 1t was 90 intense that no
one but the fremen could endure it, and with
several of them top Of it, and two or three
streams Of water playing on it from the ground
il was saved Had it not been that it Was
solid brick structure, with slate roof, it would
surely have been destroyed. As much as was
the danger to which the depot was subjected,
property the avenue on the other side Of the
burning building was in greater danger. AL
most adjoining the building was the Bee Hive
planning mill, around which was . lumber-yard
of an acre or more The burning embers fell in
perfect showers on the mill, and the lumber, and
ahalf-hundred tenement houses in the neighbor-
hood, dozen or more of which caught fire. only
to be quickly put out by volunteer bucket
brigade of hundred men or more. Every man
in the neighborhood who could get hold of q
bucket of any kind was volunteer, and it 10
due to them as much ~ to the
fire department that the fire did not
spread over several squares of property, and de-
stroy $1,000. 900 instead of 500, 900 worth of
property While the men with the buckets
guarded the dwelling houses two or three com
paniss Of frsmen did hard work to prevent
spread 60 NJ. j. Osgood's lumber yard. Their
efforts were 10 part IN vain, for while the flames
were at their height the lumber too fro. and
once it looked like tho entire stock would be de-
stroyed Hy hard work. however. the spread Of
of the fire in the yard was checked. but not until
great deal Of lumber had been destroyed
In less than half an hour from the time the
first alarm IVES turned In the entire structure
of the veneer company was in ruins, together
with everything within the walls of the build
inga
The building itself was not so valuable a. the
machinery and material it contained. The In
dianspolis Veneer Company was the heaviest