The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-18
FATAL FIGHT WITH FIRE.
TEN FIREMEN KILLED By THE coll
LAPSE OF A BUILDING


The Structure Swarming With Fire
Fighters When the Unexpe csed
Crash Carried Them Down-Ihe
Flames Thought to Have Been Under
Control Before the Collapse oo-
CURED.
INDIANAPOLIS. March 17.-Fire broke
out in the basement Of the Bowen-Merriu
Company's wholesale book and paper house.
Nos. 10 and Is West Washington street. at
4 o'clock this afternoon. The location OF
the frs prevented effective work on the
part of the iiremen, and the flames quickly
ate their wav to the first a ID second floors.
Tie company carried an immense stock, es-
timated at $l25. 900, on which there is an
insurance of 10000. The building and the
adjoining sore, Of II. p. WaSson g. Co.,
and Bryan & Sullivan we're badly dam
aged, but the exact loss cannot now be-
given. The fremen seemed c)mpleteIy
bafiied in their efforts to subdus the flames.
The rear wall fel crushing several firemeu.
Probably eight OF ten were killed. Three Of
the BODIES have been taken from the ruins
TEN DEAD.
INDIANAPOLIS, Marcl Is, 8 A. M-Ths
magnitude OF the disaster constantly grows.
The number of the dead is now increased
witnessed tonight.
The face OF one man is visible above the
ruins, in which all the rest of his body Is
buried. lie is held fast by an iron girder,
is still alive but insensibe, and there is no
hope Of saving, him.
The cause of the loss of life Il as yet not
quite apparent. During the Two hours and
half in which the fire was burning there
lad been scarcely a flame visible to the
spectators in the streets, and the volume OK
smoke hal been so dense as to utterly OBJ
struct the vision.
RUSHING TO THEIR DEATH.
About o'clock the first entrance TO ths
building was made by tle firemen, who bad
previously been held back by dense smoke
issuing from within. Then ladders were
raised from the front and rear and the
building literally swarmed with firemen.
The crowds in the street began to disperss
aud everybody considered the frs practi-
callv extinguished when there was q
sudden crash and the whole building,
except the Washington street front, fell IN
with crash. Firemen were on each of
the three floors and the roof, and they were
OF course carried down in the collapse. Ib
would seem tina 10 building had bsen in
sufficiently tied to those on either side of it,
and that the flames ate a hole in the center,
letting the whole cave.
40 DuAAAAuB ny tut OlOh COif1~
pany was four story basement marble
front building facing Washington street
just west Of Meridian.
START OF THE FLAMES.
Tho fire started shortly before 3 o'clock
near tho furnace in the endorsement. Tee
fire department when il arrived seemed at
loss to lacate the fire and began pouring
water into the building at the front when
the seat Of the trouble was in the rear. For
two hours the fight had ccntinusdin this way
until maj 1rity OF spectators had left under
impression that the fire was out About
$3.50 O'Clock, however, there was a terrible
crash, and the entire building except the
front wall fell inward. At the time num-
ber of firemen were on the roof OF the build
ing, and were buried in the debris which
was piled forty feet high within the walls OF
the burned building.
THE WORK OF RESCUE.
Immediately the work of rescuing the
living and extricating tue dead was begun
by ct least 500 volunteers, who, in addition
to the uniDjured firemel aud members
OF the police force, formed a strong
corps OF workers. At times their ears
would be greeted by the groans OF the
wounded underneath the ruins, and then
the work would be pushed with renewed
vigor. For three hours the forces labored
TO rescue the wounded and recover the
dead. Up to this writing four men have
been taken out dead aud fifteen injured.
several of whom may die. Two others are
known to be in the ruins, and are un-
doubtedly dead