Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-03-18
A Number of Firemen Buried by tn,
Walls of a Falling Huildin..

"aiiS OF u Eallng Building.
lNDIAsAPoLIs, March 17th.-what at first
seemed an Insignificant fire in the Merrill book
store building, on Washington street. this after
noon, resulted in catastrophe in which at
least ten men were killed and several wounded,
some of whom will die. The fire started shortly
after O'Clock near the furnace in the subbas Sc
ment, and was stubborn.
About $50 there was a terrible crash, and the
entire building, except the from: wall, fell in
ward. At the time a number of firemen yari-
ously estimated at from eight to twenty were
on the ROOF OF the BUILDING, and were buried in
the debris, which piled forty feet high.
Immediately the work OF rescuing the living
and eXtricating the dead was begun by at least
500 volunteers, in addition to the unir iured fire.
men and police force.
Up to 10 O'Clock tonight the followinp have
been taken out dead:
George Faulkner Ulysses Glazer, Al Hoff:
man, F. etormer, Richard lowrie. Charles Jen-
kins, Thomas A. Black George Glenn And drer
Cherry aud John Burkhart
The wounded taken out are: Anthony Volk
Lew Rafert Thomas Barrett, A. C. Mercer Webb
Koolns2n' William Partee, Henry Woodruff
EbenZer LEIGH, William Long and William
live y
Bowen. Merrill & Co. carried a stock valued
at Sl25,0O on which there is an insurance OF
$4,000. The building was valued at $50 OO)
Ii. p: Wasson, dealer in dry goods, suffered a
loss of $4,000. Several smaller stocks were
badly damaged.
DIGGING FOR THE DEAD.
Workmen are digging in q mass of brick iron
ana mortar trying to eNtricate man whose
face is bloody and bruised, which appears lust
above the debris. He is supposed to be Daniel
Jones, pipeman. His feet are cauIht by huge
iron girder, and he is being literally Piled with
stimulants 10 keep him alive.
underneath him is another man supposed to
pc dead. The scenes at the fire headquarters
nave been only exceeded IN pathetic interest by
those at the homes of the dead tiremen
Old men, fathers of the young men who lost
tbeir lives, wives, mothers and children of the
dead and living, crowded into the room seeking
information of their loved ones, and getting
none, have rushed to the scene of the fire, and
by their frantic appeals made doubly arduous
me WORK OF those endeavoring to get at The men
imprisoned beneath the ruins.
The first ambulance to leave the scene of the
hre carried the remains of the first four men
taken from beneath the fallen floors They
were followed by an impromptu procession of
carriages. wagons and pedestrians, and pro-
ceeded first to the undertaking establishments
and then to the homes of the deceased, where
in two instances their coming gave the first inti-
nation OF sorrow that had fallen on the home
The cause of the disaster is as vet not cuite
appare5t During the two hours and q half
that the fire was burning there had been
scarcely a hame visible to the spectators in the
streets and alleys, though there was q volume
o, smoke SO dense as to .ly obstruct the
vision.
About O'Clock the first entrance to the build.
ing was made by the fTemen, who were previ-
ousy held back by smoke.
suddenly there came a crash, and the whole
building except the Washington street side fell
in. Firemen were on earh of the three floors
and the roof, and they were, of course, carried
down in the collapse.
1t would seem that the building was INSULT
ciently tied to those on either side of IT, and the
hames ate hole in the center letting the
whole cave in. It i. feared there may be many
other bodies in the debris.
ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS
IATER-At midnight the rescuers have par
TALLY released the man supposed to be Edward
Jones. 1t will take an hour or two more hard
work TO get him out.
He is alive but dellrious. 1t is reported that
three little newsboys were seen standing near
the fire. If This is SC there is little hope for their
lives
One of the tiremen who managed TO make his
escape from the cellar is practically unhurt He
says he thinks there are two or three men down
there yet. completely covered by mass of
burned timbers.
Several of the injured firemen who are able to
ia TX We're seen by reporter tonight, but could
add no information to what is given above. All
they k ew was that IS they were working,
without even preliminary crack the collapse
came, aud they were precipitated into the pit
below.
All but two or three of the dead and injured
fremen had homes and families and the scenes
at those places to night were heartbreaking.