Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-03-18
FIREMEN CRUSHED.
A Terrible Catastrophe at
Indianapolis.
A BURNING BUILDING COLLAPSEs
Many Men Caught Under the Ruins
Ten Taken Out Dead and
Others Injured.

Ten Taken Out Dead and
Others Injured.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD
INDIANAPOLIS, March 17.-What at first
seemed an Insignificant fire in the Merrill
bookstore building, on Washington
street, this afternoon, resulted in a
catastrophe in which at least ten men
were killed and several wounded, some o.
whom will die. The fire started shortly
after 3 O'Clock near the furnace in the
sub basement, and was stubborn. About
5 80 there was terrible crash, and the
entire building, except the front wall
fell inward. At that time a number o.
fremen, variously estimated at from
eight to twenty, were on the roof of the
building, and were buried in the debris
which was piled forty feet high. I'M
mediately the work of rescuing the living
and extricating the dead was begun by
at least 500 volunteers, in addition to the
uninjured firemen and police force.
THE DEAD AND WOUNDED.
Up to 10 o'clock the following have
been taken out dead: George Faulkner
Ulysses Glazer, AL Hoffman, E. Stormer
Richard Lowrie, Charles jenkins,
Thomas A. Black, George Glenn,
Andrew Cherry, John Burkhart.
The wounded taken out are: Anthony
Volts, Lew Rafert, Thomas Barrett, A.
G. Mercer, Webb Robinson, William
Partee, Henry Woodruff. E3enezsr
LEIGH, William Leong, William Henis.
ley. Some of these, it is thought, can
not live.
The Bowen Merrill Company carried
stock valued at $125 900, on which the
insurance was $40. 600. The building
was valued at $4,000. II. P. Wasson
dry goods, suffered loss of $4,000
Several smaller stocks were badly dam
aged.
RESCUING THE VICTIMS.
The workmen digging in the mass Of
brick, iron and mortar are trying to ex'
tricate a man whose tace, bloody and
bruised, appears just above the debris.
He is supposed to be Daniel Jones, q
pipeman. His feet are caught by huge
iron girder. and he is being literally
piled with stimulants to keep him alive.
Underneath him is another man sup
posed to bs dead.
SCENES OF SORROW.
The scenes at fire headquarters have
been only exceeded in pathetic interes
by those at the homes of the dead fire
men. Old men, the fathers of the young
men who lost their lives, the wives
mothers and children of the dead
crowded into the room, seeking informa
ton of their loved ones, and getting
none, have rushed to the scene of tbs
fire, and by their frantic appeals made
doubly arduous the work of those en-
deavoring to get at the men imprisoned
beneath the ruins.
The first ambulance to leave the seen.
of the fire carried the remains of the frs
four men taken from beneath the faller
floors. They were followed by an i'm
promptu procession of carriages, wagons
and pedestrians, and proceeded fret t;
undertaking establishments, and ther
to the homes of the deceased, where il
two instances their coming gave the frs
intimation of the sorrow that had faller
on the home.
THE CAUSE OF THE DISASTER
Is, as yet, not quite apparent. During
the two hours and half that the fire wal
burning there had scarcely been flame
visible to the spectators in the streets
and alleys, though there was a volume
of smoke 80 dense ss to utterly obstruc
the vision. About O'Clock the first en-
trance to the building was made by toe
tiremen, who were previously held bacl
by the smoke. Suddenly there came {
crash, and the whole building except the
Westinghouse front fell in. Firemer
we're on each of the three floors and the
roof, and they were, of course, carried
down in the collapse. 1t would seem
that the building was insufficiently tiel
to those on either side of it, and the
flames ate a hole in the center, letting
the whole cave in. 1t is feared there are
many other bodies in the debris.
REsCUERs STILL AT WORK.
Lateral midnight the rescuers have
partially releas d the man supposed tc
be Ed Jones. 1t will take an hour OF
two more of hard work to get him out
He is alive but delirious. 1t is reported
that three little newsboys were seen
oeohuiuk n0dI tuo WELL JuSI UolOT6 LH6 CUl'
lapse, watching the fremen. If this is
true there is little hope for their lives.
One of the fremen, who managed
to make his escape practically
unhurt from the cellar, says he
thinks there are two or three
men down there yet, completely
covered by the mass of burned timbe
Several of the injured fremen who are
able to talk were seen by a reporter
tonight, but could add no information to
what is given above. All they knew was
that as they we're working, without even
a preliminary crack, the collapse came
and they we're 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
tonight were heartrending.
OTHER FIRES.
AUSTIN, MINI March 1.-THE resi-
dence of F. Augustus CARL and wife,
early settlers in this county, was burned
Saturday night, and the old folks per-
ished in the flames. Nothing is known
about the origin of the fire.
BUTLER, Pa, March 17-Couriers from
Harrisville, thirty miles west of here,
report that the town is burning. A
bucket brigade is fighting the flames,
but there is little hope of saving the
town.