The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-03-27
UNDER FALLING WALLS.
TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE AT AN IN
DIANAPOLTS FIRE.

The Book and Stationery Store of Bowen
& Merrill in Ashes a Falling Wall
During the Progress of the Blaze
Hurls Many Firemen Into the Blazing
Ruins.
Indianapolis Ind.) dispatch: The
shocking catastrophe during the fire at
Bowen Sc Merrill's book store has thrown
a pail of gloom over the entire city.
One more dead body has been taken
| from the debris and this incre asses the
number of killed to eleven. Others are
thought to be buried under the pile of
masonry that fell into the alley. Many
| people were standing in the opening be-
hind the. Brunswick billiard hall wheu
| the crash came and it is said that some
of them were buried under the falling
mass. Search is now being made for
| them.
Shortly after midnight the searching
| party discovered a man in the ruins,
| and as large beam had fallen across
his body he was somewhat protected
| from the piles of brick and stone that
came down with the wall. He was pin
Toned to the ground, but the weight
upon him was not sufficient to crush out
his life. He could not be reached, how
ever, on account of the pile of stuff that
was above him, and life would surely be
| extinct before he could be rescued if he
| did not receive some bodily strength. A
| peculiar device was reSorted to. A rub
| Der tube was lowered to the unfortunate
mans mouth, and IN this manner he was
| fed with whisky
For over fourteen hours he lay in his
dangerous position. Every minute it
was expected that the huge piece of
timber would sink and crush out what
life remained in the man, and the res
cuerS worked heroically to release him.
At intervals of a half hour the mar was
given little whisky through the tube,
and he was able to bear up until he was
released.
| 1t was 9:45 o'clock Tuesday morning
when he was taken from the ruins, and
| a cheer went up from the crowd when
| they saw that he was alive and would
probably live
The excitement was intense during the
many hours the rescung party was
working hard to get at the man. All
| this time he was conscious, and he look
ed up pleadingly at the men who finally
succeeded in saving him.
The building occupied by the book
company was a fOur-stOry and basement
marble front, facing Washington street
| just west of Meridian. The fire started
shortly before O'clock near the fur
| mace of the Sub-baSement, and the de-
partment, when it arrived, seemed at q
loss to locate the flames and began pour
ing water into the front of the building.
For two hours the fight had continued
in this way until d majority of the spec
tators had left, under the impression
that the fire was out.
About $50 O'Clock, however, there
was terrific crash and the entire build
ing, with the exception of the front wall,
fell inward. At the time number of
tiremen were on the roof and were bur
led in the debris, which was piled forty
feet high within the walls of the burned
building.
The work of rescuing the living and
eXtricating the dead was Immediately
begun by at least five hundred volun-
teers. At late hour the following ten
men had been taken out dead;
GEORGE FAULKNER.
ULYSSES GLAZIER.
AL HOFFMAN.
THOMAS S. BURKHARDT.
EPSEY STORMER.
RICHARD LOWRIL.
CHARLES JENKINS.
THOMAS A. BLACK.
ANDREW CHERRY, superintendent of
fire alarm system.
An unknown man.
The injured are:
ANTHONY VOLTZ, pipeman.
LEW RAFERT, fireman.
THOMAS BARRETT. fireman.
A. @. MERCER, captain fire department.
SAMUEL w. NEAL, pipeman.
THOMAS A. BLACK, pipeman.
WEBB ROBINSON. pipeman.
WILLIAM PARTEE, pipeman: internally
hurt may die.
HENRY WOODRUFF, pipeman; badly hurt.
EBENEZER LEIGH. pIpeman; cut and
bruised
Tom TALENTYRE, foreman engine No. .;
fatally crushed
WILLIAM LEONG. pipeman; slightly hurt.
CHARLES JENKINS. pipeman: badly bruised.
WILLIAM HEINSLEY, pipeman; badly hurt.
JOHN BURKHART. pipeman; badly hurt
about the head.
The Bowen Merrill Company carried
stock valued at 1925, 900, on which there
was an insurance of $4,000 The build
ing was owned by Silas T. Bowen, and
the loss on the structure will be $50, 900.
H. P. Wass son, dealer in dry goods, suf-
fered loss Of $4,000 by smoke and