Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1890-03-20
FIRE HORROR.
About Twenty Firemen Buried
Under Falling Walls.
List of Part of the Dead and Wounded
Energetic and DinicuIt Work Of
Rescue r. The building
"FIre-ProoE"


INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, March lS.--Yes
terday afternoon fire from a furnace in
the large book publishing establishment
OF the Boven-Merrill Company reached
some paper, and in an instant the flames
were carried by the elevator shaft to the
fourth story. The building, a fine stone
and iron structure, fronting on Wash
ington street, was stored with books and
stationery OF all kinds. This large
stock was consumed and the building
wrecked. At $3.50 o'clock this loss OF
more than $4,000 on building and
stock was followed by tho falling in of
the roof which carried more than
twenty persons down with in, including
those who were working on the various
floors.
The fire at this hour had been driven
to a corner between the ceiling OF the
fourth story and the cornice. Parts Of
the companies were on the roof working
their way down to the fire. The roof
seemed sound and the walls substantial,
but suddenly the walls yielded A man
threw up his arms and sank into the
seething ruins below. Another man
| dropped, and then the whole rear roof,
| with fifteen men on IL, fell on to the
top floor, where the fire was raging.
Four men were on the upper floor under
the root. These were crushed beneath
the grinding timbers and all the men
hurled through the falling floor beneath,
which gave way beneath the weight OF
the mass.
One OF the fremen on the top Of the
adjoining building ran to the front OF
the building and shouted TO those be-
low: For Gods sake throw water into
the upper windows. Twenty men are
buried there"
Instantly ambulances were telephoned
for and presently the crowd below
moaned under the portcntous develop
ments. The scene on tho heap Of de-
bris Immediately after the collapse was
pitlable and dreadful beyond all power
OF description. The limbs OF men here
and there were seen writhing, while the
trunks TO which they belonged were hid
den from sight A ladder across three
mon was weighted down with tons Of
bricks and timber.
Another poor fellow, who was beyond
all pain, lay los. beside his fellows
shapeloss and mangled mass. The lad
der lay across the stomach OF one man,
who was screaming with agony; another
man, with broken arm and twisted
body, lay next to him. As fast as will
ing hands could hurl away the bricks
the weight was removed, but the ladder
was held too nrmly to yield The man
with broken arm was dragged free and
carried away. Under him, mute, but
breathing, appeared the upturned face
OF a poor fellow not seen before. The
mortar and dust was cleaned from his
lips, but he was buried SO deeply that no
immediate help could come to him.
On all sides blackened and bleeding
faces, distorted with agony or dreadful
in death, urged the crowd who had
scaled the heap to assist them to re-
double their efforts. The debris had
fallen SO that 1t lay with valley shaped |
surface, and this made the available
space for work very small.
AS fast as tho men at work became |
exhausted others stood ready and anx- |
ious to fill their places, so there was |
not a moment Of delay of the labor Of |
relief Every moment was filled with |
an awful suspense, for all were thinking
of the friends who lay buried beneath.
Names which men inquired after were
passed hurricdly from lip to lip, and
people bent down TO scan closely the
blackened and Scared faces Persons
Fua.. L. -
or among citizens who were supposed
10 have been in or near the fatal walls,
became frantic as time passed and they
could get no word. As the wounded
we're carried out OF the ruins they were
met with embraces and tears Of JOY, but
wheu the still, broken forms were borne
away, motionless and limp, then IL was
when the full sadness and horror Of the
came upon the waiting crowd
At 1880 p. m, twenty men had been
taken from the ruins, nine Of whom
we're dead and the rest more or less in
ured
Following is the list of dead George
Faulkner, engineer No. 1 company;
George Glenn, fireman No. 10; Ulysses
ilazier, substitute fireman; Al Hoff-
nan. pipeman; William Parties, pipe
nan; Henry Woodruff, pipeman Tom
ralentyre, foreman engine No. ,; Dick
Lowry, pipeman; Walter Jones, pipe
nan; Andrew CHEEKY, superintendent
Ire alarm system.
Wounded-Anthony Voltz, pipeman;
lew Raffcrt fireman; Thomas Barren,
ireman; A. c. Mercer. captain fire de-
,artment; Samuel w. Neal, pipeman;
Thomas a. Black, pipeman; Webb Rob
nson, pipeman, slightly; William Long,
Dipeman. slightly hurt; Charles Jenkins
lipeman, badly bruised; William Helms
ey, pipeman, badly hurt; John Burk I
ardt, pipeman, badly hurt about the ]
cad; Ebenezer Leech, pipeman, cut and {
ruised. I
The Bowen-Merill Company carried a I
took valued at s125. 600, on which there
fas an insurance Of $40, 600 The build q
ng was owned by Silas T. Bowen, and {
he loss on that will be $50, 600. H. 7. {
Vasson, dry goods, suffers loss Of $40, '
90 by smoke and water and Bryan & S
ullivan, dry goods half that amount. q