Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-03-22
A DISASTROUS FIRE.
Ten Men Lose Their Lives and
a Score are Wounded.
Collapse Of a burning building In
Indianapoiis-.Men Piuioned Be-
meath Thinkers Die In Agony.

Collapse Of Burning building in
Indianapoiis-.Men Piuioned Be-
meath Timbers Die In Agony.
What at first seemed an Insignificant fire
in the Bowen Merrill bookstore at Iudiauapo-
lis, Ind, resulted in catastrophe in which
at least ten men were killed and dozen
wounded, some OF whom will die.
The building occupied by the book com
pauy was four story and Easement marble
front buliing facing Washington street,
just west of Meridian. The fire started short
ly before three o'clock P. NJ, near the fur
mace in the sub-basement.
The fire department, when it arrived,
seemed at loss TO locate the fire, and Logan
pouring water into the building at the front,
when the seat OF the trouble was in the rear
For two hours the flght had continued this
way, until a majority Of the sp ctators had
left, under tn, impression that the fire was
out. About 5. 80, however, there was a terri
BILE crash, ami the entire building, except
the front wal fell inward.
At the time number OF tiremen, variously
estimated at eight to twenty, were on the
roof OF the building and were buried in the
debris which was piled forty feet high within
the walls of the burned building.
Immediately the work Of rescuing the iiv'
ing aud extricatiug the o'ad was begun by
at least $40 volunteers who, in addition TO
the injured firemen and members of the
police force, formed strong corps OF work
ers
At times their ears would be greeted by the
groans of the wounded underneath the ruins,
and then the work would be pushed with re-
newed vigor. For three hours the forces
laboTei to rescue the wounded and recover
the dead.
"Here's Wells twas the cry. A cheer broke
out among the band of rescuers, and through
an opening in the ruins appeared the black
ened. grimy face of the vete an of No 5.
''fm not hurt, boys, but there are others
in there who are, he said, pointing to the
cellar.
He was at once clrrie1 into Sloan's drug
store, where DIR. Garfield examined his in
juries, which consisted Of a badly bruised
and cut left leg. Robertson, or "Wells," as
he is more familiarly called, gives the follow
ing account OF the disaster;
81 was working In the cellar when the
crash came, and / was knocked down, and
must have lost consciousness for a moment.
When | recovered ! found that piece OF
timber had lodged across my leg, aud held
me fast. Espey Stormsr l could hear calling
for help about ten feet away. He was IN u
worse place than ! was, ami he became quiet
after a time. l struggled hard to get free, as
IL was lbttlDi1 nObt ahu INC buhhi biiuDci .
were all around me. l jerked my leg free at
last, and crawied out between the wall and
the rulns.n
The scenes at the fire headquarters were
only exceeded in pathetic interest by those
at The homes of the dead firemeD. Old men,
fathers of the younger N who last their
lives, wives, mothers and children OF the dead
and living have crowded into the room seek
ing information of their loved ones. and get
ing none, have rushed to the scene OF the fire,
and by their frantic appeals have made
doubly arduous the work Of those endeavor-
ing to get at those imprisoned beneath the
ruins.
The first ambulances to leave the scene of
the five carried the remains of the first four
men taken from ben ath the fallen floors.
Theg were followed by an impromptu pro-
cession OF carria es wagons and pedestrians,
and proceeded d st to the Undertaking es-
tablisnments and then to the homes of the
deceased, where in two instances their com
ing gave the first intimation OF the sorrow
that had fallen on the home.