The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-04-15


stairs in herd and were burned 10 death
by wholesale The policeman was forced
to grope his way down through binding
smoke and reached the street dazed ana
nearly unconscious
The excitement among the freaks VINO
were on exhibition on the third floor was
pitiful to behold. They were practically
unable to help themselves, owing 10 their
abnormal development or lack OF devei-
opment, and could only with difficulty De
restrained from throwing themselves from
the windows. Clarence Dale, the Dig
headed boy; Zola Lorenzo, the Albinoj
Nine. Carver, the fat woman. who weighs
900 pounds, and her son. Who IS wee
mite of boy, and exhibited al midget,
were on the platforms. Mime. Carver hob
bled down from the platform, and sewing
the midget, dragged herself 10 the re.'r
window and was about to throw the chid
out, when she was restrained by Manager
Belmont, who, with difficulty, escorted
them down the stairway. A. ID. Lafayette,
the father of the big-headed boy, who was
so top-heavy that he could not navigate
alone rushed to the assistance of his son,
and while leading him out found the Al
bino almost blind, by reason OF her weak
eyes, cropping about IN the smoke. With
the big-headed boy under his arm he
seized the AlbinO and dragged, rather
than led, her to the stairway and reached
the street.
1t took forty fire engines and nearly 800
firemen tn bring the fire under subjection.
Several times it seemed as if the men
would be compelled to abandon their en-
gines so intense was the heat, but cheernd
on by indefatigable superiors, they man
aged to withstand the heat by turning the
hose upon themselves. The nerve dis
played by the firemen was heightened by
the fact that all the time they knew at
least hundred barrels of oil were stored
in the basement of the Smyth establish
ment likely at any time to create terrific
explosion.
Just before the west wall OF the Smyth
building fell a yenturesome lad climbed
up To the third floor of the building adj
joining, and stood watching the flames
from his lofty position. When the wall
toppled over with a loud crash and the
smoke cleared away he was not seen
where he had been standing, and 1t Is
feared that he went down with the debris
and was lost in the fire, where the heat
was too intense for the firemen to make
any search for the body, and it will be at
least two days before the ruins are sui
ficiently cooled 10 attempt the search.
The loss, aggregating over thrse-qnar-
ters of million dollars, is distributed IS
follows: John VI. Smyth, furniture stock
and building, S50C.00O; Kohl d Middleton,
curiosities. fixtures and building, SS5,0C0;
Neely Bros, boots and shoes. $4,000;
Adelbert Kaempfer, jewelry, $4,000;
Alfred Peatz. wall paper, $4,000; Baer
Bros. hats, $4,000; NJ. lrrman, cigars and
tobacco, So, 900; Hannah 4 Hogg, liquors,
$4,000; Boyal tailoring company, S6,OOO
Oh ri If ofiu
cation property in the rear of the Smyth
block. $, 900; miscellaneous losses, 50, ,000
The insurance will be very light, John NJ.
Smyth carrying only about $4,000,
while Kohl & Middleton aud VI. Irrman
carried no insurance whatever, having
allowed their policies to expire without
renewal, as they had intended moving
within fortnight.
The fire in the Haymarket theater wss
discovered Just 20 minutes before tine close
of the last act. The smoke was barely per-
cept:ble when the manager stepped out on
the stage and endeavored to persuade the
audience to file out In order. At this NO
ment some one III the audience shouted
fire" and q panic seemed imminent. The
excitement was partially subdued by
prompt work on the part of the ushers and
the thester was cleared in fairly good or
gun a weeks engagement. Their scenery
and effects were removed without damage.
While the fire was at its worst side
walk at the corner OF UniOn-st. and Me
ridian court collapsed, and precipitsted
forty people into an excavation. Miss
Bessie Higgins was probably fatally in
jured by the fall. Bernard Sloth had
lex broken.
When the fire broke out, DR.. J. T. Ber-
geron was attending Mrs. Sarah Macks in
flat in one OF the buildings subsequently
burned. When the fire got 100 close DIR.
Bergeron seized the suffering woman, and,
wrapping her in blankets, descended three
flights of stairs with his burden and car
ricd her to a refuge near by. In less than
fifteen minutes a Tne girl baby was born
amid the crash of falling walls and the
hoarse shouts Uf the iiremen.
Both mother and child are doing well.
DR.. Bergeron lost a valuable set OF iustru-
ments and his Overcoat and hat in the fire,
but tonight was happy in having saved his
patients life.
Francis Gamble, who was struck by fly
ing debris during the fire. but was not
supposed to be dangerously hurt, died at
the county hospital shortly before mid
night.
The episcopal cathedral on Washington
DOuleNdTQ DeChlDe lRuIlCu holH hsthS
sparks during the progress OF the fire, but
the blaze which had attacked the roof
was extinguished before gaining head
way.
One of the most exciting incidents OF
the fire was panic which seizeI the
boarders OF the Haymarket hotel. When
the flames leaped across the street setting
fire to the front entrance, about forty OF
the occuDantS of the hotel including the
servant girls and other employees, made
simultaneous effort to depart by the
back stairway. The latter is mar
row winding affair and became blocked,
resulting in the mob being
pretty badly bruised and frightened be-
fore ehecting release. Charles Messen-
ger. travelling salesman, was asleep IN
his room and was suffocating, with the left
sic of his face badly burned, when he
was found and carried out. Gettmann,
the proprietor of the hotel, said that fully
sixty guests had lost all their belongings.
He estimates his loss at $1,000.