The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-12-10
Heavy Wall Buries Four Firemen,
Whose Bodies Are Not Yet Recovered.
Nearly $500, 900 Loss by the Boone Paper Com
pany, 4. A. Menne & Co.. Bamberger. Streng
& Co., Weller, WOlfolk Co. and Others.
BURNED BEYOND RECOGNITION.
Shocking Story Told by Series of Fires at
Louisville Yesterday.

they were fighting the flames four-story
wall that had been twisted and cracked by
an all-nlght fire was seen to totter and fall
with a terrible crash, buryin the men be-
meath tons of debris. Only seven bodies,
six girls, have been recovered and these are
roasted into an almost unrecognizable
mass and bear little resemblance to hu-
man beings. The unfortunate girls were
caught in a candy factory, where nearly
forty were at work. Escape by the stair
way was cut off before half could descend.
All but seven remaining threw themselves
from the window, falling three stories to a
shed below and suffering excruciating in
juries, many of which it is believed will
prove fatal.
Those known to be dead are:
LULU KERN, 1902 West Main street.
CARRIE LOCKHA RDT. 1920 Cane street
BARBARA BELL, 1928 Rogers street.
AMANDA DICKEY, 1902 West Market street
CLARA RAUCH, 1913 Logan street.
IDA BELLE PARKER, SO East Broadway.
UNKNOWN GIRL, not identified.
WILLIAM HUIsEMEIER. 527 Walnut street
CHARLES KIMMEL, 545 East Madison street
JAMES MUNDWEILER.
THOMAS BUCHOLDER.
The following firemen of Hook and Ladder
Truck No. l:
ANTHONY sCHLICK, formerly of Madison,
Ind.
THOMAS MOORE.
SAMUEL BAKER.
WILLIAM DAVIS.
The injured are:
MAJOR HUGHES, chief of the fire department,
in collision with the Salvage Corps wagon. He
was unconscious for six hours and may not re-
cover.
HENRY wEATHERFoRD, chiefs assistant, who
accompanied the chief, and received'a broken
wrist.
ENGINEER JAMES MUTT, of Engine IS. back
hurt internal injuries, and probably crippled for
life.
KATIE MCCARTNEY, leg broken. internal in
juries.
THERESA HoLTHAUs, bruised about the head,
face and arms.
EDWARD INIGEs, body bruised.
LILLE GRESEwAID, slightly bruised.
PATRICK SHEEHEY. ladderman of truck No. :,
badly cut about wrist and arms
ALLEN GRIMES, candy-maker. internal injuries.
The fremen had been fighting the fire in
the Boone Paper Company's Building all
night long. and were not aware that the
walls were dangerous. at 4 o'clock this
morning fire suddenly burst forth from all
four floors of Bamberger, Streng IL Co. 8
in the building adjoining Boone's.
Many claim that an explosion occurred
in the basement. Almost instantly the
partition wall collapsed, and the
the four truckmen were crushed beneath.
1t was while driving at break neck speed
to this fire that Chief Hughes met with his
probably fatal accident. His buggy was
on the wrong side of the street, and was
run down by the Salvage Corps wagon.
The fire at Bamberger's spread rapidly, and
before the fire could be extinguished tho
wholesale boot and shoe house of Bam-
berger, Streng 81 Co.; Bliss, Wilson Il Co.,
mems furnishing and notions; Weller
Voolfolk Il Payne, boots and shoes. and
Johanboeke Il Sons, hats. had been con-
suned. 1t was with great difficulty that
the fremen prevented the flames from
spreading further.
ROASTED IN THE FLAMES.
At s o'clock another fatal fire started In
the wholesale candy and fancy grocery
house of r. A, Meune ~ Co.. at No. SIT
West Main street. just block distant
from the first, where forty girls were en-
ployed. This was the most shocking
disaster of the two. The fire caught
in one of the huge kitchens,
but was communicated to the large
store-room where was kept thousands of
dollars worth of fireworks. With the OK
plosion of these q perfect panic ensued
among the employees on the fourth floor
above the rapidly firing explosives Be-
fore half of the girls had descended the
stalrways were mass of roaring
flames from the floors below. and
no exit save the windows was
left. At the front it was four stories to the
street, and at the rear low one-story
building stood. The fire department was
so crippled by its all-night labors and the
calamity that already had befallen it as to
make it unable 10 do anything like its
usual brilliant work. In addition to that
the shooting sky-rOckets. bursting Roman
candles and exploding tire-crackers eff
fectively prevented entrance to the
building for the purpose of rescu-
ing the doomed girls. There was moth
ing to do but leap from the rear
windows, and this many of them did uni til
the sutfocating smoke from the fire. orks
rendered them UNCONSCIOUS. Those who
remained fell and were consumed in the
flames. Soon the skylight fell in. allowing
the smoke to escape at the top. Then the
fireworks ceased, and the department pro-
ceeded to fight the flames to such purpose
as to get them under control by 1890 o'clock
The rest of the day was taken up in the
search for the dead bodies. Tonight but
eight bodies had been recovered. AS fas,
as they were identified they were taken to
their respective homes. Details of citizens
turned out to assist in the work of carting
out the debris. but many tons mus,
be removed before the rest car
be reached. There is little hope
that any will be found alive. At Boone's
Block q line of hose running in under the
fallen wall is being follow ed up in the hope
that by daylight the remains of the four
truckmen will be reached
According to q conservative estimate the
losses on the ruined buildings will foot up