The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-01-24
ELEVATOR BURNED DOWN
Costly Blaze Which Ran. It's Course I'm
molested and Made q Total Ruin.
No Water Near-0ne Hundred and Seventy
Insurance Ninety Thousand Dollars

This morning oil that is left of elevator
b is heap of ashes and charred timbers.
with the tall brick chimney towering IN
the air from a mass of twisted and bent
iron. which once composed the engine and
machinery for hosting grain from the
cars into the bins in the build
ing. The building was totally destroyed
by fire last night without an effort being
made to save it. 1t is supposed to have
caught from q hot journal on the top floor.
but it is also said that the fire was frat dis
covered on the lower floor. near the engine
room. by William WInklemsn, a young
man residing as No. 80 Harding street.
West Indianapolis, and but short dis
lance from the elevator. About s o'clock
he noticed q small blaze between two doors
near the engine-room. At this time the
blaze was scarcely larger than q mans hat.
but was making rapid Roadway and en-
largiDg each moment. The night watch
man discovered the flames about the
same time, and fastened to the Ohio.
Indiana & Western round. house
and sounded an alarm from Box 421. Tho
department responded promptly, but 1t
was seen that with almost no facilities at
hand for fighting the fire. it would be
useless to attempt to save the building or
its contents. The nearest water was q
cistern located on Oliver avenue. 1.7OO feet
away. line OF hose was laid from this
and held in readiness to protect long.
low granary to the left of the elevator, In
which was stored about 1900 bushels of
oats. The building was ubstantially
built the walls being made of heavy tim
bers laid one upon another after the
manner of o brick wall. and they burned
slowly. AS the fire burned its way to the
center of the building the great bins OF
grain were opened, and grain burned and
parched poured out of the burning struo:-
ure In bright streams. Along the north
side of the building. standing on the side
tracks. were fCrty-twO carloads OF corn
and oats. received yesterday too late for
unloading. These were in imminent danger
of destruction, and three loaded cars. be-
longing TO the Indiana. Decatur 81
Western railway. were destroyed before
they were hnally pulled away from
the burning building by q switch engine.
The firm operating the elevator, Rush ~
Co.. in addition to doing a general ele-
vator business, were themselves extern
sive dealers in grain and the greater pOr-
ton OF the grain stored In the build
ing belonged to them. There had been re-
Gently some heavy Withdrawals by persons
who had grain stored in the elevator. Tho
Acme Milling Company but q few days
since withdrew 10000 bushels of wheat,
which was stored for them in the building.
and the insurance carried was reduced
$4,000 in consequence of this withdrawal.
There were also twenty-four carloads Of
wheat withdrawn yesterday.
Mr.. George +. TOwnley, junior member
of the firm. said last night that il would
be impossib BILE to give anything like a cor
rect estimate of the amount of grain on
hand It'll there was an examination of
the books, which could not be made last
night. He said. however. that he supposed
there was about 175. oo0 bushels of grain on
h0n nd nj
will be but an insignificant sal
wage. The loss on the building
will be total and amount TO about $4,000
The insurance was nearly all placed
and was distributed through the various
agencies in the city to the amount of about
$50. 600 on building and contents. Mr..
Sayles placed in companies represented by
himself insurance as follows: On building.
5000; on IN machinery. s, 600: on boiler and
engine. $1,000; on stock. S53.OOJ. Total,
ISL, 900. Grover IL Seguin carried in the
Reading. of Reading. Pa, $500 on the
building. ~
Mr.. Rush, when asked for an estimate of
his loss, refused TO give It. saying that the
insurance companies would watch any
statement made by him. and 1t might cause
lpconvience afterwards.
Blanton Il Co.. prOprIetors of the Arcade
mills, at the corner of Maryland and Mis-
souri, streets. lost about ten thousand BUSH
els of wheat by the fire, having had that
much in storage in the building The loss
on building and contents will probably
reach $50. 600, if not exceed those figures.
Small Fire OH New York Street.
A defective fuc in the property at Nos. 10
and Is East New York street, owned by w.
III. English and occupied by Mrs. Ida Fisher.
caused a fire yesterday. resulting in q loss
of SIS The flames were eXtinguished by
the chemical company at headquarters,
which was called on q still alarm.