The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-05-26
WESTINGHOUSE FIRES
Both of Them 0ccnr in the Dreaded
Bowen Merrill Alarm District.
Destroyed at Bddle's Gallery-Water
Causes q Fire az the Danbury.

Two ares. In quick succession, In the
business portion of the city. held the de-
partment at hard work for several hours
Inst night. The first alarm was sounded
from Box IS. at the corner of Meridian and
Washington streets. Ii was from this box
that the alarm was sounded for the fatal
Bowen-Merrill fire, and ever since that
time an alarm from it causes the fire
boys considerable anxiety. and on
| this occasion the first fears of
bad results were increased as soon as they
| arrived upon the scene. The fire was in
| the upper part OF the buildings at Nos. 10,
| Is and 90 East Washington and II seemed
| to have enveloped the whole upper portion
| of the building before the department ar
rived. 1t was several minutes before the
streams that were turned upon it had any
noticeable effect. and several times it was
| thought that the fire boys would be unable
| to hold il within bounds.
| The building is an old four-story brick
structure with number of frame parti-
| tions in the upper floors and had the fire
| once got hey ond ontrol 1t would have been
| impossi BILE to have subdued il before the
entire building was In ashes. and. in all
probability. the buildings west OF it and
| possibly the new Lombard building. just
| TO the east, would have been more or less
damaged. The fire started In the tank
room of BIssell's PHOTOGRAPH gallery. on the
fourth floor. This room is small apart
ment. about six feet square, between the
finishing and the printing room. The ORR
gin is unknown. There was nothing in the
! room but a large water tank. to be used In
an emergency. when the water supply
should be cut OF.
Mr.. and Mrs. Biddle, proprietors of the
| photograph gallery. which sustained the
principal loss. occupy apartments In the
| binding. and were awakened by the
| smoke entering their apartments. About
the same time it was discovered by per-
sons upon the street. the smoke having be-
| gun to pour fourth from the upper in
dows of the building III immense
| Volumes. The alarm was sounded by per-
sons from the street while Mr.. BID
ole was descending the stairs for the
| same purpose. The entire upper floors
were occupied by the photograph gallery
and the floor whore all the negatives were
kept was the only part reached by the fire.
The books of the. gallery show that there
| was over 5000 negatives In The room aud
not one of these was left intact. In the lot
| were some very valuable ones and some OF
those of tho city's prominent dead. There
were negatives in stock of ex-Vice Presi-
dent Thomas A. Hendricks. ex-Gov. Oliver
+. Morton and Mrs. Harrison. Mr.. Bissell
last night estimated his loss at between
$500 and $4,000 with insurance to the
amount OF 1000 placed through Alex. Metz
gers agency. The other tenants of the
buildings were ITheo. Porter. tailor: Mrs.
PheIan. hair goods; G. Is. Wood. halter,
and Dr. Earhart. dentist. The loss TO none
of these will be great. coming entirely from
water. The store rooms on she ground
floor of the buildings were occupied by ii.
A. Comsio ck. jewelry; John Norris. shoes.
and John A. Craig, confectionery. the
damage 10 the two former tenants will be
slight; Craig. however. Will suffer consid-
| cradle loss from water descending from
above the fire having started over his
store.
Mr Craig sald last night that 1t was i'm
possible TO estimate his loss but il would
| not be small. All of his stock was ruined
toy the water, and the greater part of the
decorations In the room will have TO be
taken down and replaced. The building
at Nos. Is and 70 was owned by the Won
Hake heirs who are represented by
Franklin Vonnegut. their guardian. The
building at No. 10 is owned by Mrs. Nc
| Ouat. but was managed by her brother,
Wesley Il. Burford. The loss so far as the
buildings are concerned. is small and con-
fined to the VOnIlake heirs building. Ii
Will probably not amount to more Than
All of the department apparatus had not
left the scene before there was another cry
of fire. and it was but few seconds till the
report was verified By the sight of large
way leading into the cellar of the
Dsnbury Hat Companys establishment.
| just one block west. Patrolmen Kruger
and kerins, who had been on duty at the
other fire. were returning 10 their district
| when they noticed little smoke issuin q
from the cellar of the building. Ii cOntin.
ued 10 increase In volume very rapidly,
| and they gave the alarm. The companies
still at the otner fire were quickly called
westward, and another alarm sounded
from Box 45 to recall the companies
which had departed for their houses.
Axes were brought into play, and an en-
| trance forced into the cellar. which was
found to be half full Of wateT, that W as
rising very RAPIDLY. 1t was impossible to
enter the place With any view Of worKIng.
| and the streams that we've turned on were
| very effectively at such d;sad vantage. The
smoke from the burning cloth drove tho
men back from the windows several times
| bat only for few minutes. The cellar w as
all the while rapidly filling with
water till 10 came within a few feet OF the
top. The firemen thought that the fire
| could not long stand such volume OF
water. and they were right for il soon sue.
cum bed to the steady pour. The cellar was
filled with spring goods recently received,
oil OF which were ruined either by the lire
or the flood of water. Mr. Kleinsmith. the
proprietor of the place. last night es-
timsted his loss at about $1,000.
fully covered by insurance. He had
just received several large shipments Of
spring goods, including straw and light
colored wool hats shirts and neckwesr. and
all this was in the cellar. He said that the
entire stock In the store would he slightly
damaged by smoke. His insurance IS
placed AS follows: American Fire Insur-
ance Company OF New York. s.. 900. IN four
policies; London and Lancashire of Liver
pool. $4,000; National Fire Insurance of
Hartford. Conn.,. $1,000; Continental
The building. which is owned by
l.. L. BurfOrd was not thought TO be great.
| ly damaged, and is insured for IS. goo In tn o
Scottish Union Of Edinburgh. The water
had also found an entrance TO the cellar of
| William b. Burfords printing establish
ment. just one door east, anu flooded the
cellar under that building. In the Burford
cellar was q quantity of stock paper. w hich
will he ruined by the water, but Mr.. Bur-
ford said last night that he did not think
his damage would amount to more than q
few hundred dollars.
The origin of the fire at this place was
singular. water main upon Washin gton
street, immediately In front of the build.
ing, had burst. and the water had found
outlet through the coal vaults under tn q
sidewalk and into the cellar. The
cellar under the hat compsny's room
was filled with paper hat boxes.
most of which contained goods.
These were fioated upon the surface of the
water and the water rose higher they
were brought into contact with gas JET
and ignited. thus starting the fire. There
of in this ae-