The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-05-14
DISCOVERY BY MRS. TALMAGE
The Great Divine Says the Lord
and Electricity Did 1t.
Regent Hotel, Two Other Churches and
Many Residences Burned, Making
the Loss Sl,700,000,

tween the pipes of the organ, and within
ten minutes the big Tabernacle was doomed
to total destruction. Adjoining the church
was the Hotel Regent eight stories high,
with a frontage of ninety feet on Clinton
avenue and extending back two hundred
feet to Waverly avenue The fire spread
from the Tabernacle to this hotel and then
to the dwelling houses on Green avenue
and Waverly avenue, opposite the church.
The wind carried the blazing cinders in
such quantities in southeasterly direction
that dwelling houses on Washington
avenue, two blocks away, and also the
Summerfield Methodist Church were set on
fire. The greatest loss, however, on any
one of these structures did not exceed
$1,000. The total loss to-day will reach
over $1,7OO,00O. Mrs. Talmage tells the fol-
lowing story of the fire:
THE Doctor was still on the pulpit shak-
ing hands with the people, of whom there
were nearly a hundred probably left. His
back was to the organ. / was standing
up at the end of the pew talking with Mr..
Martin, of Chicago, who wanted to see the
Doctor with messages from loved friends
in that city. 1 looked M toward the cell
ing and saw a tongue of flame burst out
between the pipes of the organ. 1 at once
called aloud: Doctor the church Is on fire.
He turned and told all the people to re-
tire, while he went into the study to get
a few things. l waited for him at the door.
The flames spread very rapidly, so quickly
that some of the trustees were overcome
and had TO be helped out. The Doctor
joined me soon after and we went down
TO Lafayette avenue to a friends where we
remained until could hear that friends
in the Regent were out of danger and
what prospect there was of saving. any of
the church,
DR. TALMAGES STORY.
The Doctor held quite a reception at his
home during the afternoon and made a
graphic statement of the incidents con-
nected with the fire. He said: "At the
close of the church service was standing
at the foot of the pulpit-.shaking hands
with hundreds of people from all lands
/ was about through and walked toward
the center of the church where my wife
stood, when she called my attention to
fire springing out from the top of the or
gan. 1 saw at once that it was under full
headway, and my first impulse was to
look around and how many people
were then in the house and to my great
joy there were only about twenty people
and with twenty-five doors to get out,
felt that they would all escape.
L then went into my study, back of the
platform, passing under the blazing pipes
to get my hat and coat. Then 1 said to
myself: rs it manly to run? So 1 walked
up and down the study room, rejoicing that
chance of a fatality. While in this sort of
brown. study a New York friend rushed
into the room and, taking my arm said:
Get out of this room Immediately or you'll
not get out at ALL We went out into the
church and saw one-half of the organ was
down and the fire had leaped TO the roof.
l saw that nothing could save the building
and / came OUT
tors cheeks and his voice broke as he told
the story, but In an instant he said, with
his old vigor: There is mercy on top of
hour before it would have been the calam-
ity of the century The church and all the
room Dd "a. badjoinng were were packed with people
scene one of indescribabe horror. Or IL
1t had occurred two or three hours later.
there would have been a thousand house
holds bereft in Brooklyn. Little children.
helpd hhelpless & children; what would they have
this calamity His mercy is infinite.
feel mot not the least IA & item of
less of hope for the future This long nro.
cession of disasters is inexplicable-like
what occurs sometimes in a family. four
VI i've uyluS lTOIn scarlet lever, IL is IN
explicable. We must simply accept the
fact. Our church has been burned three
times, and it has always occurred on Sum
day. Ii Is mystery that / adjourn till
the next world shall let us know.
THE LORD DID 1T.
1T is the Lord. Let Him do what SEEM
eth good in His sight"
When asked for his opinion as to the
cause of the fire, he said emphatically
Electric lights. Electricity caused this
fire, as ii that of the last Tabernacle on
! Schermerhorn street. Continuing DR.. Tai
mage said: "The fire may change my en-
tire programme. and do not think 1 will
start on my trip around the world as l
intended to-, tomorrow night l do not
know what / shall do"
The fire spread with lightninglike rapid
ity, and before sunset had destroyed prop
erty to the value of nearly s., coo, OO0 Ex-
Supervisor John Reed. who was rehearsing
with the cloir in the Summerfeld NJ E.
Church, two blocks in the rear of the
Tabernacle had discovered that the build
ing was on fire and sent in alarm TO
fire headquarters. This was quickly fol-
lowed by second, third and fourth alarm
which brought out all the apparatus in the
western district of the city. 1t was nearly
twenty minutes before the firemen arrived
the scene and half a hundred streams
Of water were turned on the blazing pile
But the church was doomed. and every
effort devoted to saving adjoining
property In three hours only the bare
walls or one or the cOStleSt structures of
Brooklyn remained standing. Long ere
this. however. ii became evident that the
Hotel Regent was doomed. The fire
started here on the second story but was
speedily extinguished. This proved TO be
only temporary relief for a little later
flames were discovered in an upper story
blowing fiercely up the air shaft. The in
fiammable nature OF the material and the
great open ampitheater of the Tabernacle
gave such a draft that the fire was forced
into Il e air in columns of glowing flames
that made fearful picture of destruction.
Flakes of burning wood and red hot ein-
ders were shot up from a volcano and
carried by a strong breeze, swept through
the air toward the residences. Before
long both sides of Greene avenue was In a
blaze So. too, were the houses on Waver-
ly avenue, but as fast as they broke out
the people and the fremen extinguishe 4
them Then the walls of the TaDernace
began TO crumble and fall. and the great
rush OF flames which followed started the
houses burning again. and at the same
time flames were seen bursting from the
roof of Summerfield NJ L. Church a short
distance away. Within a half hour the
magnificent hotel was seen 10 have Joined
the Tabernacle on the road 10 destruction
and no water could reach the fire there.
The guests I'm the hotel had lost no time
t.f-