The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-11-03
DIsSECTING ROOM WITH TWENTY
TWO BODIES CONSUMED.
Indiana Medical College Loses a VAL
liable Collection Of Specimens
School Will Continue.
INSURANCE is LACKING
SCOTTISH RITE BUILDING ROOF TOP
PIED THROUGH.
Miraculous Escapade of Al Meurer,
Who Fell Through to the Floor
Without Injury.

WltnOut
At 3:15 O'Clock this morning box 81 called
the fire department to the corner of Penn
sylvania and Maryland streets, where the
block occupied by the Indianapolis Natural
Gas Company and the Indiana Medical Col
lege was ins blaze The flames were leap
ing from the college apartments and from
the caves 1t early appeared that the whole
building was doomed and in five minutes a
second alarm was sounded. Before this de-
alarm was sounded. The whole block
seemed in danger by this time, the Scot
tish Rite building having caught fire. The
wind was blowing stifiy and seemed to
coax the element on to its destructive
work. The origin of the fire is entirely un-
known and it is evident that the flames
had spread throughout the entire upper
section Of the building before they were
noticed at all.
John Koffel, night watchman at the gas
company's office, discovered the fire. He
heard slight noise in the upper floors. He
went to the window and looked up towards
the roof of the building and saw immense
volumes of smoke pouring from the win
dows. He Immediately rushed to the engine
house on Maryland street and sounded the
alarm. When. the department arrived there
were no flames yet visible, but there was
evident danger in the appearance of the
situation.
1t was but a very short time till the
flames were bursting from all of the win
dows on the Pennsylvania-str front of
the building. 1t then became apparent
that the quarters of the Indiana Medical
college were doomed to destruction.
The floor of the dissecting room is COW
cred at all times with sawdust which is
usually or less wet, and the fire
could hardly have originated in that. The
iues from the furnace pass up through
the center of the building. and that is
most likely where the origin was.
Fears soon began to be expressed for the
safety of the Scottish Rite Building, which
adjoins the gas companys building on the
north. Although there was a torrent of
water being poured through the windows 1t
seemed but to increase the fury of the
flames. which rapidly ate their way onward
despite the most persistent efforts of the
department. 1t was then conceded that
the gas company's building was doomed,
and the night watchman and employees
about the building began to carry out
the most valuable of the books.
In the dissecting room were twenty-five
bodies, which were all consumed. The room
is on the third floor and, of course. no one
could see how they looked during the
progress of the fire, but from the peculiar
that they were being consumed. They were
all lying exposed separate tables in the
room just as they had been left at o'clock
last night by the students. In the cellar
there were number more in the vats, but
these were not injured.
The loss of the college will be heavy.
One of the finest medical libraries in the
West was in the front room on the second
floor A large number of these books were
contributed by the late Dr. Bobbs and the
library bore his name. The library was
probably worth $4,000. The loss on the
chemical laboratory will reach at least
$1,000 or 1880 more
SPREADS TO SCOTTISH RITE.
While the fire department was fighting
valiantly against the flames in the gas
office they were unaware that the flames
had already spread to the Scottish Rite
building. Such was the fact, however, and
it was soon made apparent that the flames
had made no little headway In this build
ing. Suddenly they burst through the win
dows of this building. and then IL was
seen that the whole interior OF the Masons.
building on the upper floors was flame.
and 1t was no telling where the flames
might spread before they could be checked.
The pathological specimens Of the college