The Indianapolis journal., 1895-11-03
THE FIREMEN ESCAPE
FIRE ENGINE NO. AND A CHEMICAL
COLLIDE At FULL SPEED.
An Accident mt West and Michigan
Sfreets-Mat Rogers and VIII
Iism Gano Bruised.

The engine from the No. company, on
West Washington street. and the chemical.
from headquarters, came together with
crash at Michigan and West streets. shortly
after l o'clock this morning. and the men
on both vehicles we're dashed 10 the hard
pavement, but by remarkable good fortune
none of them were seriously injured The
horses attached to the apparatus were going
at full speed at the time of the mishap, the
chemical dashing into the engine and throw
ing that heavy piece or mechanism. which
weighs $500 pounds, against sharp curb
at the northwest corner of the street. The
injured firemen are:
William Gano. engineer of No. g. badly
bruised and injured on the head.
Matthew Rogers, driver of engine. badly
bruised.
Lewis Moore, driver of chemical. bruised
and head cut
The department was called out by an
alarm from box No. 36, at Indiana avenue
and ST. Clair street. The engine from the
West Washington street house, in respond
ing, went directly up West street. The
chemical. from headquarters. went out Ind'-
ana avenue, and, instead of continuing out
that street to st. Clair, driver Moore turned
west on Michigan in order to get the benefit
of drive over that street. which is i'm
proved with brick, to Blake. John Monahan,
captain of the company. was the seat
with the driver, while fireman w. 7. Coch-
rane was on the rear step. Matthew Rogers
was driving the team attached TO the en-
gine while Gano was at the firebox
stoking. The chemical the
first to reach the intersection of the two
streets but the engine. headed north on
West street, was only second behind.
Moore saw the danger twenty feet before
the vehicles collided, but the speed of the
horses was so great that he saw it was inn
possible to avert the accident. Rogers,
driver of the engine, evidently made an ef-
fort to turn west into Michigan street. as
indicated by the manner in which the en-
igne was thrown against the curb OF the
northwest corner. The pole and front wheel
of-the chemical dashed into the front wheel
and the off horse of the engine. Cochrane
and Gano were hurled dozen feet toward
the southwest curb, but both men fell TO the
pavement and avoided coming full against
the sharp curb. Rogers was thrown about
ten feet from his seat and fell on the hard
bricks. Moore and Monahan were also
tumbled off and their fall was heavy. The
off horse of the engine, sorrel, worth
$780, was thrown under the wheel OF the
engine and SO badly hurt that he had to be
shot half hour afterWard.
Rogers and GanO were picked up by the
other men, whose injuries had not disabled
them. and carried into neighboring house.
Other species OF apparatus came up py TINS
time ard the injured men had every assist
ance. The ambulance reached the scene
about half hour after the accident and
conveyed Gano and Rogers, both of whom
were able 10 walk about 10 their homes.
Chief Webster, who arrived a short time
after the collision, said, after investigating
the matter. that he thought no particular
blame was to be attached to either driver,
as il was one of those rare, unavoidable ac-
cidents. Neither driver heard the gong
sounded by the other. The front truck of
the engine was badly demolished, but the
apparatus was not otherwise damaged.
None of the horses except the sorrel, which
was shot by policeman afterward, were
injured. The engine is the heaviest one in
the Indianapolis fire department
The fire which the department was an
swering at the time of the accident was in
u shed belonging to Robert Chisholm. at
North and Blackford. 1t was extinguished
with but slight loss