The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-15
THE SITE OF MANY FIRES
THIS BLOCK SEEMS TO BE DOOMED
TO THE ELEMENTS RAVAGEs.
Fireman Jack O'Brien Struck by n
Live Wire, but Only Slightly In
jured-Many People Out.

But for the new water tower this morn
ing would probably have furnished another
fire confagraton to record with the al
ready long list of such fires. In a fire at
Pearson & Wetzers wholesale china and
crockery store. 119 South Meridian street.
this morning the first active test of the
apparatus was made, and it Demon
strated the value of the tower beyond ques-
ton.
AT 320 o'clock the tower watchman dis
covered blaze in the wholesale district
and called out the department by sounding
box SO. This box is located at the corner
of South and Meridian streets. BY mistake
only about half the apparatus that 92 at
Georgia and Meridian streets would have
brought This caused a delay of about
five minutes, and it required a third alarm
to get the necessary apparatus on the
scene. When the department reached the
fire the entire inside of the building was in
flames. and before all the apparatus was
there the flames had broken through the
roof and illuminated the neighborhood. An
attempt was made to raise the water tower
Immediately, but account of the i'm
mense number of overhead wires it had
to be taken to the middle of the street,
which delayed the work fully five minutes
and placed the tower where it was less
than half as effective as it would have been
close to the building.
Before the fire was under control it had
almost completely gutted the building, but
left the walls in such condition that they
will probably be useful 1t is impossible
to estimate the loss at this time. but it
will reach fully 100000 from all appear
ances.
None of the proprietors reached the store
and the insurance was merely a matter of
conjecture but it is probable that the stock
and building were protected.
At o'clock the cornice began dropping
off the building, making it dangerous for
firemen to be close to the walls. This
necessitated the moving Of a number Of
lines of hose and with a leap the fire
seemed to gain inordnate headway during
ing the hose. Before that time the fire had
been confined largely to the rear of the
building and the top floor in front, but at
this time it suddenly broke out in the third
and fourth floors in front. The water
tower was changed slightly and held the
fire in the fourth floor somewhat in check.
but it gradually burned downward.
Lines of hose were placed on top of the
adjoining building on the south and poured
an immense quantity of water through the
open top of the burning building. but it
seemed to do almost no good. BY hard
work the flames were kept from com
muncating to the building across the al
ley occupied by Hayes & Reddy, dealers in
liquors. At o'clock no water had reached
the inside of this building.
The heat melted the electric light wires
in the street and in falling one of them
struck fireman O'Bren of Company TO- on
the head and rendered him unconscious for
a few moments. He recovered shortly and
continued his duties.
The Pearson & Wetzel building is i'm
mediately south of the site of the disastrous
fire IA few years ago, which entailed a loss
of over million dollars and only the
cant site of one of the buildings destroyed
by that fire is between this building and
the new Stout building. which took the
place of the one burned in the early part of
1885 when there was a loss of over $3.50 Geo.
The building occupied by a. kiefer & Co.
occupies the only ground on the quarter
block which has not been cleared by fire
within the last six years. The contents Of
this building suffered Il loss of $25 600
by water when George w. Stout's building
was destroyed.
Pearson & Wetzel are wholesale queens
ware dealers and carried a stock which
filled the building from top TO bottom.
large portion of the stock which was not
directly in the fire was probably broken by
water falling upon it. while it was hot and
by falling debris. The stock on the first
floor escaped with slight injury as any
in the building. but on account of most of