The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-03-10
Parry Manufacturing Company's
Buildings Saved by the Hard Work
OF the Fire Department.
Loss MAY REACH 100000
FALLING WALLS CREATE A GREAT
DEAL OF EXCITEMENT.
Twenty-Three Years Ago To-day
Wheel Works Fire.

shortly after O'Clock this morning a fire
started IN one of the shops of the immense
| saw work. of z. c. Atkins & Co.. on South
street, between Illinois street and Capitol
avenue, and within half an hour there were
acres of flames in the neghborhood of ILL.,
nois and South streets. The handle depart
ment, the carpenter shop. the grinding
shop, the band saw department and the
| boiler rooms. forming an extensive plant
in themselves, were the centers of an in
tense heat in short time. 1t was impos-
sible to estimate the loss, to come ap-
| proximately near it at an early hour. 1t
may reach one hundred thousand dollars
William Dagner, night Waterman, was
making his rounds near the paint shop
which Is in the northwestern section of the
block occupied by the big plant, when he
| discovered a blaze. He called to Charles
Bergang. one of the night firemen. and the
| two started for the nearest telephone. Ber-
gang says it was five or ten minutes before
he could get connection with the fire de-
partment and by that time the fire had a
| good start by advantage of the inflammable
materials in the paint shop. 1t was exactly
2:19 o'clock when the first alarm-Box 81
| was sounded and at 2:25 second and a
| third alarm was sent in, bringing nearly
all of the fire apparatus in the city to the
scene.
| There was hard fight before the firemen
|
ground to begin the work. The glare on the
| sky could be seen from any part of the city.
| The handle department, which is in build
| ing on South street, just across the alley
from the main building Of the plant, was
| soon mass of flames, and in a short time
| the skeleton outlines of the machinery in
| side was all that could be distinguished in
| the fierce fire. The band saw department
was in brick building adjoining the handle
| department, and the fire found the brick
walls but little or no obstacle. The boiler
| rooms, in the third building from the street,
offered even as little resistance. Most of the
work OF the fire department was turned to
| the main building across the alley, and the
| buildings of the Parry Cart Company, which
are further to the south. Showers of sparks
| were flying all about the neighborhood. and
several streams had to be used on the frame
buildings on the north side of South street
to keep the fire from starting up towards the
Union Station and the business portion of
| the city. So great was the heat that the
=
sprung and it fell with crash, a group of
iremen handling a nozzle having a narrow
call.
At $50 o'clock the firemen had not turned
the tide of the flames.
The handle shops and the box factory in
the rear of the handle and paint shops were
| filled with dry. tinder-like wood. some al
ready made up into saw handles and boxes,
and the rest. all seasoned timber, ready for
use. was stored on racks and under the
benches. Once given a start, 1t was in
| evitable that the fire should extend on south
and east into the band saw room and filing
and grinding DEPARTMENTS. The latter de-
partments were in the four-story brick
building beyond the handle shops The en-
| CINE room was in the course of the fire,
and a great deal of damage was done in that
quarter. Below the engine room and filing
and grinding departments, an annex to Par
ry's cart factory which was used as a store
room, caught fire, the great heat from the
burning buildings of the Atkins plant setting
4. y,,t1I
that a large quantity of oil was stored in
the cellar of the rooms back of the paint
shop, and spectators stood expectantly. watt
| ing to hear the oil explode. The loss on
machinery must be very great, as the ma
| chimes for grinding and polishing the saws
are unusually expensive.
| With the exception of the engine and
boiler room and few old cottages, the en-
| tire square corner OF the block from the
first alley east of Capitol avenue to the
first alley south Of South street is de-
stroyed. All the property on this corner
| of block belongs to e. C. Atkins & Co.
! Two or three thousand dollars will cover
the loss on the old frame buildings. which
Mr.. Atkins has contemplated tearing down.
The handle department was filed with
| material that would burn rapidly, it being
the woodworking department of the large
| establishment. The building was fitted with
modern machinery for the making of saw
handles and everything is complete loss.
FOUR WALLS YELL IN
The band saw department was also we'll
| equipped in machirery ~. This building was
| of brick and four stories in height. 1t was
| probably one hundred feet in length. neither
| it the handle department extending to
Capitol avenue. At a late hour this morn
ing the four walls fell in. one close after
| the other. South OF the saw department Is
a boiler room especially designed for its
| purpose. Across the alley from the burning
buildings on the east was the main estab-
! lishment OF the company and the large
plant OF the Parry Cart Company, which
| the fremen succeeded In saving
A remarkable circums lance noted. just
| west OF the buildings 'hss burned was the oil
| room. small. one-sfory affair. where is
| stored gallons of oil The flames played
aoove and around II, out the department
| saved the buildings sad its contents.
A workman said tais morning that about
rs men will be thre VA out Of work by the
| flre- HH
! At I o'clock thu usperty Of the Atkins
MSS