The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-05

brothers, EmSley Johnson ana Edgar r.
Watts's little boy TO escape the crowd
turned it's attention to surrounding build
ings.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN AID.
A gang began wetting the roof of the
grocery store but in very few moments
it was burning. the wind carrying huge
embers and firebrands from the burning
drug store toward it. The widest excite
ment prevailed There was a lack of men,
and the women and children worked fran
tically pumping and carrying water. When
it appeared that the store must burn most
of the men and boys began carrying out
the stock of groceries. Some of them car
red out the oil tank that was in the back
room of the grocery store, not far away
from the drug store. 1t was said that sew
eral barrels of oil could not be got out.
While the busy men were rushing out with
loads of stuff and piling them on the grad
ing of the railroad across the street. others
were at work with ladders and buckets
wetting the roofs of Shieldss barn and
Joseph Ferguson'S woodshed across and
west of the alley from the drug
store Another set were trying to
save Thomas Medsker's house across
North street from the grocery
store. In the midst of all the wild confu-
sion a second conclusion, more deafening
ard more terrible than the first. occurred
The side walls of the grocery store up to
the second story, above which was the Odd
Fellows Hall, were blown out with terrific
force. Inc south wall was DlOWn cledr
across North street, one corner of 1t fall
ing on Thomas Medsker's fence and level
ing it to the ground. 1t was done so sud
denly and with such terrific force that the
section of the wall was not wrenched and
broken out of shape, but lay as straight as
if it had been carefully laid down. At the
moment of the explosion score of men
and boys were in the grocery, three of
them in the hall on the second floor. The
hall fell upon them. pinning many down.
Only those who were near the doors We're
rescued.
CRIES OF THE DYING.
AS the building was already on fire when
the explosion came, every man in the
grocery store knew that he must be burned
to death if no help came, and the wild
cries for succor that arose above the roar
of the cracking flames almost paralyzed
the men and women who had witnessed the
collapse of the building.
Men stood heplessly looking on the burn
ing building, while the cries of the men
pinned down sent a thrill of terror through
their hearts. The awful panic lasted but an
instant. however and then began the work
of rescue Some heroic deeds were done.
Many who were in the building had very
close calls. Some women, wives and moth
ers of men who had gone into the building
moment before TO carry out goods.
tainted or stood wringing their hands and
screaming with wild fear. The flames
leaped higher and higher, steadily consum-
ance might come from indianapolis, but it
was vain wish. Nothing could quench
the fire. Nothing could be done to rescue
the imprisoned men, whose cries grew
fainter and fainter as the smoke and heat
reached and stified them. The wind veered
around and carried the flames across the
thirty feet of space that had separated
Lang's cottage from the grocery store, and
in short time it was in ruins, Whites sta
bic, meantime, having become afire. There
was less space between it and the cottage
than between the cottage and the grocery,
so that the destruction of the stable was
assured when the cottage was reached.
North of Whites stable was a thirty-foot
vacant lot separating it from the home Of
Mrs 1 1h Hubbard, a widow. Flames ne
grass of the vacant lot. and fire spread
across it to Mrs. Hubbard's fence, beyond
boys and girls 'c organized bucket brigade i
and kept it back. Fire leaped across the
alley to the east from Whites stable and
burned Joseph Fergusous woodshed, but
stable.
The loss of property was insignificant
considering the appalling loss of life. AT
the most it will not reach $4,000, and it is
probable that 600 is nearer the right fig
ure. White had his livery stable insured
for $500. Watts's drug store was also in
sured, as was the Lang cottage. The
Broad Ripple Christian Church recently
sold it's church property and was to hold
services in the hall over the drug store for
the first time to-day The church organ
and other personal property was totally
ueSlIoyeu: AS Sooh as the HrSt explosion
occurred White hurried to his livery stable
and got out the horses and vehicles. All
the hay, grain. etc. was destroyed. Wattss
drug stock, worth $1,000. is a total loss
But little was saved Of the grocery stock
worth possibly $500. No one cared to dis
the property loss in the presence of
so much suffering. There was scarcely a
home in Broad Ripple that did not have at
least one member of the family injured
and while there was sympathy for the suf-
fererS, the friends of the rescued rejoiced
that it was no worse when they thought of
the blackened, charreds .corpses of those
who persisted.