The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-20

Associated Press Dispatch.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind, Dec. 19-The worst
fire in the history of Terre Haute took place
tonight. causing a loss of nearly 81 900 900.
The blaze started in the big show windows
or the Havens & Geddes Company, whole
sale and retail dealers in dry goods and no.
tions. The cause is not definitely known, but
1t IS supposed that live electric wire set
fire to the cotton with which the window
was decorated, and before the blaze could
he extinguished spread to the decorations of
evergreens in the store. and the building
was wrapped in flames in an incredibly short
space of time. The following firms are the
losers: Havens & Geddes, 100000; Breinig
& Miller, furniture, $25,OOO Pixley & Co.,
100000; Terre Haute Shoe Company whole
sale, Sl5O,OO0; Albrecht & Co.. retail dry
goods, $190,0O0; United States Baking Com
pany. $4,000; Thorman & Schloss clothiers,
S5c,OOO; number of small concerns, which
were literally annihilated in the fall of the
rear wall of the Havens g. Geddes wholesale
house and the loss in their case will more
than bring the total loss up to the 81, 900, 900
mark
The fire started at $50 o'clock, when half
the employees of the establishment were at
their homes for supper. There Is a force
of 5000 or more in the retail department of
the establishment and had the entire force
been present the loss of ;ife would have
been frightful AS it is Klte Maoney a
clerk in the notion department, Is at the
point of death. She sprang from "A window
in the second story and sus-alaed injuIles
from which she will probably die.
Miss Luella Ferguson a clerk i'm the same
department, jumped just before Miss Ma
loney, but was caught by some men who
were watching for her. She is internally in
jured but will recover. Louis Kramer the
trimmer, who was in the snow window when
the fire started, is frightfuy burned aLout
the head and arms When rescued from
the burning building he was insane from
the pain, and begged to be killed. Eiremen
Austerloo, Walsh and Shay were lady in
jured in the falling of the floor in the
Albrecht building, and are now in the city
hospital. The fire department worked ad-
mirably, and there were many narrow
escapes among the men, Several cf the
firemen are in a precarious condition from
burns and the effects of me sitting smoke,
but it is thought tonight all will recover
At IL o'clock tonight the fire was still
burning fiercely in the rear Of the United
States Baking Company, but the eremen
had the fire under control. A herioc act on
the part of a man named Peters, a travelling
salesman from Chicago for the Baldwin
music house, called forth cheers from the
crowd watching the flames. When the fire
first started Peters was standing in the
crowd and saw the Maloney and Ferguson
girls appear at the second-story windows
The girls were panic-stricken, and were in
momentary danger of going down with the
floor. Peters sprang through the door with
bis coat over his head, and, dashing. through
the flames and smoke. reached the window
at which the girls appeared and after talk
ing with them swung out from the ledge
and dropped. His example was followed by
the two girls