The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-09
FIRE WRECKS LOMBARDY
THE BEAUTIFUL HOME OF MIR. AND
MRS. j. T. BRUSH DESTROYED.
The Loss in NefghbOrhOOd of $4,000
Marrow Escape of Two
Ffremen.

Brush, situated q short distance east of the
Belt road on Washington street, just be-
yonG the city limits, was almost totally de-
stroyed by fire yesterday morning. The
loss to house and furniture will be in the
neighborhood of $4,000, with only $1,000 in
surance. The insurance is placed as fol-
lows on the house: German, of Indianapolis,
$500; Northwestern, of Milwaukee, $500;
New York Underwriters, $780, There was
$4,000 on the furniture. The house was
built a little over two years ago, and cost
about $4,000. 1t was one of the most beau
tiful residences in the city. 1t was three
stories in height, the first being of cobble
stones, the second and third Of terra Gotta,
with a nanX-gabled roof of green. 1t was
an ornament to the neighborhood and an
ideal place to live. 1t sat far back from the
street surrounded by a grove of naples.
The furniture was of the most expensive
style, and there were thousands of dollars
worth of works of art and rare bric-a-brac.
A great deal OF the furniture and bric-a-
brac was removed from the building.
The fire started between and o'clock
yesterday morning and it was thought it
had been extinguished with only light
damage to single room, but in about two
hours the fire broke out again. Mr.. Brush
returned home from a trip out of the city
at O'Clock, and shortly afterwards heard
a noise in the billiard room on the first
floor, followed by the smell of smoke. A
picture falling from the wall had caught
fire from the crate, and the room was in
flames. A telephone message was sent to
the fire department, and members of the
family and neighbors set about to subdue
the flames with a garden hose and chem
icals. Before any fire apparatus was seen
the fire was thought to be extinguished, and
the fire department was notified. Mr.. Brush
retired, but was again awakened by the
smell of smoke. The whole upper part of
the house was in flames. The fire had
been smoldering between the walls and cat
ing it's way up until it found an opening
in the nursery, one of the upper rooms.
Then it burst forth and fourished without
resistance for a considerable length of time
before being discovered. The third floor
was used by the servants, and they We're
all downstairs at work at the time.
An alarm was turned in from Box $50, at
the Belt crossing, and very quickly there
was a response from hose company No. 8.
truck No and chemical No. l. Captain
Meurer telephoned for additional help as
soon as he saw the situation, and other
companies were sent out. Chief Barrett
went himself to take charge of the work.
the burning building, but the streams had
little effect on the mass of flames. Another
line burst when the water was turned on.
Other companies: arrived, however. and
everything that could be done was done to
save the house, or as much of it as posi-
BILE. 1t stands now q mass of ruins. The
roof and the beautiful gables are gone, the
third floor is burned out and the walls
above the second story are ruined. The
lower part of sthe house is not so badly
damaged, only from water, smoke and the
falling debris. .,s1-r ...y
FIREMEN HAVE A CLOSE CALL.
While the fire was raging at it's worst
Captain John O'Brien and Fireman Maui
rice Healey. of hose company No. 8, had a
narrow call from death. With Fireman
Thopas OHara they climbed with line
of hose up to the roof and were pouring
stream of water into the fire. The fire was
burning inside directly under them,
though they did not seem to know
it until the roof gave way be-
meath them and O'Brien and Healey
were thrown into the furnace. The several
rushed to the rescue, with little expecta-
ton of taking the men out alive. The stair
ways were cut off by sheets Of flame, and
the rescuerS were kept back. 1t seemed
that the men must perish.
But O'Hara did not fall with the others,
and his GOODNESS did not desert him. He
held to the hose and turned the stream into
the hole, throwing the water on the two
men below him This probably saved them
from almost instant death for the fire was
hole first, striking the floor below on his
head. Healey fell on him. They jumped
up, refreshed by the stream of water, and
tried to reach the stairway, but the room
between them and the stairs was all ablaZe.
They returned and had about given UP
hope of escape when they discovered dor
mer window and crawdled out on the roof
again. Healey suffered only slight burns
on the hands. O'Brien Jared worse. He re-
ceived cut above the eye and a bruised
the head and hands. Both men insisted on
staying with their company until the work
was over, but were sent to the city by
Chief Barrett.
Mr. Brush was unable to estimate his loss
or to say positively the amount of insur-
ance carried. The figures given above We're
probably correct Assto the loss, it is such
that it can never be restored by insurance
money even II the house and furniture
were covered to their full intrinsic value.
Mr. and Mrs. Brush were both collectors
of fancy bric-a-brac and souvenirs and
works of art. The house was full of curios
and valuable articles obtained from vari--
Gus parts of the world, some of them of
great intrinsic value and others valued on
account of association or the circum-
stances under which they were obtained.
Mr. Brush had a fine collection of para
phernalia and souvenirs OF the Mystic
Shrine which no money could have pur-
chased. There were also many pictures,
ceramics and tapestries which cannot be
replaced.
it is considered extremely unfortunate
that the fire apparatus did not go to the
house when the first message. was tele-
phoned to headquarters. 1t is probable
had the firemen gone that they would have
discovered the fire still smo1dering In the
wall, would have extinguished it, and
confined the loss to the billiard room and
the wall. Mrs. Brush telephoned and gave
the operator at headquarters a description
of the location of the house. The tower
Waterman was instructed to pull the near
est box and he did so, but the firemen who
made the run to the box did not have the
accurate description of the place which
had been given to the telephone operator at
headquarters They looked about and
could see no fire and returned to the
houses. When the second alarm came in
the fire was burning out through the roof,
and there was no trouble locating It.