The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-06
Ten Men Buried in the Ruins OF a
Taken out Alive by Rescuers.
ROOF OF THE PLACE FELL IN
AND CARRIED DOWN THE FLOORS
AND BRAVE FIRE FIGHTERS.
Three Prisoners Burned to Death in a
Jail and Another Seriously Injured
hallway Employees Killed.

BOSTON, Feb. Six firemen, including
a district chief a captain and a lieutenant,
were killed at fire here this morning
which burned out the interior of five
story building on Merrimac street. occupied
by G. w. Bent & Co., manufacturers of
beds, bedding, etc. The dead are:
JOHN F.. EGAN, district chief.
JAMES VICTORY, captain.
GEORGE GOTWALD, lieutenant.
PATRICK III. DISKEN, hoseman.
JOHN j. MULHERN, fireman.
w. j. WALSH, hoseman.
-Four other firemen were buried in the
ruins, but they escaped with more or less
serious injuries. They are: Captain Joseph
M. Clarity, Thomas L. Conway, II. j..
Doherty and Edward Shay, hose1nen.
Lieut.. John j. McCarty of Protective, L.,
was slightly bruised by falling bricks.
The alarm was sounded at 3:5S. The
building was filled with the most infiam-
mable materials 1t was joined ON the east
by a three-story tenement, on the west was
separated by d narrow alley from a similar
structure, while in the rear of the tene
ment house, on South Margin street, is a
narrow lightwell. So quickly did the flames
spread to the fourth and fifth stories that
within a few minutes the three upper
stories rear and the third story front were
a seething furnace and there was no pros
pect that the tiremen would be able to save
anything above the second story. The fight
was made at the start by the stairways, but
soon the firemen were driven back by hot
air explosions and suffocating smoke and
were obliged to fight from the other side
Two ladders were raised on the front, as
were also several long extension ladders,
while streams were carried through the
South Margin tenements, from the back
windows of which floods were poured into
the fiery furnace.
The fire was nearly under control at the
time Of the accident The men of Engine
were on the fourth floor, and those of En-
gines 36 and 80 were on the second floor
when the rear section of the roof collapsed
carrying down portions of all the floors
through the basement and burying the fire.
men beneath a great mass of debris. A
hasty canvass of the members of the de-
partment showed that ten men were MISS
ing. The first man to be taken out was
Edward Shay, who was found about four
feet from the front of the building, on the
extreme western end pinned between the
timbers about midway between the first and
second floors, having fallen from the fifth
floor. AS he was taken out he said to
those who were removing him: Don't
bother about me. Get the other fellows out
that are in there" Captain Garrity was
found within a few feet of Shay pinned
under some heavy timbers, and was
brought out in a semi-conscious condition.
Thomas Conroy was pinned under some
timbers which held his legs in such a man
'ner that the tinbers had to be sawed
through before he could be released. Next
Philip Doherty, OF engine No. Z, was taken
out. He was apparently the worst injured of
the lot. His left leg was useless. Lieut.. Nc
Carthy, of Protective l, was struck in the
leg by falling bricks when the floor fell.
The bodies of the dead were not recovered
till this afternoon.
The contents of the building, valued at
900, are a total loss. The damage to the
building itself will bring the total up to at
least $4,000 This is partially covered by
insurance. The Evangelical Baptist Benev-
olent and Missionary Society and the Tre-
mont Temple Association own the struc-
ture