The Indianapolis journal., 1899-12-28
FAIRLY HEAVY INSURANCE
THE FIRE BROKE OUT IN THE
BASEMENT OF THE STORE.
In a Short Time the Department Was
All Ont Working ValiantIy-
Fire in HaughvilIe.

on the third floor of the building at and
West Washington street, occupied by
Brosnan Brothers. dry goods.
Alarm 45 was sounded and a moment
later a dozen or more fire engines and
wagons were on the scene
The smoke increased rapidly in volume
and when after much work the front door
Of the storeroom was broken down. the
smoke forced the firemen away from the
entrance. A stream of water was quickly
turned in, but with no apparent effect.
In the rear the smoke issued from the
windows, which were covered with sheet
iron shutters which kept the smoke from
showing.
The fire, 1t seems, started in the basement
and, it is thought, from the furnace, which
was a combination furnace, burning gas
and coal. The flames were not seen for
about fifteen minutes after the arrival of
the department and they appeared first in
the rear breaking out of the basement
windows, showing that the fire had for
some time been raging there.
The heat was intense and two streams
thrown into the basement in the rear for
ten minutes seemed to have no effect.
Efforts were made to break down the
doors and windows on the first floor in
or5ar 20 Laa,, tba fra oopfpad fo tba no CO
ment, but the blaze appeared on the first
floor before that had been accomplished.
A half hours work resulted in quenching
the flames on the ground floor in the rear.
but the fire ragged almost as fiercely as ever
in the basement.
Mr.. Brosnan says his loss will be $4,000,
about three-fourths covered by insurance.
BLAZE NOT VISIBLE
The blaze was not visible from the front
for some time, and then only by the fire in
the rear throwing light to the front. The
smoke in front increased in volume, and
continued pouring from the upper floors.
little smoke coming out at the ground
floor after the doors had been open for
few moments.
For the first time in several months the
water tower was brought into service. The
pouring into the building through the win
dows on the second and third floors.
At o,cIoclx the fire v,as under control
John D. Brosnan, a member of the firm,
appeared on the scene of the fire shortly
before o'clock, and after looking over the
place decided that there was little left i'm
the building which had not been damaged.
He figured the loss at $4,000. three-fourths
of which is covered by insurance
The origin of the fire is not known,
though it is thought to have originated in
the furnace. The elevator shaft. which
carried the smoke to the upper floors. was
responsible for the idea that the fire was In
the upper part.
WATCHMAN ON DUTY.
During the months when fires are kept
going in the furnaces fireman and watch
man is on duty in the building. Daniel
Lynch, the watchman on duty last night,
said he was on the second floor and noticed
the smell of something burning. Soon he
discovered smoke coming up the elevator
shaft and Immediately raised a window
and asked passerby to turn in the alarm.
He said he had not been in the basement
there saw no evidences of fire. The opinion
of the firemen who encountered the flames
in the rear of the basement was that the
fire had been raging there for an hour or
more.
The flames were confined to the one
building which was owned by Edward
Schurman, and property adjoining was not
damaged so far as known, though there
was possibility of the large amount of
water turned into the basement flooding
others on either side.
A few moments after o'clock the flames
had broken out again on the third floor,
but it was thought there was no danger
but that they could be held in check.
Though the fire was at an hour when but
few people were on the streets, the second
alarm turned In caused many to leave their
beds and come down town. The south side
of Washington street was crowded, and
for time there was every prospect of
general confiagration in the center of the
business district.