The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-05

these buildings. Their losses aggregate $e5.-
coo. while the losses on buildings amount
10 fully $4,000.
Among the firms and individuals that suf
fered heavily from the fire are the follow
ing whose places OF business were on the
east side OF Fourth and west side OF Third
street:
Company Krenning Glass Company. Bas-
sets plumbing establishment, McLain &
Aicorn Commission Company, Butler Block
Commission Company. Nelson Distilling
Company. Hake Il sons Commission Com
pany, George Attention. produce' Bauer
Flour Company, Shaw g. Richmond, pro-
duce: Fred PohIman's saloon
Their losses aggregate thousands or dor
lars and are partly covered by insurance.
Late tonight John Cummings, private
Waterman of Penny < Genties. was ar
rested and is being held at the Four Courts
pending an investigation into the origin or
the fire. He was taken into custody as the
result OF statement OF woman roomlhS
opposite, to the effect that she nad seen
a man answering the watchman's descrip-
ton lighting matches I'm the store pre-
vious TO the fire. Cummings denied nav
ing had anything to do with II, and states
that he was at home when the nre broke
out.
ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
The fire broke out at 1856 a. m. I'm the
fve-story brick building at Broadway and
Franklin avenue. occupied by the dry goods
firm of Penny & Gentles. and in few min
utes enveloped the entire building. Sparks
and brands were blown in every direction
BY a strong northwesterly wind, and the
destruction of adjoining property was
threatened. A general alarm was turned
in. and soon every engine in the city was
on hand. On the south of Penny & Cen
tles's the flames communicated with the
buildings occupied by Schaper Brothers,
dry goods. and The Famous dry goods
store.
The burning area increased minute by
minute. the flames gaining great Roadway
and leaping across to the east side OIL
Broadway. In a short time large empty
store building. on the corner of Franklin
avenue, was destroyed. with those direct
ly south. occupied BY the Peoples House
furnishing Company. the Marks millinery
store. Dilrs dental parlors, and Derr
Brothers five and ten-cent store.
BY IL o'clock all the walls of Penny &
Gentles and Schaper Brothers. with the
exception OF that on the west, had fallen,
and with the gale blowing 1t became a
menace to the fremen. The wall between
Schaper Brothers and The Famous fell.
but the flames were quenched before doing
much destruction in the latter establish
ment.
II was not long before the upper floors
and walls OF the building opposite Penny q
Gentles's. on Broadway, began to fall
Casualties 10 firemen were numerous.
When the walls of Derr Brothers five
and ten-cent store collapsed SeVeral MEM
bers OF engine company No. IL were in the
building. Four firemen were covered by
the debris, end IL was several hours before
they could he taken out. Charles Mappes,
a pipeman. had been crushed to death. and
several others were injured. John Judge,
foreman of No. II. was wedged in with de-
bris. Across his feet lay the body of
Mappes. but with a cool head he directed
the efforts OF his comrades In, their work
OF rescue When he was finally removed
he was taken TO the hospital in an ambu-
lance. where several others OF the injured
had been taken.
From Broadway the flames ate their way
through to number of three and four
story buildings occupied by several firms
in various lines of business. These were
soon on fire from top to bottom, and were
Quilted. Heroic efforts were made to keep
the flames from the building on the corner
OF Fourth street and Franklin avenue, oc-
cupied by the German American Bank, and
they were successful. This and two build
fngs adjoining on the south were saved.
Across. Oh Fourth street, and extending
through to Third street, were a row of old
buildings occupied by the Schisler-Cornelia
Seed Company, the Plant Seed Company,
Krennings Glassware and Crockery Com
pany, Bassett Plumbing Company, Muller
Block Commission Company Nelson Dis
filling Company, McLain * Alcom Commits
sion Company Hake q Sons commission
house, Benton & Company's commission
house. Baur Flour Company and William
Books saloon. Here the firemen were able
to stop the spread of the fire to the east,
but it was many hours before the flames
were quenched, after tons of water had
been expended. The interiors and stocks
of merchandise of all these buildings were
destroyed.
FIRE UNDER CONTROL.
Before this occupants of buildings east
on Third and Second streets, fearing a
further spread of the fire. commenced to
remove their books and stock, but at 3
O'Clock 1t became evident that the fire had
been put under control At this point
Third street widens out, and this helped
the firemen 10 keep the flames in check.
II the fire had broken beyond bounds here
the loss would have been enormous. This
is the middle of the. commission district.
where the streets are narrow and the
buildings old and their contents of a COM
bustible nature. Nothing could have pre-
vented the fire from sweeping everything
TO the river.
In the meantime stores and buildings on
the north side of Franklin avenue for a
half block east and west of Broadway
were suffering. The great heat from the
burning buildings opposite broke the win
dows and soon flying embers had started
blazes i'm a half dozen different places
The tenants living above hastily moved as
much OF their property as possible. Good
work by the firemen prevented much loss
at this point The drug store of johnson
Brothers at the corner OF Franklin and
Broadway and a saloon on the opposite
which were partially destroyed, were the
heaviest losers. The other losses were
confined to broken glass and scorched store
fronts.
The trolley wires along Broadway and
Franklin avenue were source of danger,