The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-20
B~LOOMINGTON'S BIG FIRE
UPWARD OF TWO MILLION DOLLARS
Loss. WITH ONE FATALITY.
Five business Blocks and the Court
Other Fires of the Day.

BLOOMINGTON. H.. June 1.-the fire
which broke out in a laundry on Monroe
street early to-day resulted in a con1agra-
ton which wiped out nearly one-half of the
business portion of Bloomington. includ-
ing the finest business buildings and heavi-
est stocks of merchandise. Dynamite was
used in demolishing buildings to arrest the
progress of the flames, and the shock of an
explosion caused the death of Robert L..
Schmitt. aged nineteen years. who was a
suffered from heart trouble. Two sides Of
the courthouse square are in ruins. Five
blocks of buildings in the immediate vicin-
ity of the courthouse square were de-
stroyed. The courthouse is a ruin. Its
walls are still standing. but the building
was Quilted from basement to dome. The
court records were saved.
The loss is %variously estimated at from
81, $780, 900 to $1,000, 900. No lives were lost
or any serious injury reported. At one time
IL was reported that several iremen had
been killed, but this proved untrue.
The cause of the fire is unknown. The
flames were seen breaking through the
window or the Monroe laundry, one black
northeast from the courthouse, and be-
~ tAC IA ~ ItS iod ACoCi2Oa tiiO
scene the fire had spread to the four
story brick building of the B. S. Green
Company, adjoining. The water supply be-
Ing deficient, the flames spread rapidly,
and within an hour the entire block in
which it started was destroyed, with the
exception OF the government building, in
which the postoffice is located. This build
ing escaped unchanged. In this block the
furniture: Vimont & Koehn, dry goods;
Cooper & Jackman. glassware; Pixley &
Co, clothfng: r. Thompson & Sons, fur
niture and mattresses; Model laundry; B.
hardware. The fire leaped west across
Main street, destroying that block, includ-
ing the Minerva building, NJ. Sans's store.
No Name store, Niehaus restaurant, Hell
Company. Senseneis Coal Company, Guth-
rie's cigar store. Phoenix Hotel. Garver's
drug store, Coblents's drug store, r. G.
Rogers wall paper; c. w. Klemm, dry
Smith & Sons. dry goods. $1,000; j. H.
Riggs, dry goods, $4,000; Bolles's tailor
shop. Schneider Shoe Store Company.
The Windsor Hotel, on the west side of
Center street, was next destroyed. The loss
is fixed at $751; 900. In this building was To-
Gated Wilcox's dry goods establishment
loss. s5.o0O. Mehaffy's livery barn and
next, with the entire block lying east of
the courthouse. This building was occu-
pied as a clothing store on the ground
moor and all the upper stories were occu-
pied as Offices. The loss on this building
Is 500, 900. The business houses in this
block which were destroyed were Parritt's
jewelry establishment. Cole Bros new
building and dry goods stock, Fahey,s sa-
loon, Corn Belt Bank, Reed Bros hard
ware store, Klopp's hat store, State Ma
tional Bank. the Eagle Office building and
Brokaw's livery stable. The courthouse
caught fire from the Griesheim building
and burned slowly, giving ample time to
remove the court records In safety. The
courthouse cost $4,000 twenty-five years
ago.
The fire then communicates to the block
west of the courthouse square. destroy
ing Green's jewelry and drug store, Cow
dies Boston store, Ebert & Goodies 5 and
10 cent store, Kleinaus's confectionery and
Esenberger's furniture establishment As
sistance arrived at this time from the
Peoria and Springfield fire departments.
and by the use of dynamite in blowing up
buildings In the path Of the flames the fire
was brought under control just In time
to save the next block to the west. The
fire that was spreading east was checked
In the same manner. and the remainder
of the business portion of the city was
saved. Later estimates of the losses bring
the total close to 5000, 600. Remembrance
Lodge of Odd Fellows lost 81 900 in regalia,
furniture and library, besides the lodge
records. No estimate of the insurance
has been made.
Many OF the burned-out business men
have secured temporary locations and
opened UP for business. Both the burned
cut banks We're doing business in new
places at . a. M. as usual. Hundreds OF
men are already removing debris, clearing
tory to the rebuilding of the burned dis
trict.
Late tonight the insurance is estimated
at about $500. 900.