The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-04
Loss Is Very Heavy and May Reach
100000, officials of the Company
Estimate.
SPARK LODGED IN LOOSE HAY
FLAMES SPREAD TO BUILDINGS
WITH STARTLING RAPIDITY.
Large Oil Tank Added to Peril of
SituatiOn-StOckyard Hotel Saved
by Hard Work.

Fire was discovered at 1890 o'clock this
morning in one of the large hay bins in the
Union Stockyards in the southwest part of
the city, and before the fire department
could reach the scene three large barns, two
of them containing grain and the other hay,
were burned to the ground
The fire was discovered by a fireman on
the Belt road his train was pulling
through the yards, and at the time the in
terror of the hay bin was well ablaze The
fireman blew his whistle and gave the alarm
to the night watchman, who turned in the
fire alarm. Before the engines could arrive
the two adjacent buildings had caught fire
and were soon beyond saving. One of the
barns contained thirty tons of hay, one 1000
bushels of oats and the other 1,4O0 bushels
of corn. They were all large buildings.
60 feet wide and $50 feet long. BY 80 O'Clock
they were all three reduced to ashes, caus-
ing loss of over $1,000.
FIRE SPREAD FAST
When the fire department reached the
yards the flames were leaping and crack
ing wildly and the buildings were beyond
the hope of saving. The firemen turned
their entire attention to the buildings close
by, one of which is the Union Stockyards
Hotel. The building caught fire at several
places, but the firemen succeeded in put
ting it out before the flames got start
Across the road from the burning barns
a large oil tank, where the firemen
had the hardest fight to keep the sparks
and the heat from igniting the oil. The
stables of the cattle were also within a few
feet of the flames and here, too, the fire.
men concentrated their efforts. The wild
est excitement was caused among the hun
dreds of cattle i'm the stables. some of
them endeavoring to break loose and rush
into the flames, and all of them filling the
air with agonizing bellows.
The three barns made hot fire and even
had the fire department been alarmed SOON
er IL is doubtful If IL could have saved the
buildings. The department was much
handicapped because of shortage i'm the
water supply. and after a time a bucket
brigade was resorted TO, as there was not
sufficient water 10 keep the pumps going.
After the bins burned down somewhat
a hot fire still remained. as il was found
that there were twelve cars of coal standing
under the sheds. which caught fire and
were still burning at an early hour this
morning.
COAL CARS CAUGHT FIRE
Six carloads of coal standing on the side
track Immediately between the hay bin and
the grain bins also caught fire and were
soon beyond control. The firemen. how
ever. paid most of their attention to the
outlying buildings and after hard two
hours fight had still held their own against
the scorching flames. The total loss IN
the Union Stockyard will reach the neigh
borhood of $4,000.
The origin of the fire Is not known but
IL Is thought to have caught from a pass
inc train. James Hughes is the night
watchman of the yards and at IL o'clock
he de of no arI
there were no signs of fire. AT 1880 o'clock
as a freight train the Belt road was
pulling through the yards. the fireman dis.
covered one Of the buildings well in the