The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-10

@0ROBABLY there has never been
more spectacular fire in the city
than the one that occurred last
MNaM Sunday morning, when the First
Baptist Church burned. The
chemical company, which is located across
the street from the church was, OF course
the first fire company to arrive, and when
it got there the entire building was on fire
from the cellar TO the roof. The men in
that company say that the only thing the
cellar can be compared with is the open
door of a large furnace. such as is used in
a foundry; that through the windows
nothing could be seen but a glowing mass
of flames. What added to the picturesque
ness of the fire was the burning of the bell
tower, which, with the flames shooting high
into the air and many large streams playing
on it, was a sight long to be remembered.
There were also millions OF sparks and
embers flying through the air, and alto
gether ii put one in mind of spectacular
production of ''The Last Days of Pompeii.
There was no better place to view the fire
than from the Gamewell room at fire head
quarters. The large windows on New York
street were thrown open. and the only IN
convenience experienced was from the In
tense heat. which made ii almost impossible
TO stay near them. If this fire had broken out
a few minutes earlier or later than 1t did,
Strawd Glazier the operator in this room,
would undoubtedly have discovered 1t, but,
happening just when it did, he was sitting
facing the telephone, taking the hourly calls
from the men on watch in the various en-
CINE houses.
That night will not be forgotten soon in
the Gamewell room, for, as Glazier says, he
has been there a good many nights, but
never before did he transact so much bust
ness IN so short a time as he did that night.
Every fire wagon in town moved during
the burning of the church, with the ex-
ception of the Fours, which are located in
the suburbs and which were kept in re-
serve in case q fire should break out in
the outlying districts of the city. While
the church was burning four other fires
broke out, and to keep the various COM
panies going and to keep in touch with
them, which is the operators duty, was no
easy thing to accomplish:
IN THE GAMEWELL ROOM.
If the scene down in the street was
busy one, with the apparatus dashing UP
and getting in working order. the hose COM
panies laying out lines OF hose, the
gines throbbing and humping over the cis-
ters. and the chiefs and captains hurrying
back and forth giving orders and seeing
that the streams were placed right in the
Gamewell room ii was just as busy, though
more quiet. From the time the operator
heard some one down in the street yell
fire, and glanced over his shoulder and said
to himself: 1.-The church is gone; they can
never save 'er," until he surrendered the
desk at o'clock to the next man, his lot
had been anything but happy one. Dur
ing that period he had moved in the neigh
borhood of forty companies, though, of
course in this count some Of the companies
are counted two or three times, as they
answered that many different alarms that
night.
The telephone operator is practically
fire chief for he has full control of the
companies until they actually arrive at the
fire. Sunday morning the operator within
less than three minutes had in a second
alarm, which brought twelve more COM
panies to the church fire, and moved four
from the outskirts of the city TO the engine
houses down in town After this every
thing went along serenely until o'clock,
when an alarm from Box 313 came I'm. AS
the companies which answer this alarm
were out working on the church fire, the
operator had TO dispatch others in their
place; this took about eight. Two Of these,
however, went without his sending them
and, as he calls 1t, ran away from him.