Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1905-02-22
CONFEDERATION
III INDIANAPOLIS.
Fire RACES for Hours in the Wholesale
District of Indiana
Citu

Indianapolis, Ind, Feb 20.-Fire in the
center of the wholesale district last night
caused a loss of $1,1OO,00O and for four
hours threatened the entire wholesale dis
trict of the city. The principal losses
and insurance are:
Fahnley & McCrea, wholesale millinery,
loss, $3S5,OOO insurance, s290,0OO 49,
The A. Keifer Drug company, loss, $780,
600; insurance, $245,OOO
Griffith Brothers, wholesale millinery,
loss, 100000; insurance, 100000.
E. c. Delmetch company, wholesale novel
ties and druggists supplies, $4,000; insur-
ance, $4,000.
Starts in Wholesale Store.
The fire started in the wholesale mil
linery establishment Of Fahnley & Nc
Cree, whose store was stocked for the
annual spring opening today.
Falling walls at intervals added to the
danger incurred by the fremen, one Of
whom suffered a broken leg by piece
of flying cornice from a falling building.
There We're many narrow escapes from
death.
The fire was confined to the burned
district which adjoins the union station,
with the greatest difficulty.
Fire in Grand Hotel.
After the fire in the wholesale district
was under control an alarm was turned
in from the Grand hotel, two blocks from
the scene of the blaze in the wholesale
district The firemen directed their at
tention to the hotel, and the flames soon
were checked.
Wholesale District Swept.
The fire in the wholesale district, which
was one of the most spectacular in the
history of the city, was under full head
way before an alarm was sounded. The
first intimatiOn of fire was received
the second and third floors of the east
front Of the Fahnley & McCrea building
burst open, allowing sheets of flame to
sweep into Meridian street.
General Alarm.
A general alarm, followed by two 9TH
ers in rapid succession, was turned in,
and by the time the first company reached
the scene the millinery house was almost
destroyed and the fire had spread to the
Kiefer Drug company's building.
Then the flames swept into Jackson
place, which bounds the Fahnley & Nc
Crea building on the west, and almost in
stantly were communicated to the St.
Nicholas hotel and the Griffith Brothers
millinery house in Jackson place, and the
Savoy hotel in Louisiana street.
Explosions Scatter Embers.
Repeated explosions Of oils and other
inflammables in the A. Kiefer drug house
sent skyward burning embers. which,
famed by a stiff breeze from the south
east, were carried into the retail district.
where they fell, still burning, upon the
roofs of business houses.
Within forty-five minutes eight build
ings had been destroyed, and the atten-
ton of the firemen was centered in an
effort to prevent the spread of the flames
to the warerooms of w. III. Thompson
& Co., manufacturers of surgical instru-
mentS.
Spreads to Depot.
The flames which spread across Lou-
siana street communicated to the roof
of the Union station train sheds and for
some time the efforts of the firemen were
conferred in that direction.
For half an hour it was doubtful
whether the fremen could cope with the
flames on account of a tottering wall
which threatened to crush in the build
ings to the north, allowing the flames to
spread to the warehouse of Haven &
Geddes, wholesale grocers. When the
wall collapsed the flames were brought
under control.