The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-01-08
FIRE SHOWED THAT RiCHMOND'S
FIRE PROTECTION is TOO
SMALL AND THAT ONE MORE
HOSE COMPANY is NEEDED.
FIREMEN WERE HAMPERED
The Small Number Of Policemen on
The Scene Could Not Check Inter.
ference on the Part Of the Hundreds
OF People Who Rushed to the Blaze.

From 10 o'clock last evening until
1:30 o'clock this morning. Chief Ed
Miller with his twenty-one men, four
combination hose and chemical wag-
ons and the hook and ladder wagon,
succe ssfully battled with the most
threatening fire that has occurred in
this city for some time.
The fire was in the old Schneider
carriage works building, which joins
the rear of the Miller block. GIT Main
street. and the alley frontage of which
faces the rear Of the Grand block, 619
G23 Main street. The walls of the an
cient pile were left standing after the
blaze, but the interior of the building
was completely gutted. The loss is
estimated at about $4,000. The var
ious parties suffering from the fire
are fully covered by insurance. The
Carpenter brothers of Cincinnati, who
own the building. carried $4,000 insur-
ance. William Kettler, who did car
riage repair work, carried $3.50 insur-
ence. Charles Brumley. who did
blacksmithing and carriage repair
work states that his loss is covered
by insurance.
The blaze was a threatening one
and had there been a high wind from
the south it is almost certain that all
the Main street business blocks, from
the Adams drug store, Sixth and Main
to the Irwin Reed Hardware store, Sew
Moip
troyed. Heavy loss of property was
prevented by the excellent and syste-
matte work Of Chief Miller and his
we'll trained fire fighters Shortly af-
ter the blaze started an ember set fire
to the roof of the Grand block and it
looked for minute as if that building
end all the others in the block were
doomed. The firemen quickly discov-
cred this blaze and in a few minute S
had 1t eXtinguisned Streams of water
were played on the Grand and Miller
blocks in successful effort TO protect
them.
The origin of the fire is unknown
1t was thought that the overturning OF
lamp of William Kettler. who sleeps
on the second floor of the building and
who had narrow escape from the
flames, caused the blaze, but this
could not be ascertained Chief Mil
Ter says that the fire started on the
ground floor near the alley entrance
to the factory. Near the place where
he thinks the blaze originated was a
stove. but it is stated that there was
no fire in it last night.
ed the scene presented, resembled a
reproduction of the Internal REGIONS.
Hundreds of people were attracted to
The scene and as a result the work Of
the fireman was considerably hamp-
Pred. The police detachment-three
IN numher-was entirely too small to
handle the crowd and the firemen
could not stretch the fire-lines because
every man in the department was
needed to fight the dangerous blaze.
Vhils all praise is due the fire laddies
tor their splendid work, it was the
opinion of those who witnessed the
hire that had there been a high wind
from the south Chief Miller would
have been unable to meet the emer-
gency, for the sole reason that he
would not have had enough men or
wagons. This fire emphasized the
necessity of an additional fire COM
pany.
Not only did the blaze at the old
Schneider carriage factory threaten
the neighboring Main street business
blocks, but the numerous snacks and
ailapidated looking houses on the east
side of South Sixth street from the
hrst alley south OF Main nearly TO
South A street. These buildings have
!ong been an eyesore 20 the com;nrn-
dy and no tears wera she'd BY the big
.rowd of Onlookers when it appeared
hese buildings were about to go m in
moke.
The partial destruction Of the old
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