The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-03-03
Excited Person Telephones
Fire Department Head
Quarters, but Forgets to
Give Number.
BLAZE ORIGINATES
IN WOOD CHIMNEY
Third Floor Gutted and Roof
Destroyed Before Ffremen
Get Flames Under Their
Control.

A blaze at the home Of H. G. Hase-
meier, president of the Boston Store
Dry Goods company, Al South Twen-
ty-first street. about $50 o'clock last
night, partially destroyed the hand
some frame dwelling. Fire Chief Mil
Ter estimated the loss at between ST.
600 and 81, 200. Nearly all the furni-
ture and other belongings were car
ried out of the house by neighbors.
The building and contents were fully
insured.
The blaze originated in an over
heated furnace fed by two CRATES on
the first floor Of the house. This
chimney had wood lining and it
caught afire. While Mr.. and Mrs.
Hasemeier were seated in the living
room they heard a peculiar noise, ap-
parently coming from the attic. Mr..
Hasemeier hurried to the attic and
on opening the stair door a sheet of
flame spurted into his face.
Forgets to Tell Number.
In the meantime some one tele-
phoned in an alarm to the No. 3 hose
house, neglecting to notify central
fire headquarters where telephone
alarms are supposed to be sent in 80
that all hose houses can be notified.
No. company made q quick run but
on its arrival the flames were leaping
from the roof.
Members of this company fought
the blaze single handed for several
minutes and when the auto truck and
No. company failed to arrive a man
was sent to turn in the box alarm
Before this action was taken some one
phoned to the central fire station, ex.
citedly informing the chief that there
was fire but hanging up the receiv'
er before the chief could ascertain
where the fire was.
At that time the chief was in com
plete ignorance that No. company
was "on the job" The motors in the
auto truck and the chiefs runabout
were started and the horses of the
ladder wagon harnessed awaiting def
mite information as to the location
of the blaze, which was given three
or four minutes later by the sound
ing of the box alarm at Twentieth
and Main streets.
Fire Gets Headway.
Had the three companies been
promptly notified it is probable the
fire could have been confined to the
roof. AS it was the flames had eaten
their way into the second floor and
were bursting out of the chimney in
the living room on the first floor
when the auto truck and the No.
company arrived.
BY remarkably effective work Chief
Miller and his fire fighters soon had
the blaze under control, but not until
the building had been badly damaged
by fire and water. Three rooms on
the first floor were not very badly
damaged except by water and the
walls remain standing, so the resi-
dence can be reconstructed. The third
floor was completely gutted and the
roof burned entirely off. The second
floor was quite badly damaged, prin
cipally by water.
Mr.. Hasemeier and family will re
side at As South Twenty-first street
residence owned by him and which
has been occupied by Mr.. and Mrs
Myron Malsby until the fire-damaged
home is reconstructed.
Amusing incidents featured the fire
One friend of the family dashed out
of the building proudly carrying the
| top of a sewing machine. Another
man ga1lantly rescued calendar
found in one of the rooms.