South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-09-21
FIRE DESTROYS
CHEMISTRY HALL
Loss Estimated at $4,000.
Five Men Hurt While
Battling Blaze.

Following the spreading or phos-
phOros over the floors. al last we'd
nesdays fire Boa Chemistry hall az
Notre Dame the building was cob
pletely destroyed last night by
third blaze. entailing "a loss OF S70.-
900. covered by insurance.
Five men were 'ured. They
are:
Capt john stonf +. II, g go. 30. 3,
nit by falling pipe
JOHN Williams. Hose 60. 40. q,
struck over eyes.
Edward Mann. student burned
about neck and arms
James Malone, student artery i'm
wrist cut
Bert Olmstead. motorcycle police
mUn. mir by falling bricks
The fire had gained "a good start
y hen the FIRE department arrived
Ii spread like "a flash through the
STRUCTURE. popping the bottles Of
CHEMICAL Many times the flames
leaped TO the neighooriug structure.
Science hall. and threatened that
building, but the hremen kept the
blaze under control
The ire. which broke ont ar 40
j.. ~. ON the second floor OF the
structure. spread So quickly that the
occupants of the building at work
on the upper floors had difficulty i'm
escaping % the yard. Even before
the first alarm had beer sent iu. the
advancing flames reached the many
bottles of chemicals stored ON the
second floor. Several explosions fol-
lowed and the hre made rapid head
way. since .here were bottles OF
chemicals on every floor and the
streams Of water acted as "a spread
ing agent
II. Edwards Hall McnaCed.
Unable to check che flames JIM the
doomed building. the rremen bent
their energies 20 keep the fire from
spreading. Streams were played on
the north side OF the building ana
students and dremen mounted Co the
top OF Science hall 10 protect tnat
building.
While the fire was at it's height.
sparks were carried hy the heavy
southwest wand 10 81 Edwards hail
Here I25 boys i'm the grammar
school We're studying Students.
priests and brothers with tlpe aid OF
fireman from 80. = hose company
rushed 90 the scene and soon had the
blaze cxtinguished.
Chemistry hall was built n 1883
and was the large three-story build
Ing directly south of science hail.
In this building were The chemistry
Il .Er. D..
tire nrst floor was devoted TO advance
work i'm chemistry and there was
space for three large Laboratories. q f
library and lecture room. The Sec +
ord door, where the IRE started. was
occupied hy the department of har-
macy. and contained q large. we'll .
equipped laboratory a modern drag
store, "a lecture room and museum 81 f
library for pharmaceutical pubhca- .
tions and general stock room The
general mor-anic. organic and cI-
emontay chemical Laboratories were
ou tho third floor.
Prcphoro~ Held Cause
when the fire started last We'd .
nesday it was Thought that the
building was doomed. 6ut by dill .
sent work members OF the south
Bend Gre department saved two I
floors of the structure lin queuch- f.
ing the hrst hre the fremen at FIRST I.
used large quantities of water. this
spread phosphorus over the floors. F.
when the hremen discovered what /
they were doing they immediately /
used wet sand and soon had the
tire under control. Rev Joseph Nc
Guire. who had charge of the chem +
seal department al the university f.
stated that he was OF the opinion F.
that some of this phosphorus had .
landed between the joists. When this
substance dries off 10 is highly inn
hammable and possibly tiny biz
started the trouble
Durins the las. class period tins
bit started 90 burn i'm the cla-s room
ou the first floor where Or Nc
Guire was lccturlng 90 "a large class
of students. The little blaze was
soon eXtinguished when the stu
dents had left the building Fr Me-
CURE went to the second floor 10
direct The work of tearing up the
noor and found the bits OF mHama- .
hle material 40 that time Prof
Robert Greer head eft the phar-
macy department, EDWARD Mann, .
custodian OK the bulding end DAM
iel McGlinn. student. were aiding
vorkmen.
Studcut Sees smoke
A student near washington han
discovered smoke coming from q
second story windo.v and immediate
Iy set up the cry OF ire 1n "a few
minutes. football practice was over
students rushed from an directions .
bat the explosions made 10 impos-
sibie 20 enter the buudinE The
central ere department and 40. 3 .
aud No. 2. and the police. responded .
TO the box alarm.
Rive are Injured.
The offices ON the second floor .
contained many rare collections OF .
books and docu nentS. In ain az /
tempt 90 save them two attaches OF .
the university were injured. and .
when the brick walls he-an 90 crum- +
hle tsvo n-emcu were injured. Cap .
tain John Srouey. Of hose company
So e. was hit bv falhng pipe
that gave Wav where ne was stand