South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-05-25
LIGHTNING FIRES
STABLE AT SINGER
PLANT; LOSS $4,000
Three Firemen Overcome by
Smoke While Fighting
Flames in Hayloft.


in the southwest corner Of the Sing /.
er Mfg. CO. stables. Olive and Divi- |
sion SITS, started a fire, which for a .
few minutes threatened 20 destroy /
adjoining factory buildings and sew
eral houses in the vicinity The !
lightning struck about $50 o'clock. /
and in less than FIVE minutes flames
had eaten their way through the
roof OF the building and down into /
the hay and straw. II is believed /
the entire loss will not exceed So
600. Despite the fact that 10 head
OF horses were in the stalls on the
first floor OF the barn. employees OF
the factory discovering the fire man
aged 10 rescue them before the
flames had reached the first floor.
Three fremen: Lieut. Percy Al
ford OF the chemical company. John
StOney, pipeman on Truck No. ?.
and Stanley Dworecki, member of
the chemical company were over
come by smoke while fighting the
blaze in the hay loft. Lieut.. Afford
and Pipeman Stoney, however. were
revived after they had been carried
from the building, but Dworecki
was removed to the Central fire
station in the police ambulance and
DR.. J. II. Cannon was called. II is
believed, however, that Dworecki
will be able TO resume work in a
few days.
Lightning Strikes Barn.
According TO the story told by
Edward Rupe, night Waterman, he
had just completed making his in
spectiOn of the barn, and had start
ed across the yard TO an adjoining
building when the lightning struck.
Looking up he said he saw a ball Of
fire and in the next instant the roof
Of the building was in flames.
He said he Immediately sounded
| the factory fire whistle and then
with the assistance Of other en-
ployes Of the factory, he proceeded
| TO rescue the horses and mules. BY
the time he reached the barn, he
said, the Grinnell Automatic sprink-
\ Ter was already spraying water on
| the hay and straw, which was en-
veloped in flames.
With the sounding Of the whistle.
Fire Chief Sibrel and the men sta
/ toned at the Central department
made an exceptionally fast run 10
/ the factory. despite the storm which
was raging at that time and the un-
usually slippery condition OF the
pavements. Fire companies Nos. (
also responded TO the alarm. The
/ frernen had little difficulty in check
| ing the spread OF the flames and
/ the entire blaze was kept in the hay
! loft.
The fremens difficulty did occur,
/ however, when the partially burned
| bales Of hay and straw began TO
send forth clouds Of smoke. The
smoke barrage became so thick that
/ il drove all Of the firemen from the
/ loft for u few minutes. but after
they succeeded in snatching a few
| breaths of fresh air the again made
their way into the building.
! 1t was on this second trip into
the building that the three hreUen
were overcome by heat before they
realized. Luckily their brother fire
/ fighters seeing them collapse. imme-
diately carried them from the build
/ ing.
Fire Loss $4,000.
The police ambulance, in charge
| Of Sergt Luther and Officer Las
kowski which made the trip to the
| factory, when the fire first broke
out and which returned TO the po-
lice station when the officers saw
the blaze was not serious, was again
rushed to the scene TO care for the
stricken firemen.
The fire fighters were aided in their
work by the members of the FIVE
companies Of the fire department Of
/ the Singer company. These men
worked under the direction Of Chief
\ S. A. DeVries and r. ID. Kuespert
assistant chief of the department.
According TO Thomas d. Walling,
who has charge of the stables, the
/ loss to the company will reach near
/ ly $4,000. which is covered by in
surance. Besides the 1900 bales OF
/ hay and straw which were ruined
/ by fire and water. the entire second
! floor Of the barn will have 10 be re-
paired. Several hundred dollars
worth o. feed and harness. which
was located in the annex OF the sta
BILE. was also destroyed by fire and
water.
City I'm Darkness.
; A fire in the saw-dust collecting
/ system Of the Singer plant Tuesday
afternoon, while causing very little
/ damage, halted work in the entire
I factory for about one-half hour
when all of the suction fans were
turned off. Friction is said to have
/ been the cause Of this blaze.
When lightning struck the stable
at the Singer plant the city was
practically in darkness. a transfer
mer having burned out that control
the current in the business section
Of the city Repairs were made
quickly. however. despite the heavy
I rainfall.
Showers Tuesday morning and
last night proved TO break the heat
wave that has swept the city for
several days. causing the mercury 20
fall several degrees. Farmers report
the downpour as worth thousands
OF dollars, because OF the relief 10
/ growing crops, which were on the