Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-03-15

I When the fire was brought under cons
troll shortly before 10 o'clock, after burns
ing fercely since midnight, inYestiga~
tion was started to learn the cause.
Il have evidence which shows conclu-
sively the fire was OF incendiary origin"
said the fire attorney.
Carsey was questioned after Harry P,
Schif, president Of Schafer & Co., where
the fire started, told him that the man
had threatened him.
Carsey, who is a chauffeur, laughed al
the suggestion that he started the fire.
Il gave this fellow Schin 81 900 to stars
business" he said. Later Schiff gave
me back $50 Of this. Then he quit pay-
| ing. We had some words about the mats
ter.
Il never started the IRE; that's pre-
pOsterous. I have a good alibi-"
Fire Attorney High, who questioned
Carsey, said he wanted 1t understood
Carsey was frank in his answers and that
he was not under arrest.
Thousands Of persons circled the devas-
tated district all day watching the f1re-
men battle with the smouldering ruins
Many were the miraculous escapes az
the scene of the fire. The cornice and
facings Of the sixteen story Burlington
building, housing the main Offices Of the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad,
which was gutted from the sixth floor
up. were continually dropping and i'm
perilling the fremen and police
Portions Of the Austin and Atlantic
buildings, among the many in ruins.
swayod and fell with heavy crashes.
Street car lines in the district were out
Of commission all morning. Thousands
Of persons were late reporting to work as
consequence, being forced to take dew
ious routes. Elevated traffic was sus-
pended half mile from the scene.
The injured were being treated at the
IroQuois Hospital.
The death victims were James J. Nc
Govern, fireman, who was killed by q
falling sign striking him on the head, and
william Desmond, former fireman who
volunteered, ana S&ho died Of injuries at
noon.
From a spectacular standpoint the blaze
was ono Of the most thrilling the city
has known. Starting about midnight
the flames spread rapidly and shot sky
ward to great heights, reddening the
skies for miles and driving fear into the
hearts of thousands who Yisioned a repe-
tition of the great con1ag grafton Of moro
than fifty years ago. 1t is estimated that
more than 100000 persons thronged the
streets leading to the fire area, most OF
tnem on bridges spanning Iuo TlFer.
For several hours the fire defed con-
troll and more than half of all Chicago's
Are fighting forces and equipment was
called out to aid in the light
AT ONE TIME FEARED
INVASION OF LOOP"
At o'clock it was feared by nrs
authorities that the flames might leap
across intervening streets and perhaps
the river menacing thereby the So
called Loop" district, which is the heart
of Chicago.
At O'Clock, however, after a game and
stubborn fight, the spread of the confla-
grafton had been checked and the blaze
brought under control Sparks were
still shooting from smouldering debris at
I. o'clock, however, and it probably villa
be hours before the last vestige Of the
hre is extinguished.
The biggest building destroyed was the
sixteen story Chicago. Burlington b
Quincy building in South Clinton street.
This, one of the most modern buildings
Continued on Page Thirteen.)