The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-02-03

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Miraculously not a life was
lost, although more than 500
firemen and citizen volunteers
faced death many times during
their nine-hour battle, which
succeeded in preventing the
flames from spreading into the
residential sections.
Only fifteen persons were treated
for serious injuries during the night,
although $50 others received minor
burns and bruises.
PluckiIy Face Crisis
Rehabilitation of the stricken area,
comprising large factories, textile
mills, banks, newspaper plants, ho-
tells and Office buildings may require
several years, but Fall River has
been through such an emergency
before and faces the present pros
pect with determined assurance.
A similar fire in 1916 ruined more
than a dozen business houses and
public buildings.
Although usually conservative
sources estimated the loss would
reach $25, 100000, it was evident the
task of accurately fixing the prop
erty damage would be huge in itself.
Insurance inspectors started to
appraise the wreckage and indicated
it would take many days to reach
definite figures. While several in
surance experts estimated their COM
panies would lose less than $15,000,-
900, most agreed the total loss would
reach much higher figures.
Huge Loss in Wages
Added, however, to the loss in
sheer physical property will be the
losses in wages certain to be suffered
by thousands of workers dependent
upon the ruined business buildings
for their weekly incomes.
Police stood guard over hundreds
Of thousands of dollars today as it
was removed from the three banks
destroyed by fire.
Clerks and special guards handed
out sacks of gold and bundles of
currency from the vault of Fall River
Cooperative, the Troy Cooperative
and the Metacomet National banks.
The money was placed in armored
trucks and taken to the vaults OF
other banks out of the fire zone.
Half a square mile in the heart
Of the business and industrial sec
ton of the Spindle city" lay in
ruins this afternoon.
Within the brief space Of nine
hours the flames, which started at
7 o. m. Thursday in the idle plant
of the Pocasset textile mills, had
spread with such fury that at times
the entire city of 125,000 population
had appeared to be doomed.
Hundreds Turn Firemen
Five hundred regular firemen re-
cruited from dozens of nearby towns
and cities in Massachusetts, and
Rhode Island, and hundreds of vol
unteers fought all night against the
heavy odds imposed on them by a
freezing wind and darkness.
More than twenty buildings were
in the direct path Of the blaze and
we're destroyed.
Included in this list were the
great Pocasset mills, the Rialto The
ater, the Hotel Mohican, the News
Herald plant. the bus terminal and
numerous smaller structures.
The postoffice and city hall-two
of the city's most beautiful buildings
were isolated by flames, but did
not burn. They are constructed OF
granite.
Only Blackened Outlines
But the two buildings, in the light
of the great flames this morning,
were but stark, blackened outlines
against background OF destruc-
ton.
AS the fire advanced toward the
Rialto Theater, the manager went
into the streets and saw the ap-
preaching danger.
Calmly and quietly he walked
through the crowded building and
row by row-in very calm voice
asked the patrons to leave. He
gave no reason for the request. The
brilliant glare of the fire did not
show In the building.