USA > Indiana > Madison County > Historical Sketches and Reminiscences of Madison County, Indiana: A Detailed History of the. > Part 50
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Dehority did a song and dance that would have been a credit to a professional. It is the opinion of the writer that these boys both missed their calling when they did not adopt the stage as a life work. They evidently had ability away above the ordinary, and might have been the equals of Emmet, Billy Emerson, or Primrose and West.
The performance was so well received in Anderson that the company went to Newcastle and gave a one-night's stand, where they were well received and cheered to the echo.
After coming home the party disbanded and the name of Peak & Cartwright's Varieties is only a thing in the mem- ory of the old timers of Anderson. "Tom " Cartwright after- ward learned the art of telegraphy, which he followed until
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
his health failed, and he died a few years ago at the home of his father, Fred Cartwright, in Alexandria.
John Peak was the son of the late wife of W. L. Philpot, .by a former husband, and died in Louisville, Ky., at the home of a brother.
CHAPTER LVII.
FIRES AND CASUALTIES.
BURNING OF THE BORING-HANNAH BLOCK.
On the 7th of December, 1890, the Boring-Hannah block, on the north side of the square in Anderson, was destroyed by fire, entailing a large loss of property. The fire originated in the basement of the building in the bakery of William Williams from a burning gas jet.
Before the fire department could respond the building was in flames; a heavy gale was blowing, making it quite a bad fire to control. The fire was kept within the bounds of the building, doing but slight injury to adjoining property. The Daily Bulletin occupied the entire second floor and was totally destroyed, losing all of the files and other property that insurance could not replace. The office and material were covered with insurance, and so far as the property that could be restored by the purchase of a new outfit the proprie- tors were made whole. This was the largest loss sustained by any one affected by the conflagration.
Williams' grocery was destroyed entirely, but was covered by insurance.
W. S. Shirk had a jewelry store in the building and suf- fered considerably from smoke and water, but his goods were many of them saved from destruction. The damage to the building was fully insured.
James W. Knight. one of the proprietors of the Bulletin, was sleeping in the building and was awakened by the smoke and gave the alarm. He hastened to the room of Fletcher Layne and a young man of the name of Harrison, who roomed in the bakery on the floor below, and aroused them just in time to save their lives. They were almost suffocated and were lying on the floor in a helpless condition. They were taken out more dead than alive and cared for until they were restored to their normal condition.
The building at the time belonged to R. H. Hannah, of
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Alexandria, and James W. Sansberry, of Anderson, who im- mediately re-built it.
The Bulletin showed its usual pluck by getting out its regular daily edition as if nothing had happened. The Daily Herald and the Democrat kindly assisted them in their trouble, which was properly appreciated.
The Lion Store, adjoining, was also a sufferer to a consid- erable extent by smoke and water, but was insured.
The Bulletin removed to its present site on Eighth street and was again burned out on the 14th of August, 1891. The last fire was fully as disastrous as the first, but the paper survived and is still one of the institutions of Anderson.
The building in which the Bulletin is now situated has gone through two disastrous fires, an account of which ap- pears elsewhere.
A HEADING FACTORY FIRE.
Twenty years ago Madison county was heavily timbered with oak and other valuable woods. The forests were then within sight of the court house. Lumbering interests were carried on largely, prominent among which was the stave and heading factory of C. T. Doxey & Co., south of the Big Four railway, and which was lately occupied by J. L. Kilgore's heading establishment. On the night of January 3, 1873, an alarm of fire was heard to ring out, and it was soon ascer- tained that the factory of Doxey & Co. was enveloped in flames. Every person within sound ot the alarm rushed into the streets and hastened to the fire to render such assistance as they could, to help subdue the flames. There being a large amount of shavings and other combustible material in the fac- tory, and a high wind blowing from the south-west, it was but a short time before the factory was totally consumed and nothing was left but the machinery to tell where this industry once stood. The loss was estimated to be about $8,000, on which there was an insurance of about $3,500. This fire had the effect to throw a large number of workingmen out of employment in the dead of winter, which was a great hard- ship upon them. At that time there were but few manufac- turing establishments within the limits of Anderson, and there were a large number of men and boys employed by Doxey & Co. in this factory. Be it said, to the credit of Major Doxey, that during the cold winter months he contributed a large amount of money to those who were thrown out of employ-
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ment, and who were unable to take care of themselves. The factory was afterwards rebuilt, and was for a time owned by H. J. Bronnenberg, and then passed into the hands of J. L. Kilgore, who ran it until timber became so scarce that it be- came unprofitable.
BURNING OF THE ADAMS BI.OCK.
At the corner of Eighth and Main streets, the present site of the Phoenix Block, was at one time a two-story busi- ness building consisting of four store rooms on the first floor, the second story being used for a public hall and offices. The building was erected in 1867-8 by Robert Adams, a once prosperous woolen manufacturer who lived north of Anderson on Killbuck. On the 16th of August, 1888. this structure was wiped out by fire which occurred about 4 o'clock in the morning when there was but little stir over the city. The fire department was summoned and worked hard to save the other buildings on the north side of the square. Randle Bid- dle, who was then night-watchman, was the first to discover the fire. He turned in the alarm, but from some cause it did not work perfectly and it was some time before the depart- ment responded. Among the occupants of the building at the time were Joseph Carr, Samuel Sykes and Benjamin Roadcap, who had rooms on the second floor. William Roach, Justice of the Peace, had his office in the room occupied by Judge Richard Lake, in the front of the building. Purcell & Ehli conducted a cigar manufacturing establishment on the upper floor. In the lower part of the building Mr. Pat Ske- han had his grocery store. William West conducted a barber shop also in one of the lower rooms. There was also a dry goods store, all of which were burned, entailing in each case quite a loss.
The building at the time of the fire was owned by Cap- tain Frederick Tykle, of Middletown. Immediately after the disaster Captain Tykle visited the scene and made a proposi- tion to his son-in-law, Hon. John HI. Terhune, that he would transfer to him the real estate, providing that he would place = building thereon, which agreement was entered into, and work was immediately commenced. As a result, the hand- some pressed-brick structure, known as the When Block, and which was demolished by the explosion of natural gas a few years later, was erected. When the When Block was de- stroyed Mr. Terhune at once put up another building which is
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
known as the Phoenix Block, and is one of the handsomest in the city.
A. F. AND M. WORKS DESTROYED BY FIRE.
The Anderson Foundry, that occupied the grounds of the present establishment of the same name, was, on the night of December 14, 1871, destroyed by fire.
It was then owned by James and Abram Michner, who afterward moved to Kokomo, Ind., and engaged in a similar enterprise.
They sold out the stock in the plant in Anderson, and the company was reorganized. In the year 1876 John H. Terhune became interested in the business with the Hon. Edgar Hen- derson, Samuel Kiser and others, and this became one of Anderson's greatest money makers.
The fire above alluded to was a severe blow, not only to the proprietors, but to the employes as well, who were thrown out of work for considerable time.
The buildings were immediately rebuilt and work re- -
sumed as soon as they were ready for occupancy.
This establishment has become famous the world over on account of its brick and tile machines, which are used in every State in the Union and many places outside of the United States.
BURNING OF THE WALKER WAREHOUSE.
Alfred Walker was once the owner of the farm on whiche ₾
the beautiful suburb of Evalyn is now located. He had erected d on this a palatial residence which he made his home, and d which has since gone into the possession of Dr. William P. . Harter.
Besides being a farmer on an extensive scale, Mr. Walker was also a dealer in grain and owned a warehouse, situated at the crossing of South Main street and the Big Four railroad. On the night of December 14, 1874, about half past 10 o'clock =- = k, the citizens were aroused by the alarm of fire. It was soon con discovered that the Walker warehouse was burning. The fire had made such progress before the alarm was given that all =all attempts to stay the ravages of the flames were futile. The me whole interior of the building seemed to be ablaze, and the flames had burst through the roof before any one arrived a == = at the scene of the disaster. An effort was made by George Craycraft to enter the office and save the books, but on accoun it
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
of the great heat from the flames, he was compelled to desist in his purpose.
The fire was undoubtedly the act of an incendiary, as there had been no fire in the stoves for several days, and the engine had been silent for nearly two weeks.
Mr. Walker carried an insurance of $2,000, while his loss was estimated to be in the neighborhood of $6,000. Besides the building, there were several thousand bushels of corn, wheat and other grain in storage for which Mr. Walker had to stand the loss.
Alfred Walker was the father of Mr. Frank A. Walker, the Anderson attorney. Mr. Walker is well remembered by the old citizens of the county. He died in St. Louis a few years ago.
ADAMS' HEADING FACTORY BURNED.
The extensive heading factory owned and operated for many years by the Adams Bros., at the crossing of the Big Four and Pan Handle railways was, on the 5th of September, 1887, the scene of one of the most destructive conflagrations that ever took place in Anderson. Early in the afternoon the people were alarmed by a cry of fire, and a huge, dense, black column of smoke was seen arising toward the heavens from the crossing. It was soon after ascertained that the heading factory was on fire. A drought had for many weeks been prevailing, and this made the factory and all the sur- rounding buildings an easy prey to the flames. It was esti- mated that at one time six acres of ground were in a mass of fire. The saw dust, the shavings that were lying on the ground, and other debris, together with a number of freight cars which stood on the tracks, were consumed.
The fire was discovered shortly after the local freight train on the Pan Handle railway had passed, in some stacks of heading at the south-east corner of the yard, near the building. It had caught quite low down near the ground, and when discovered, was rapidly mounting upwards on the stack. The fire department was at once called out, but little could be done to quench the flames, owing to the fact that there was so much inflammable material in and about the building that no earthly power was able to subdue them. In za brief period the buildings were destroyed, notwithstanding The fact that the roof and part of the side walls were made of ron. There were on hand more than a million pieces of 37
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
heading and four hundred cords of bolt wood in the yard. There were about forty loaded cars on the side-tracks at the time, but an engine on the Pan Handle railroad track suc- ceeded in hauling several of these to a place of safety. 'The factory was one of the best in the country, and was supplied with the latest improved machinery, and all that was left of it was a mass of twisted iron that could only be sold for old metal. The loss of the Adams Bros. was estimated to be from $25,000 to $30,000, with an insurance of only $2,500.
A dwelling house owned by James Trueblood, north of the factory, was also destroyed. The residence of Smith Andrews was at one time on fire, but was saved through the efforts of the hook and ladder company. Charles Goslin, an employe, was overcome with heat, and was carried away in an unconscious condition. Elias Vandyke was caught by a pile of burning heading and was badly burned. "Jack " Williams was also caught, but escaped with only slight in- juries. Fully 2,000 people were present and witnessed the scene.
The destruction of this factory was a heavy blow to the Adams Bros. and nearly wiped out their entire capital. The meagre amount of insurance they held was but a drop in the bucket towards the rebuilding of the plant. The Ander- son Board of Trade called a meeting to offer assistance to the unfortunate company, which the 'Adams Bros. agreed to accept on condition that they be permitted to reimburse the gentlemen who might come to their assistance. Upon these .terms the Board of Trade went upon the streets through its officers and solicited subscriptions to the amount of $7,000, and the factory was rebuilt.
The Adams Bros. executed notes to the citizens before commencing the rebuilding of their plant, and as soon as they had made sufficient money out of their business repaid all who were kind enough to come to their aid.
DESTRUCTION OF ARMSTRONG'S PLANING MILL.
Nathan Armstrong, of Anderson, has been an owner and operator of a planing mill for a great number of years. He was for awhile the partner of William B. Wright, under the firm name of Wright & Armstrong, and carried on an exten- sive business of building and contracting. From 1867 to 1869 they built nearly every house within the limits of Anderson, that was erected during that period. Mr. Armstrong pur-
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
chased from Mr. Wright, his interest, and continued to oper- ate the same, alone, with the exception of the last few years, during which time his son Walter has had an interest. On Monday night, January 12, 1883, his large and extensive fac- tory was noticed to be on fire by some persons who were pass- ing by at the time. They saw smoke issuing from the build- ing and immediately gave the alarm, but by the time people could reach the place, the fire had gained such headway that it was beyond control, and the workers were then directed to save the stock. The building being filled with inflammable material, burned so rapidly that in a short time nothing was left but the walls.
The loss to Mr. Armstrong was estimated to be $15,000, with no insurance. This fell heavily upon him, but being a man of nerve and business tact, he immediately set about re- building the structure and placed therein new and improved machinery, which he has operated from that time until the present period, doing a prosperous business and has long since recovered from the effects of the loss that he sustained in 1883. No man in Anderson has enjoyed more universally the confi- dence of his fellow-men than does Nathan Armstrong.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN ANDERSON.
A very destructive fire occurred at the corner of Ninth and Meridian streets in Anderson on the morning of the 13th of July, 1886, in which the grocery store of Irey Brothers ; the millinery establishment of Miss Carrie Dodd; the meat market belonging to Rhoades Brothers: the shoe store of Minor Barrett ; the United States Express Company ; and the agri- cultural store of B. F. Alford were wiped out of existence. The buildings in which the fire occurred were wooden struct- ures which had stood there for many years and were joined closely together. The fire was first discovered in Irey Broth- ers store by night watchman Wolf, who gave the alarm, but it being at an early hour in the morning when people are generally asleep very few responded in time either to assist in removing the goods or to help quench the flames. The cause of the conflagration was unknown but strong suspicions were aroused that it was the act of an incendiary. About two weeks prior to the fire a quantity of pine shavings which had been saturated with coal oil was discovered under the room occupied by the grocery store and had doubtless been placed there for the purpose of firing the building. The buildings
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
belonged to Hester Neely, some of which were afterwards re- built under leases, and others by Miss Neely herself. The fire was a severe blow financially to Mr. B. F. Alford, from the effects of which he has never been able to recover.
BURNING OF THE AMERICAN WIRE NAIL MILLS.
One of the most destructive fires that ever occurred in Anderson took place at the American Wire Nail Company's buildings in Hazelwood addition on the 13th of March, 1890, by which that immense industry was almost totally destroyed. The roof burned first and fell on the machinery and lower floor. Some of the stacks were left and the office fixtures were also saved. The rolling mill and the repair shop were totally destroyed ; a greater portion of the wire mill depart- ment was saved. The machinery was badly burned and much of it broken by the falling of the roof; minor parts of the en- gine and boiler were broken and injured. This fire entailed a great loss to the company. During the conflagration there was much excitement, and consternation reigned supreme. The mill was covered by $50,000 insurance, which did not make up the amount destroyed, much less the loss of time and delay in re-building. Immediately after the fire a move was put on foot to re-build the plant upon a more substantial basis. The directors, at a meeting shortly after, decided upon reconstructing the plant by building it entirely as an iron structure. The Board of Trade of Anderson called a meeting and entered into an agreement with the company to enlarge its plant to a certain capacity and donated a subsidy for that purpose. The leading members of the board and the best citi- zens of the city helped the company, and soon the buildings were restored and the men were again at work.
This is one of Anderson's best industries. The new buildings erected are entirely of iron, and it would be almost an impossibility to again burn them down.
This manufactory is spoken of elsewhere in these pages.
A LINE SHAFT VICTIM.
On the morning of December 16, 1894, Curtis L. Tingle, of Anderson, an employe of the Woolley foundry, met death in a most horrible manner. A fellow workman at the foundry heard a pounding noise in that portion of the building where Tingle was accustomed to work, and its unusual sound at once
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
filled his mind with apprehension. He immediately signaled the engineer to stop the engine. He then hurried to the cupola, where the limp body of Tingle hung suspended from the line shaft. The clothing of the unfortunate man was wrapped so tightly around the shaft that it became necessary to cut his body loose. There were no cuts or bruises visible, save a fractured left arm near the wrist. The face, however, bore every trace of an agonized death. How it happened will for- ever remain a mystery to his friends and the inmates of the factory, as no human eye was a witness. The generally ac- cepted supposition, however, is that in adjusting a belt on a pulley his clothing was caught by the shaft, and the man, helpless and paralyzed with fear, was hurled to death. His cry of distress, if uttered at all, was never heard. The thump, thump, thump of his body as it struck the side of the wall told of an unusual situation in the cupola section and led to the discovery.
ACCIDENT AT THE COUNTY FAIR.
The County Fair at Anderson was for many years looked forward to as a great season of enjoyment by the people of the county. Many enjoyable days have been spent in the beautiful grove of spreading oaks that lent their grateful shade to the comfort of the mass of humanity who congregated there annually to give themselves up to gaiety and sport. Among the many scenes of pleasure there have been some of sadness as well. One of the unfortunate affairs was the breaking of the leg of A. W. Stewart, of Elwood, on the 7th of Septem- ber, 1876. While "scoring " the horses for a start in a race Stewart was coming down the "stretch " at a lively gait when he collided with a horse driven by Richard Hunt, whereby his sulky was overturned and he was thrown out after being dragged for some distance, and had his leg broken and being otherwise bruised.
He was kindly cared for by friends and soon recovered. This accident caused the greatest excitement throughout the densely crowded grounds, and it was simply miraculous that others were not injured.
BURNING OF KILGORE'S HEADING FACTORY.
The extensive heading factory owned by J. L. Kilgore & Co., on South Main street, opposite the Big Four passenger station, was destroyed by fire on Sunday, the 16th of February,
-
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
1887, being one of the most destructive fires that ever took place in the city. The flames were first discovered in the engine room, where a spark from the furnace ignited a pile of saw-dust that lay close by. The fire spread with startling rapidity, owing to the combustible nature of the timber in the building. Although the firemen responded with promptness the factory was almost consumed before a stream of water could be turned upon it. This was a great loss to the propri- tors as well as to the community from the fact that it was at that time the largest manufacturing industry in the city, and gave employment to a great number of workingmen, who were left almost destitute in the dead of winter. The build- ing and its contents were partially insured, but not sufficiently to pay the loss. The company owned another factory at New Castle and it was several weeks before the proprietors de- termined upon re-building ; but after mature deliberation the factory was re-built and placed in operation and so continued until a few years ago, when, in consequence of the scarcity of timber in this section of the country, the plant was moved to Paducah, Kentucky, where it is now in active operation.
THE FATAL SWIMMING HOLE.
On the 24th of August, 1876, Charley Brown, a lad of eight years of age, was drowned in White river, just below the Pan Handle railroad bridge, while swimming with some boys. He was the son of a widow, who was a domestic in the family of Michael Skehan, who then lived on West Eighth street. His little companions did all in their power to rescue him, but to no purpose, as they were all small and could be of but little help to him. After making a heroic effort to save himself, he went down for the third and last time and sank from sight. The little fellows who were in his company were terror stricken and for a time did not know what to do. After gathering their wits, they gave the alarm, and the citi- zens turned out and made search for his body which was found, after some effort, not far from where he went down. This was a very sad affair for his widowed mother, as he was her only son, and she was very poor and worked out to main- tain him and herself.
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CHAPTER LVIII.
THE FAILURE OF THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF ANDERSON AND THE SAD TRAGEDY FOLLOWING IT.
Prior to the organization of the First National Bank of Anderson in the year 1865, the banking facilities of Madison county were very limited. N. C. Mccullough had, in 1865, established a small banking institution, which was afterward discontinued, and for awhile Anderson was without a bank. Afterward J. G. Stilwell and his son, Thomas N. Stilwell, came here from Oxford, Ohio, in the early '50s, and en- gaged in merchandising and other lines of business, under the firm name of J. G. & T. N. Stilwell ; T. N. Stilwell being also a part of the time engaged in the practice of law, and for a time associate editor of the Anderson Gazette. They also did a small banking business in a private way, until in the year 1865, after the passage of the national banking law, when they, in company with other citizens of Anderson, organized the First National Bank, with a capital of $50,000. The bank was very popular with the people and soon had a handsome business, being favored with the deposits of merchants, busi- ness men, corporations and public officials to such an extent that the deposits at one time reached the sum of $300,000. During the panic of 1873 the house of Jay Cooke & Co., of New York, failed unexpectedly, and threw the whole country into a state of financial excitement. The First National Bank of Anderson was a patron of Jay Cooke & Co., which fact was generally known to its depositors, and consequently they became frightened and many withdrawals were made in a quiet way, which depleted the cash resources of the bank to such an extent that it was compelled to close its doors on the 15th of November, 1873, although no regular "run " had been made on the institution. Colonel T. N. Stilwell was very popular with all classes, and under ordinary circumstances would have been able to have stemmed the tide and brought the bank through; but owing to the universal distrust and the
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