USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > History of the Fort Wayne Fire Department : extracts from Fort Wayne, Indiana, newspapers > Part 23
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Page 4, Col. 3
Someone set fire to the stable in the rear of Lew Clark's Oliver house last night and the structure was gutted. The walls stand. The barn was of brick and both new and commodious. It had been erected at a cost of $1,000 and there was an insurance of $800 in the Harding agency, enough to repair all the losses or to rebuild the structure.
FORT WAYNE DAILY SENTINEL Saturday 10/17/1885
Page 4, Col. 2.
The fire alarm bell is now in perfect order and strikes the noon hour. Its time is regulated from the jewelry house of H. C. Graffe into which run railroad wires recording time with the utmost accuracy.
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FORT WAYNE DAILY SENTINEL Tuesday 10/20/1885
Page 4, Col. 3.
Sunday afternoon the barn of William Schaefer, a well known farmer of Wayne township, burned to the ground. Eight head of sheep, a calf, reaper and mower, grain drill and many other farming implements, and a large quantity of hay and straw were consumed.
Last night the old Pickard stove foundry caught fire and fanned by the gale of wind that prevailed at the time was soon in ashes. The shops were not utilized, Mr. J. H. Bass acquired them long ago by foreclosure, Chief Hilbrecht estimates the loss at $2,500, but cannot tell as to the insurance. The shops will not be rebuilt.
FORT WAYNE DAILY SENTINEL Tuesday 10/27/1885 Page 4, Col. 2.
Chief Hilbrecht is putting into use swinging harness in the fire engine house. It saves the leather and horses.
FORT WAYNE DAILY SENTINEL Tuesday 11/03/1885 Page 4, Col. 3.
The fire department committee of the council has decided to sell the old hand engine to Conway, Ohio. Col. E. L. Chittenden has reminiscenses about the engine.
PAPER UNKNOWN
11/09/1885
* Knapp Homestead, first house south of Pontiac on east side of Fairfield avenue burns. Steamer could not get water from Shawnee Run. A creek in the section.
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FORT WAYNE DAILY SENTINEL Thursday 11/12/1885
Page 4, Col. 2.
The Seventh ward engine house will shortly be ready for occupancy. Mike Connors and Coony Dreibelbiss will be transferred up there from the Second ward house. Mr. Connors will be engineer of the Silsby engine and Mr. Dreibelbiss will drive the hose cart. An additional engine driver and two minute men will be employed at the new engine house.
FORT WAYNE DAILY SENTINEL Monday 11/30/1885
Page 4, Col. 2.
The council will inspect the Seventh ward engine house to-morrow. Chief Hilbrecht will promote Louis Steup to driver of a hose cart, up there, and employ another man to turn the hook and ladder truck.
FORT WAYNE DAILY SENTINEL Thursday 12/03/1885
Page 4, Col. 2.
The council has virtually accepted the new Seventh ward engine house. Messrs. Mike Connors, Conrad Dreibelbiss and Steup have moved to the Seventh ward. The gentlemen will have charge of the new house, which is connected with the central engine rooms and every fire alarm will be sounded simultaneously in both houses.
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FORT WAYNE DAILY SENTINEL Friday 12/11/1885
Page 1, Col. 3.
Geo. Meyers will loose nearly $500 on the Seventh ward engine house. The city yet owes him $1,040, but his workmen appeared before the mayor this morning and filed claims for more than that sum. The contract price for the new engine house was very low, it being $2,900.
FORT WAYNE DAILY SENTINEL Saturday 12/12/1885
Page 1, Col. 3.
The workmen for George Meyers, builder of the Seventh ward engine house, will have to content themselves with a pro rata share of the money now due the contractor from the city.
FORT WAYNE DAILY SENTINEL Tuesday
12/15/1885
Page 4, Col. 2.
A fire was discovered in the grocery of Pearse & Coverdale on Harrison street, at midnight. The department ran down and quenched the blaze. The damage is not over $100.
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FORT WAYNE DAILY SENTINEL Monday 12/21/1885
Page 4, Col. 3.
Chief Hilbrecht this morning took charge of the new Seventh ward engine house and sent Engineer Mike Connors, engine driver Louis Steup, hose cart driver, Coney Dreibelbiss, to man the house No. 2. The house is on the wires with the Second ward engine house and alarms are sounded simultaneously in both engine rooms.
FORT WAYNE DAILY SENTINEL Saturday 12/26/1885
Page 6, Col. 3.
"Chief Henry Hilbrecht, M. V. Welsh, George Strodel, Fred. Michaels, Charley Baker, Charley Sheldon and William Lindemann, of the Fort Wayne department were in the city Thursday and expressed disappointment because they were unable to assist. Our people fully appreciate, however, and will long remember the good feeling thus shown a city in distress," says the Huntington Herald.
FORT WAYNE DAILY GAZETTE Tuesday
01/12/1886
Page 6, Col. 1.
The drug store of Henry Shanks, at Monroeville, caught fire yesterday morning. The building was damaged to the extent of $300 and the stock $400. Dr. A. Engle owns the building.
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FORT WAYNE DAILY GAZETTE Thursday 01/14/1886
Page 5, Col. 4 & 5.
STEAM'S DEADLY FORCE.
The boiler used for heating Saint Mary's Catholic Church explodes with terrible force. Death and destruction go with it. The splendid Edifice a total wreck. Narrow escapes. Two persons killed by the explosion. The engineer in charge and a young girl passing by. The opinions of experts as to the cause. The inquest. The church to be rebuilt finer than ever.
Yesterday afternoon at a few minutes past 1 o'clock, a gentleman passing up the west side of Lafayette street toward Jefferson, and looking directly at the imposing front of St. Mary's Catholic church, saw a white burst of steam rise above the roof followed by a shock that almost threw him from his feet. When he looked again the splendid edifice was a tottering wreck, shattered as though bombarded for a day by a battery of artillery. The dull, heavy report reached all over the city and by many was taken for the shock of an earthquake, as it rattled windows, doors and glass and seemed to shake the very ground. The lone actual observer of the explosion states that apparently scarcely a minute had elapsed before every street leading to the vicinity of the church was crowded with people rushing to the scene of the catastrophe. Those first on the spot found lying on the wide sidewalk, directly in front of the main entrance of the church, a young girl, partially covered with one of the heavy doors that had been wrenched from its iron hinges and hurled like a cannon ball against her, crashing in her skull. Blood was flowing from her mouth and nostrils and gathering in little pools on the stones. Several recognized her as Miss. Alberta, the daughter of Mr. B. L. Willard, of Madison street, a bright girl of thirteen years, and sister of Joe Willard, of the post office force. She was breathing when found, but died just as she reached her heart-broken mother, whom she had left only a few moments before with a good-bye kiss, to hurry to school.
While little Alberta was being tenderly borne away, the crowd had gathered, and then the terrible force of the accident was realized and the cause soon ascertained. By this time, say ten minutes, flames and smoke were rising from the interior of the church, and an alarm of fire, which notified the people generally of the location of the explosion, was turned in. With the engines a Gazette reporter arrived on the scene. The police were there already driving back the crowd that surged up all around the building. St. Mary's church property comprises beside the large church a parochial school building adjoining the south side and the pastor's residence on the east and rear, these structures partially shared in the effects of the pent up steam. The church presented a scene of fearful and complete destruction. The tapering spire surmounted by the golden cross still stood intact, but that was all; the side walls were bulged out and almost ready to topple over, every window was blown out of the casings and rich stained glass hurled up into the neighboring trees, and across the streets. The rear wall was partially blown out and the
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debris thrown on the roof of the priest's residence. The interior of the church was merely a chaotic mass of ruined pews, splintered wood, torn pictures, twisted organ pipes and charred and blackened timber. The cause of all this wreck was the explosion of a boiler used for heating the church and placed in the cellar underneath. Its location was just in front and centre of the altar. From here pipes radiated all over the church making a summer temperature in the coldest days. When it exploded and the mighty force was expended the organ and entire altar with all its decorations, statutes, holy vessels and sacred vestments, together with the pulpit, settled down in one pile of shattered and splintered rubbish mixed with the remnants of the boiler. The fire underneath the boiler set this on fire and when the firemen arrived the flames had to be subdued to prevent the fire from completing and making the destruction utter.
While the hose was playing on the flames inquiries were made for the old engineer Anton Evans by those who wished to enquire into the cause of the explosion, but he had not been seen since the shock and as he entered the building about five minutes before it occurred he must have been in the boiler room at the time. Soon a fireman found his cap and in about three- quarters of an hour after the flames were out, a little of the wreckage about where the front of the boiler had been was removed, and then fireman John Schroeder found the old man doubled up across a steam pipe and horribly mutilated. His face was crushed to a pulp, every bone in his body broken, his skull broken in a dozen places, his abdomen cut open, and altogether he was a ghastly sight. A stretcher was brought and the remains taken across to the boy's school and thence to Peltier's undertaking rooms, and prepared for burial, and at a late hour taken to his home near the church.
NARROW ESCAPES.
Several ladies had passed the church only a few moments before, and the school across the street and adjoining were filled with children, yet not one was injured although the windows were nearly all blown in. A little son of City Treasurer Berghoff was at the blackboard at the time, but says he only noticed a slight shock. Father Romer the assistant priest was summoned to visit a sick woman and had his hand on the church door to enter to secure the sacred host that it is usual to bear to the dying. This was only a few minutes before the explosion, but he changed his mind and departed to ascertain the exact condition of the person he had been called to see and was only a square away when the death dealing force was released. The proper prayers and services attendant at the altar on taking the host would have kept Father Romer there until the explosion and he would have met a fearful death.
Mr. J. Chas. Hahne, the fresco artist, of Dayton, Ohio, was to be at the church at one o'clock to prepare plans for frescoing the interior, but for some reason he postponed his visit until later and also escaped. The priest's residence in the rear was badly shaken up and shattered in the upper story but Miss. Oechtering, the sister of the pastor, Father Oechtering, escaped all harm.
THE CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION.
The principal topic of course, in connection with the explosion is what caused it? The engineer, Evans, was an old man of long service in the Pittsburg shops and thoroughly competent. There was rumor on the street that he was a drinking man, and was under the influence of liquor at the time. The latter is not true, as all who saw him just before he went into the church say he was perfectly sober. There are two theories as to the cause of the accident.
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One of these is of course the ordinary one of low water, red hot flues, and the sudden turning on of cold water. This theory, however, Mr. Cassanave, the master mechanic of the Pittsburg shops, and one of the finest machinists in this country, and who critically examined the remnants of the boiler, thinks is not the right one. He says the flues and seams of the boiler show no evidence of low water and the explosion was caused by an extraordinary pressure of steam. The great force of the explosion and the terrible damage done strongly support Mr. Cassanaye as did the opinion of several expert boiler makers from both the Wabash and Pittsburg shops. The head of the boiler was torn off at the first row of rivets and thrown clear to the front of the church. The boiler generally carried six pounds of steam, which was ample to warm the church, and had a low pressure gauge that registered only thirty-six pounds. Steam was kept up all day during the cold weather to keep the church warm and while the engineer went to dinner, the safety valve became clogged some way, steam ran up until the indicator went clear around against the pin and the pressure rose to near 200 pounds, and when poor Evans returned he had no time to open the general valve or look after the safety before he was hurled into eternity. The boiler was put in by Shaw, Kendall & Co., of Toledo, Ohio, and was new and first class. Evans helped put up the boiler and knew perfectly well how to handle it.
NOTES.
The walls will be at once torn down.
Every pew door was blown off.
Several thousand people visited the church after the explosion.
Rev. Father Oechtering the pastor was in Milwaukee and was telegraphed for.
It was St. Mary's church and it was a peculiar touching fact that amid all the wreck of the alter, as though specially spared, the beautiful statute of the Virgin Mother was left standing unharmed.
The engineer Evans killed was the father of Mr. Joe Evans, with H. J. Ash.
The church will at once be rebuilt, finer than before and at a cost of some $80,000.
The insurance is $24,000 in the agencies of Henry B. Monning and Neiseiter.
The inquest began last night and will be continued to-day at 1:30 p.m. at Dr. Dinnen's office.
Father Romer last evening paid a visit to the parents of the girl killed. They are not Catholics.
Had the accident occurred at a mass it would have been the most fearful holocaust in this country.
Rev. Father Brammer and Father O'Leary were on the scene and looked after matters about the pastor's residence.
The boiler was made by Brownell & Co., of Dayton, who made the one that heats the Cathedral, church and court house in Evansville.
Several new and costly pictures of the various stations of the cross painted by a famous artist of Munnich had just arrived for the church.
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FORT WAYNE DAILY GAZETTE Friday 01/15/1886
Page 5, Col. 4 & 5.
SEARCHING FOR THE CAUSE.
THE INQUEST ON THE BODY OF THE FIREMAN KILLED AT ST. MARY'S CHURCH SLOWLY PROGRESSING - NO EXPLANATION YET OF THE EXPLOSION - TESTIMONY OF FATHERS OECHTERING AND ROMER, THE PRIESTS IN CHARGE.
Yesterday crowds visited the dismantled church all day long. Workmen were busy proping up the walls so that the work of tearing down the church can begin at once as Bishop Dwenger has insisted that the church must be at once rebuilt. Inside the church a force of men cleared away the ruins of the alter and recovered the gold chalice and other precious vessels. The coroner's inquest will be made a searching inquiry as to the cause of the boiler exploding and experts after they have carefully examined it will be sworn. Among them will be Master Mechanic Casanave, James Hughes, Neil McLachlan and the superintendent of the boiler department of the Bass foundry. The coroner has most minutely inquired into the habits of the engineer in charge of the boiler and the fact has been established that he was sober and a careful man. Yesterday the witnesses examined were John Schroeder of the fire department, who testified to finding the body in the ruins, John McGowan assistant chief of the fire department who assisted him, August Ott a moulder and William Schack of the fire department, who all testified to the same facts as to the location and position of the corpse as it lay under the ruins of the boiler and bent over a steam pipe. Catherine Gessler, Francis L. Furste, Joseph Derheimer, John L. Pranger and City Treasurer Berghoff all testify that the dead engineer was a sober man. The following is the testimony of Father Oechtering, Father Romer and Mr. Evan's daughter, Mrs. Scheffer, the last persons who saw the engineer alive:
Rev. C. M. Romer, being duly sworn and under oath, says: I am assistant priest at St. Mary's Catholic church. I was inside of the church twenty-five minutes to 1 o'clock on Wednesday, 13, 1886; I noticed nothing in the way of noise and did not notice any unusual amount of heat. I saw Mr. Evans on Friday, January 12th. I wanted to see him on Wednesday at about 11:30, but the door to the boiler room was closed. I have never seen Mr. Evans under the influence of liquor. He was a hard-working man and always paid attention to his duty.
(Signed) C. M. Romer.
Mrs. Catherin Scheffer, being duly sworn and under oath, says: I am a daughter of Anthony Evans; he was 72 years of age. Rev. John Ochtering desired my father to stay at my house, so that he would be on hand whenever he was wanted. He began to live with me when the boiler was finished in the church. He was given charge of the steam heating of the church by Father Oechtering. He started fire in the church on Tuesday, January 12th, in order to warm it for the children; he started the fire shortly before 6 o'clock. He went over to the church after 10 o'clock at night on Tuesday. On Wednesday, about 6 o'clock in the morning, he went to the church; he returned to the house at about 8 o'clock and eat his breakfast and went back to the church again. He came to the house again about 10 o'clock in the morning and said he had to go down town to pay a coal bill and asked me if I wanted him to do anything for me. I told him I wanted him to take a shoe to Mr. App for me and have it mended. My father came home about a quarter of twelve and went direct to the church. He came to my house again about 12:30 for dinner. He remained at the house fully half an hour. Ten minutes after he left the house I heard
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the crash. I went to the door and I saw the windows &c. flying through the air and back onto Rev. Oechtering's house. My father was perfectly sober when he was in my house, and there was not a sign of liquor about him. He remarked that the boiler as long as in his charge would be perfectly safe and that no accident would happen for which he would be to blame. My father has been a machinist ever since I can remember. That was his trade. He said to me that the dinner tasted good, and he ate quite heartily. I noticed that my father was constantly worrying and thinking about the boiler in the church.
(Signed) Mrs. John Scheffer.
Rev. John Oechtering being duly sworn and under oath: I am the pastor of St. Mary's church, which is on the southeast corner of LaFayette and Jefferson streets. I employed Mr. Anthony J. Evans to take charge of the steam heating of the church about the third Sunday in November, 1885. He was highly recommended to me as an engineer and machinist. He proved himself to be just as recommended. At the time the steam heating was being put in the church he was constantly at the church, and made several improvements which the men who were sent to do the work accepted. Steam was up to fifteen pounds while Shaw and Kendall's men were present, and it was so done by them. I was informed that the boiler was tested from 200 to 250 pounds when it was in the shop. Mr. Kendall informed me that it would be perfectly safe to put the boiler in the basement of the church. I can say that Mr. Evans was a very careful man, and I never saw him have any signs of liquor about him. I saw him every time he was about the church, when he went there to fire the boiler. I went down once twice or three times every Saturday and Sunday and always found him attending to his duty. Mr. Evans carried about five pounds in the boiler and on very cold weather not more than seven pounds. The safety valve was tried several times and I was given to understand that it was in perfect working order. I considered the work done by Shaw Kendall to be perfect.
Signed. Jno. Oechtering.
To-day Coroner Dinnen will continue the inquest until he has ascertained all the facts possible and will render his verdict accordingly.
NOTES.
No insurance troubles are expected.
Joe Murphy, the actor, was a spectator at the church soon after the explosion.
There will be a meeting to-morrow evening of all the members of the congregation to make plans for future action.
The funeral of fireman Evans occurs at the Cathedral to-morrow morning between 9 and 10 o'clock. It will be a very large one.
President Charles McCallough, Hamilton bank, sent this check yesterday for $500 the first contribution toward rebuilding.
The congregation of St. Mary's will have Sunday services conducted by Father Oechtering at 8:45 next Sunday morning at the Cathedral.
There is a meeting at 7 a.m. to-morrow of the pastor and prominent members of the church with a number of contractors to take steps to remove the walls and rebuild.
Father Oechtering was at St. Francis Seminary, six miles from Milwaukee, whither the dispatch sent him by Father O'Leary, to Milwaukee, was telephoned. This was the first
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information he had of the destruction of his church, and after receiving the message at four o'clock Wednesday afternoon couldn't get a train out of Milwaukee for Chicago, until four o'clock the next morning, and reached home yesterday afternoon at two o'clock. A night and almost a day of mortal agony. On his arrival here he was met at the depot by a reception committee of his congregation, among whom were Rev. Father Duensing, of Avilla, Rev. Father Wiedan, of New Haven, Rev. Father Koenig, Henry Monning, sr., Jno. B. Monning and Andy Kalbacher, of this city. The good priest completely broke down and wept when he saw the wreck of his church.
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FORT WAYNE DAILY GAZETTE Friday 01/15/1886
Page 6, Col. 1.
The majority of fire alarms that are sent in nowadays are sent in by telephone.
FORT WAYNE DAILY GAZETTE Tuesday 03/02/1886 Page 5, Col. 3.
Christ Rohyans, the well known fireman, was married Sunday evening to Miss Louise Ellisen.
The chimney of the residence of Hon. Edward O'Rourke, judge of the circuit court, burned out yesterday afternoon and created considerable excitement.
FORT WAYNE DAILY GAZETTE Wednesday 03/31/1886 Page 5, Col. 2.
The minute men of engine house No. 2, in the Seventh ward, are going to give a dance at Arion hall April 30.
FORT WAYNE DAILY GAZETTE Friday 04/02/1886 Page 4, Col. 3.
AN EARLY BLAZE.
THREE BARNS NEAR THE JAIL BURNED THIS MORNING- WORK OF AN INCENDIARY.
At half past three, city time, this morning the night watchman of the Olds Foundry and Machine works saw a flash of flame from the barn in the rear of the residence of Mr. Wm. H. Driver, No. 22 Superior street and before he could turn in an alarm the whole structure was in a blaze. The fire department was quickly on the ground but the flames fanned by a light breeze from the west quickly spread to the adjacent barns owned by Mr. Joseph Saunders and Mrs. Story, both of which were, with Mr. Dreier's entirely consumed. In the barn of Mr. Saunders was a horse belonging to Mr. Ferguson, a music teacher, which was burned to death. The fire was clearly the work of an incendiary, probably a tramp. There was little or no insurance, and the total loss will not exceed $600 on the three buildings.
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FORT WAYNE DAILY GAZETTE Thursday 04/15/1886
A dwelling house in South Fort Wayne opposite the organ factory burned last night.
Yesterday afternoon the fire department was called to Nebraska, where an empty ice house, just across from Oriff's mill, burned down. The building was owned by the Nickle Plate railroad company.
A SAD ACCIDENT.
CHARLEY THIEME, OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, LOSES A LEG IN A RUNAWAY.
Yesterday afternoon Charley Thieme, of the city fire department, was engaged in moving his household goods from the Immel block, on Berry street, driving the big bay team of the fire department and the heavy city wagon. As he started off with the first load the horses started with a rush and at once got out of his control. Si Lavanway and some of the furniture were thrown out and the horses dashed furiously east on Berry street, shieing in toward the sidewalk near the Academy of Music. At this time Thieme was clinging to the dashboard with his right leg hanging down in front of the axle, and when the wagon collided with the big heavy post there, the leg was horribly crushed, just below the knee, between the axle and the post, the bones being broken in a dozen pieces and protruding through the flesh. Officer Schraeder was directly across the street and hurried with others to the rescue. The blood was flowing in torrents and the wagon is yet all stained and bloody. Thieme was taken to the engine house and laid on a cot. He was conscious and begged pitifully that his leg should not be cut off. The firemen then carried him on a cot to the City hospital, where Doctors H. S. Myers and Dinnen amputated the leg directly below the knee. At a late hour last evening he was resting quietly and if no internal injuries develope will probably recover. A host of friends regret this terrible occurrence as Charlie was one of the most popular boys on the force. His father is Andy Thieme, the Broadway grocer, and he is a son-in-law of Mr. Henry Immel.
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