Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 57, Number 3, Decatur, Adams County, 5 January 1959 — Page 8

PAGE EIGHT

? ’?■ •■? O ‘ i " 3*L&v ■ wr-''"----' <* ;’ ,v_ ._ L ljTl,n .•■■••»• :s-<ji; is - . ■■'• • • Firemen go up the ladder to fight the fire from the front of the Blackstone fate during the early minutes of the. six hour battle. At this time, entry had not been made into the Wagner cigar store. ■ .—Photo by Encs Osterman

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nation into deep freeze today. From the Pacific Northwest to New Erg' ft r a,, temperatures pushed ts. I'-rxid lows in many areas. The 1 j st winter blast of the new year tangled air, train and highway transportation, threatened citrus crops in Texas and Florida, forced industrial shut-downs in Texas rrd Cclorado and brought storm 3rd cold warnings to the Atlantic Seaboard. The thermometer skidded to 43 below zero, one of the coldest readings in U.S. history at Big Piney. Wyo., and Hibbing, Minn., over the week end. Gordon, Wis., reported an unofficial temperature of 45 below early Sunday. Up'to 10 inches of snow blanketed: Kansas and Missouri and covered roads throughout the midlands with treacherous coats of Ice and snow. Highway crews were hampered by the intense cold in their efforts to clear the roads. . Atlantic Seaboard Shivers In Michigan City, Ind.. J. 5. inches of snow threatened several school closings and blocked country! roads with' drifts up to four feet. Michigan City was the scene of a paralyzing four-foot snow last winter. , The entire Atlantic Seaboard ; shivered under the latest wintry blast- with small craft warnings hoisted from Maine to Florida. Cold wave alerts were issued from western New’ England and New York southward into northern Florida and westward into Ohio. Kentucky and Tennessee. - Winds from 20 to 30 miles per hour whipped two to eight inches ;of powdery snow into dangerous ' drifts- in tower Michigan and the lower Great takes region through the Ohio Valley into Kentucky and : Tennessee. —The ~Weather Bureaui warned residents of northern Maine to expect five inches of snow today. » Cold Hits Florida | Zero temperatures yWere expected to freeze sections of the East by early Tuesday while sub - zero radings extended as far sofith as Texas arid Arkansas. Northern Fk.ifida was threatened with a ! crbo-killing frost and weathermen

■ ,!■■■ ' ' * forecast more ot the same for i northern and cer.tral Florida by : early Tuesday, In Texas, the cold wave shoved temperatures to the lowest point since the big freeze of 1951, but citrus and vegetable crops in the lower Rio Grande Valey were spared. Dwinoling natural gas supplies threatened shutdowns at many industrial plants as homeowners upped demands for fuel. One of Texas’ largest gas suppliers cut shipments to industrial consumers by 75 per cent ip Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, Temple and Corsicana early today. Gas supplies had prevoiusly been curtailed by 25 per cent in those cities. Congress Testing Board Os Hopefuls Democrat Hopefuls For Presidency WASHINGTON (UPD—The new Congress which convenes this week will provide 1 ’ a daily forum and testing ground for at least four potential candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1960. It will also be the base of operations for Vice President Richard M. Nixon, now the strongest contender for the Republican nomination. although he plays no direct, public role in dealing with the legislative program. Nixon presides over the Senate, votes only in case of ties and works offstage as an agent of the Eisenhower administration. He also appears likely to inherit from President Eisenhower the active leadership of the Republican Party organization. Here are the potential Democratic candidates in Congress: Sen. John F o Kennedy (Mass.), 41, now viewed as the pace-setter. He will play a key part, just as he did in 1958, in whatever the Democratic - controed Congress does to combat corruption in abor unions. Membership on the Foreign Reations Committee aso offers him a vehice to gain nationa attention. He has substantial support in the south. Humphrey Raying Point « Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey Minn., 47., a likely rally point for the more aggressive liberals in the Democratic Party. However, he is weak in the South. He will be in the, forefront of the forefront of the. struggle to change the Senates anti-filibuster rule next week. He is a member of the Foreign Relations and Agriculture Committees and chairman of the subcommittee on disarmaI ment but readily and deeply involves himself in issues in other i fields, too. Sen. Stuart Symington (Mo.), 57, who is often described as "everybody's second choice’’ for 1960. As a former secretary of the Air Force, he gets most Attention for his frequent attacks on the Eisenhower administration's defense program. Like Kennedy, he Is regarded by southern DemoI crats as much more acceptable I than Humphrey. — F' ' z - { . I Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson (Tex.), I 50, domninat figure in writing the I Democratic Party record during | the past four years while >majorI ity leader of the Senate. Although I he insists he is not a candidate, I potential contender, at least in I case of a convention deadlock. .. Kefauver Failed Twice I Another possible Democratic I contender is Sen. Estes Kefauver | (Tenn.), who tried twice and I failed to win the Presidential I nominatiori. However, he may be I kept busy protecting his Senate I seat in 1960. J ,

. THE DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT, DECATUR, INDIANA z

- - .... EYEWITNESS. (Cotiunued from pay one) actly while on the scene, sine* he is far too busy to keep'looMqfc at his watch. The roof over Mrs. Lose s apartment collapsed behind the skylight. We chopped holes through the roof to get the water in. At each hole, smoke, heat,, and flames came pouring out, forcing the men back temporarily Fire walls betweeri Sutton's and the bar, and between the pool hall and Schafer’s saved those buildings. The partial tire wall between Shannon’s and Wagner's kept the fire out until the intense heat following pipes through the wall ignited beams on the other side. This was discovered when one of the men stepped through the floor in the apartment above, and saw the flames and, smoke under him. Two false ceilings under this, each with metal covering and then a wooden floor, hampered us in our efforts to get the water to tfie fire. All the while water froze on our ‘ hands, faces, helmets and clothes, and the frigid weather complicated the fire situation. We worked in pairs during the fire, and most o ! f ffie time I was with Dan Emenhiser.- By working together we could help one another in case of smoke, or a collapsing -floor. or any' gers present at a fire. About 1:30 we found the last pocket of fire in the false ceiling over the pool hall. We kept pouring water on the smoking remains un- » til after 3 o’clock. After reloading . the fire trucks we all returned to , the station, and helped clean up the equipment and trucks, so we would be ready for another fire, should the need to be prepared J arise. » LOSE BUILDING Continued from page one ’ age occurred at the ASC office. . Damage was estimated at* about $15,4)00. John Lose was firing the furnace [ in the basement of the building • when he heard the fire siren. He ; smelled smoke, and when he turned ; around to leave, the smoke was so • thick that he had a difficult tiftih getting out. He could not get back to his apartment, and went to call the firemen, but chief Fisher was arriving as he left the building. Lose and his brother, William, Sr. own the building. Jacobs Reports Fire The fire was reported by Donald Jacobs who was taking his daughter to Sunday school when he saw smoke gushing from the windows of the Blackstone. The electricity went off at 9:67 I ; Sunday morning in the affected ar-, ; ea, arid south to the Madison street i corner. The Decatur Daily De mm ! crat—Citizens Telephone company ; news recorder, unable ♦ work ■ without electricity, was moved to the telephone company building, ■ and reconnected there, where it 1 operated for six hours. Richard Des Jean and Marion Heare. of the ’ telephone company, kept the ma- ; chine operating, while six different news reports were kept up-to-date by the staff of the Decatur Daily I Democrat. A total of 4,330 tele- , phone calls was handled by the seri vice Sunday, the most handled in , one day since the general .election ; of 1956. Usually about 500 persons' use the service each night by calling 3-2171. TV, Radio On Scene ; WPTA-TV had two movie cameramen on the scene; and jthey were able to get shots of the firemen and of the' blaze front a roof of a neighboring building. \ . 1 Radio station WOWO had Hal Cessna and Cal Stewart on the ■ scene within an hour after the fire . broke out. They reported the firte in person until shortly after noon. Thousands of bystanders were, disappointed with what they were able to see from the street, as tha : flames were kept confined to the i interior of the building, burning ■ hotly between the two false ceil- ! ings and the second floor. Gas Explosion Feared ! One of the latent dangers in the ! fire, and one which providentially f did not materialize, was that of a ‘ gas explosion. Gas lines from ' Northern Indiana Public Service Co. ran into both buildings, and it I was impossible to get inside to turn off the gas. The inside line at the Wagner’s cigar store was turned ■ off at 11:30 a.m. as M. J. Pryor, r manager, and servicemen Enos Os- ; terman and Wilbur Reynolds went i into action as soon as possible. Two > crews of three men each, one from - Fort Wayne and a second from ! Bluffton, worked alternately to dig ■ through Second street and reach 5 the principal main, where the gas ' was turned off to both buildings about 3 p.m. Three holes were dug i before the connections were finalj ly located. Three different groups provided f food and hot coffee for the firemen, , who with ice hanging from their r clothes, fought valiantly in 10 dei gree weather. Holthouse Drug Co. had hot cofee to the men by midmorning. The firemen's auxiliary, „ under Mrs. Ted Fisher, served cofr fee. and sandwiches at noon, and j during the afternoon the Red Cross, j staffed by Mr. and Mrs. Earl Fuhr- » man, Mrs. Wanda Oelberg, Wilbur » Petrie, Reynold Skuer, and Mrs. Joe Hunter, served doughnuts.

sandwiches and coffee. Fire Area Blocked The entire area was used by the firemen. Fire truck No. 1 pumped water to the front of the fire, first the Blackstone, then upstairs, and finally into the pool' hall, from the main at the corner of Second and Monroe streets. Fire truck Np. 2 was at First and Monroe streets, and pumped yvater into the alley behind the stores, where most of the damage was more clearly visible. Fire truck No. 3 pumped from the corner of Second and Madison across Madison street. Firemen manned the first two trucks, and the third was left to "run" itself by Chief Fisher. For the second time in the past twenty years all of the Decatur police force! was called into action for a period of six' hours. Aiding the city police were three sheriff units, three state police units with several others on standby, and the state conservation unit. Policemen Handle Traffic Policemen on duty in addition Jo the chief, James M. Borders, were , Jay Minch, Al Nern, Ray Setti, Vic Strickler, Roy Chilcote. Grover Odle, Dick Mansfield, Jr., and Roberl‘“ffiHr Jack Htirst, conservation officer, also helped; Sheriff Merle Affolder handled the corner of First and Monroe; Deputies Charles Arnold and Robert Meyer also helped at separate corners; state troopers Sam Platt of Fotr Wayne, Gene Rash of Decatur, and Al Cop-pess-of Decatur, also helped handle traffic. Traffic blocks to keep sightseers, church goers, and regular traffic from hampering the firemen while they worked were set up at Monroe and Third, First and Monroe,. Jackson and Third, Jackson and Second, Madison and Second, Madison and Third, and Jefferson and Third. In spite of ad the precautions; taken, the rerouting of traffic in the icy weather caused at least two automobile accidents Shortly after noon. Ilftec elsewhere in the newspaper Fire Chronology The fire whistle blew about 9:05 am„ and the electricity in the area went off at 9:07. The firemen were busy at work by 9:15 a.m. and to some of the bystanders, who could see noting but smoke, it seemed that the fire was nearly out by 9:30 a.m! About that time the entire front glass of the Black-1 stone was knocked out to help clear i the smoke so the firemen, fighting j in masks, could tell where they were. It was then that fire could be seen in the second story part of the building, and heavy smoke coming from the ASC office over Sutton’S jowelry store led the fire-* men to check several times on the possibility that fire had reached that building. Jesse Sutton, owner of the jewelry store, began evacuating the jewelry and objects that could be moved from the store, as water poured through the roof, and smoke engulfed the room. He was aided by A. J. Suttles, Jr., Steve Sutton, and many About 10 o’clock the Monroe ruraj fire department was called, and the rural truck was put at the fire station and held on standby until 1:20 p.m. Several of the Monroe firemen joined the Decatur firefighters at the scene, and aided in putting out the blaze. At 11:20 a.m., about % of the roof of the Blackstone over Mrs. Lose’s apartment had been destroyed. At 11:25 the electricity went back on. Believed Controlled At 12:30 the firemen believed they had the fire under control, but at 1 o’clock it was discovered that another false ceiling existed between the pool hall and the second floor, and the Tire ra»ed on there. At 1:15, truck three was sent back to the fire station, and this allowed the Monroe truck to leave, after about three hours standby duty, in case another fire broke out. At 2:30, truck two was pulled from the corner of First and Monroe, and about 3:15 the last truck left the scene. 1 Three firemen stayed at the scene with a fire hose and axes until 6 p.m., and as the fire had not broken out again, were allowed to return to the station. Fire chief Fisher stayed at the scene until 11 p.m., and then returned to the fire station, where the firemen worked all night getting the equipment in order and ready for another fire. The men continued working on the equipment this morning, and several had been without sleep all night. P” The news of the fire was broadcast all over the state, and Judge G. Remy Bierly, in Indianapolis for his inauguration today as appellate court judge, heard about it over the radio, and called attorney Severin H. Schurger to see how serious it was at the moment. Two Big Problems The two biggest problems of the firemen were the false ceilings which provided a regular smokestack draft for the fire, and hampered the firemen who had to cut through all three thicknesses to water onto the fije, and the bitter icy cold weather, which froze.icycles on the men and equipment. Water cascaded down the Lose building stairway like a miniature Niagara, and plummeted into street,- where it fortunately was able to drain awayythrough the main street sewer. The front of the Blackstone building was a mass of icycles. As the firemen prepared to leave

_ _ . • ........ at 3:15 p.m., Arnold Lumber Company workmen arrived to start putting up a wooden front on the building to prevent looting, and also to prevent the curious from injury in case the roof or floor caved in, or a bare wire was exposed. The front was finished and padlocked by 6 p.m., when the three firemen left. City residents thoughtfully recalled many'past fires that have burned out stores and areas of Decatur in past years following the big fire Sunday which closed temporarily tferee businesses, burned out two apartments, and caused smoke damage in an office and a neighboring business. The following list of major fires, not by any means complete, was

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compiled from Snow’s history of Adams County (1907) and from the records of fire chief Cedric Fisher. 1878- East side of Second street from Court to Madison (all frame buildings) burned out. 1879— The log jail burned down. < 1882—The east side of Second street between Madison and Monroe streets, where Sunday’s fire occurred, then all frame buildings, except one, burned out. 1899—Decatur city council building burned down on the eve of a primary election. 1903—The Big Store burned with $75,000 damage. 1905—The New Fornax Mill burned down. 1908—The Burt House,- hotel located on Monroe street across from

MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 1959

the Bank and Adams theater, p burned. 1920—The Shafer store burned. 1914 — The Big Store burned again 1936—Beavers & Fryback Furniture store fire. V 1938—Krick Tyndall til® mill fire. 1951—Decatur Novelty fire, last time the entire police force was caUed out for a fire previous to Sunday. ' 1955—Stewart’s bakery. 1957—The McMiilen-Bag Service warehouse burned. 1958 — Beery Motor Company burned, almost total loss. Decatur got its first real fire protection in 1888 when a hand engine was provided to pump water on fires from the city cisterns. '