Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 22 January 1952 — Page 1

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: a is » . ’ @ & J ; 1 : . " v ry : § prt ; “ prem epee mie ed carmstrmerrerSeue] PRICE FIVE CENJ$ 62d YEAR—NUMBER 326 : TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1952 gi Rag ob ean GUE is A second downtown store broke into exploding flam shortly before noon today as firemen fought through blindSt. Store, With a fiery blast that rocked the area, new flames Washington. Solid flames poured out of the second and third floors gallons of water into them. Couldn’t Get Close to Hanover’'s get close to Hanover’s. At least five firemen were injured by smoke or flying § Nine persons narrowly escaped through smoke in ¥C Block's, 10 E. Washington. Seven of them, including six § ¢

a2 a - A : v a . 3 - J LT Randy 2 : = ie - " “To . I rt ——— i -- FORECAST—Snow flurries, ‘windy and much colder tonight-and tomorrow. Low tonight near 10, high tomorrow 18, ° By HEZE CLARK : ing smoke to subdue the raging blaze in Block's Washington § a LA burst out of Hanover’s Shoe Store, one door east at 12 E. of Hanover’s and Block's as firemen poured thousands of Flames were so hot and smoke so thick firemen couldn’t glass. i '

Just Store Dummies, Heze Learns “I thought we had two dead when I got to the fire at Block’s,” Times reporter Heze Clark told the city desk. “There were two bodies on the sidewalk in front of the broken window. They weren't moving. “Biit when I got closer I saw what it was. They were store dummies dressed in men’s clothes.”

women, were rescued after being trapped on the fourth floor. The blast at Hanover's came two hours after firemen rushed to Blocks. It was the second explosion of the dramatic, bitter battle against thé biggest downtown fire in many years. A short time before the Hanover blast, an explosion of smoke and flame at Block's hurtled 10 firemen to the ground. Three of them were overcome. Early. estimates of $500,000 damage soared. Firemen indicated the loss was getting close to $1 million as the blaze kept spreading. Solid Wall of Flames at Store At noon, two and a half hours after the first call, a solid wall of flames filled the second and third floors of

both Block’s and Hanover's. Firemen braved intense smoke earlier to probe every : : : "Times photos by. William. A. Oates Jr. - : : . night . , . at the third session | NEAR SAFETY—A woman helped by a fireman comes down ladder from Block's fourth floor. of The Times-Legion Golden

floor of Block’s, Hanover’s and three other buildings im- : gm mcm : _| Gloves boxing tournament in Beaten Pupil Off Bus

LADDERS TO RESCUE—Firemen and rescued employees of Block's clamber to safety

smoke fills store.

Thrill to Ring This Time He Gets Help— Matches Friday py . ois re ne mies ree DFIVET Again ‘Forces

firemen tried to buck their way into the smoke-choked buildings. But they were driven back as new flames burst out. Unable to- bring hand hoses close to the holocausts, firemen raised four pressure nozzles up hose and ladder trucks and bombarded the flaming buildings with water. Several times, it looked like firemen were winning the § battle. But each time, new blazes burst forth—two of them § by explosions—and smoke billowed high, gray and dirty g out of the buildings. Smoke spread to four othef downtown stores in the vicinity and firemen from all downtown stations battled to § keep the blaze under control. A second alarm was saunded when fire burst out in greater fury. The blast at Hanover's “hit us like a cannonball,” said one fireman. He and two others were fighting to get into

goods - stores: Bush-Callahan, A switch-wielding bus driver | Long put his 7-year-old son off ie Rg demuglon Bi Br who faces possible state andthe bus in a rain and forced him Sportsman's Store, 126 N. | court action in the “brutal whip-/t0 Walk a half-mile home. Mrs, Pennsylvania St. . ping’ of a Martinsville schoolboy | Ross O'Neal, another township Prices, including tax: Ring- today again forcibly ejected the |Tesident, said the driver treated side and first row balcony, $2; {boy and an older brother from [Der children roughly and once downstairs reserved, $1.50. Gen- {passed up an older girl who was eral admission—$1 for adults Ris. bus, ‘waiting for the bus, because she and 50 cents for children 12 | Driver Arnold Long, with thei = = = ted against treai years and under—will be on aid of a teen-age girl. pushed oof her youn A a sale only at the Armory Friday [from the bus 12-year-old David ow days SO g a

periled. They said no persons were left in any of the © | pe TI wn pwr pn poy the N. Pennsylvania St. Armbuildings. : 5 ¢ oe ’ : so 8 ory. While thousands watched despite rain, snow and cold, Get a choice seat in advance | Pletures on Page 11 Omar Bolin, near Martinsville, at these downtown sporting | By DONNA MIKELS isaid that several years ago driver |

night. and 13-year-old James Upton.! gtate Supt. of Public Initruce

| whose angered father is seeking'iion Yo . icowrt action against the driver ment ours lousy lesiled a state.

| - , “still investigate Mercury Plunge for tht welt-raising Jan. 9 whip- A nT a

= (ping. He added that as ; : ; s yet he had To Follow Fog | The father’s revelation of the «pst found any law that gives me

incident to The Times yesterday! An extensive blanket of fog y Yiany authority whatsoever to incovering the country from the set off an investigation by Wil-\tsrvene in a case where a bus

bur Young, state superintendent yy East Coast to the Mississippi | Pp Ntidriver has disciplined a pupil on . : {of public instruetion, of th se ” R flight tions |© ’ e use, g > bus. iver stopped flig operation of switches both by Mr. Long school bus

at Weir Cook Municipal Airport, N , early today. The fog lifted short- and other bus drivers employed) Ne.Auwhority Found ly before noon. by Jefferson Township Trustee However, neither has a check Roscoe Bdthwell. of state school laws produced any

M RES This mornin t 7:20 y : LOCAL TEMPERATURES g at 7:20 a. M.ilgw ers ary James and David attempted to SIVINg GFivers suen autHOMY:

Building Shakes to Its Rafters The explosion knocked one fireman's helmet clear around. Windows splintered and the four-story building

: shook to its rafters ag smoke and flame slammed out of the } Ga Mis 40 18 3. M., board the lownshis © las claimed by Mr. Bothwell and front and back of Hanover's 7a m..40 11 a m..35 | IWRS ND Jus. ag Jt ron. Sp 4 1 8 a m... 41 12 (noom) 35 [StOPPed to pick up three other ML Boum. ; One heroic fireman clambered up a ladder, hose in 943. m..41 1p... 35 Upon chiltren in front of their voor er roa : 2 . Ea on wu '8 Ss n a hand, in front of Hanover's. But blast after blast of smoke - q far ew Paragon In Mor-|s hool officials in for a confers stopped him midway, and fire officials ordered him down. Times Incex |" Pushed Them Of ne rath h . : J | Amusements ..cevevianen 8 1 : : e father said he will 0 Shooting flames and smoke forced firemen back into Brae cei 4 | But as the two boys stepped again today to the office of Mon the middle of Washington. St. Comics srsagedssasnnises 21 ahoard, the driver and his teen- gan County Plosecater Sam Blue mi : Crossword «eeovscessnnse 6 ‘ . o demand that he be allowed fo Three firemen were overcome when an explosion EaNoHalE rs o |A8€ assistant roughly pushed theif)e criminal charges in the beate knocked them into the alley as they tried to fight their Radio, Television ........ 7 (boys back out again with the ing. way into the rear of Block's. A fourth was cut on his , . Bd BOvola vues eervrirsin ! 1 driver yelling, the boys said - - 4 ’ Sports .....0004 earns 14-1 “Here, here, you can't get on left hand. ; | Earl Wilson ....ovense. 11 here, the state police will get you D bl T k Seven other firemen, chopping their way into the front DRAMATIC FIGHT—Thousands watched firemen battle smoke and flame, rescue people from. | WOMENS ...oooneseeree 4,5 for this." 7» ouble-iake of the store, were blown several feet by the same blast. Block's fire. | .Y¥hat Goes on Here ..... ? As soon as the boys hit ground, By BOB BARNES Plate glass was shattered and the firemen were thrown] ; : ; : eld , Co He mine arjver snagped the door gnu 3 he sidewalk. b |, A fourth fireman, assistant Battalion Chief Frank] “We came outside, and I still couldn't see for a while.” and swung off down the road,| sprawling to the sidewalk, ut none of them were hurt. | Walker was cut on his left hand by glass but was not over- In all, about 30 employees and customers fled from leaving hem in the Seiving ie, Police held back traffic ‘and crowds as thousands of come. Block's as flames shot out of the basement and smoke nessed by BT Ts) shoppers antl office workers watched the dramatic struggle.| .1¢ was the second fire in two days at a downtown poured through the store. Photographer Dean Timmerman Four employees trapped on the fourth floor* were res- , : event ; : J : ; ., (Who was ‘concealed a few feet’ Tbvd pk Yee ee dde Shelve them d Block s store. Fire Prevention Chief Ralph Fender's office Trapped on the fourth floor—their exit cut off by bil- away shooting pictures. cued by 'tremen who adders and helped them GOWN. |gaiq an investigation for arson will be made. lows of smoke—were eight employees of the Block's store. Mr. Upton then was forced to hree other employees fled by a rear fire escape from the M : : : a : - ; drive his boys on fo Martinsville : anager of Block's Washington St. Store, Louis Firemen raised ladders to the fourth floor and helped i fourth floor. . High School as he has done since ; : : ; Abrams, 42, said damage to the stock probably wguld run them to safety: Jan. 9. On several days when Only a few customers were in Block's, and they all |. 30) 000 Firemen at the scene said smoke, flame and t a he could not take them he has walked: out before smoke choked off most of the exits. watcr Jimage fo the building probably would add 2 Tosa) Mrs. Lela Crosby, 44, Acton. been forced to pay $3 daily cab : . . : S| Tr 1 . fare, even though he pays taxes Scores of firemen and 13 pieces of major equipment | $200,000 or more. | Mrs. Lama Safronek, 43, 3712 N. Keystone Ave. for township transportation. : | The father says the driver also

of 1822 Medford Ave., of Station 13. His left wrist wa out again and we couldn't see a thing. Smoke poured in’ . : . ; gashed by flying glass. fats ‘my eyes ere i Michael Carderelli, about 55, a tailor fave pupils. Here other teachers : " : : : ; a] ‘ WE tone ; are With 2 i said they h p . : Indfanapolis Railways shut off electric power from. “I heard the fire department coming and we starfed out ~~ None of the émployees were hurt. plaints ee dere transit lines on Washington. between Meridian and Penn- —but we were as if blind. : y . | ° Also damaged by flames and smoke were these stores: [\* bY Chet Long. Diner state . Ah i 23 a : . = # 3 | plc - vii - ih * WV - . . z & 0 oritie , sylvania. - Transit officials said they were afraid fallfhg, “I thought-we were going to die right there. - | Goldstein Bros. 16 E.,Washington; Hanover Shoe whips by tor a an

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SBEOINE, 0 Ae Jets wall until og ound the stairway and walked up. oY auiagton, aul Craig's Candy

were rushed to the scene. Fire Chief Joseph Hancock took Mr. Abrams and a porter, Nathan Strong, 55, narrowly | Mrs. Anna Lowells, 62, of 2709 N. Dearborn St.

onal charge when the second alarm was sounded. . th : in Be, ee > lescaped being trapped by the smoke and flames. Mrs. Nina Majors, 48, Danville. ning if they try to board the bus . Th | 7 “Oh. quit worrying . . . The cop 08 {at Martinsville High School. que ;

; " “Three Firemen Overcome ‘< “I saw smoke seeping out of the west wall on the first All are sewing women. Starusvil ; oe boat is a lodge brother of mine." Three firemen were overcome by smoke and taken to| floor,” the manager said. “I went downstairs and saw| Flee Down Fire E leone Bo ustes Botliwell and i 3 General Hospital after first aid at the scene. They were: smoke.and fire blazing out of the west wall. : ee Down Kire Escape : |Bourn, who said they authorize "Ed Schenck, 39, of 1530 N. Alton St., Station 13. A “} ealled Nathan, and togethér we each grabbed a fire! Three others working on the fourth floor fled by thejase. of SOLpOr 3 en

[pushes the boys out in the eve:

Al Sheets, 35, 1617 Lexington Ave., Pumper 7. | extinguisher and started pumping away at the flaming wall, [rear fire escape. They were: . |contention the boys are “incor-| Vernis Brunson, 37, whose hand was cut by flying glass. | “I'grabbed another extinguisher and poured it on | Miss Ma. : rigible.” , sol, W Rh | or ET 8 : on. Miss Mary Bartholomew, 25, assistant bookkeeper. However. this claim was not The fifth fireman injured was Capt. John Blazic, 42, I thought for a minute we had it beat. Then it puffed po Jesse Pulliam, about 45, bookkeeper. ° [supported by officials .of —- Mar

|tinsville school where the boys

wires, if alive with voltage, could kill or injure spectators| “We groped through that smoke, feeling our way along Store, 12 E. Washington: Flagg Bros. Shoe "Store, 8 E,| Two other parents called The iad : j : ; : Store, 6 E. Was Te a (Time s long distance today to y» 0 E- hingto ‘\make complaints, - . = |

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