Madison County, Indiana - Chapter 49, 1897

Liverv Stable Destroyed By Fire

One of the most disastrous fires that ever occurred in Anderson was on the night of October 31, 1885, when flames were seen to be issuing from tlie livery stables owned by Hunt & Pence, on East Ninth street, on the spot where the livery stables of Wm. Merrick now stand, opposite the Doxey hotel. The origin of the fire was enveloped in mystery. The barn was a double structure, the front building being of brick, and joined to it in the rear was a two-story frame. It was owned and occupied by Richard J. Hunt and G. W. Pence, and operated as a livery and sale stable and breeding barn.

The fire was first noticed in the mow of the frame building at about 12 o'clock at night. Sixteen horses, eighteen buggies and carriages, two hearses, twenty tons of hay, three tons of straw, 600 bushels of oats, and 200 bushels of corn, thirty-six sets of single harness, seven sets of double harness, thirty robes and much other personal property, were in the building at the time of its destruction, entailing a loss of over $10,000.

Among the horses that perished was the noted stallion, "Viceroy," which was very \aluable. He came atone time near being rescued and had almost gained the front door, when, in his excitement, he suddenly whirled around and ran back into the stable, and in a moment fell dead from suffocation. He was one of the best horses that was ever owned in Madison count}', having been brought here by the late Judge Winburn R. Pierse and W. H. H. Penisten, who after having him trained for several years transferred him to Richard J. Hunt and George Ross. "American Boy," a famous pacer, yet living and owned by Mr. Hunt, was also an occupant of the building at the time, but fortunately was rescued without injury.

piteous and doleful, and to hear them rear and plunge about in their stalls in their frantic efforts to escape until they were enveloped in the flames, and then became silent one by one, was agonizing in the extreme.

Of the sixteen horses, fourteen belonged to Mr. Hunt and Mr. Pence ; one to \Villiam McMuUen, driver for the United States Express Co., and one to Mrs. Theodore Zion.

The two hearses that were destroyed belonged to Mr. Stephen Markt, the Anderson undertaker, who had purchased them but a short time previously at a cost of $1,500. Neither of them was insured. Of the buggies burned one was the property of J. W. Pence and the other of Hon. Howell D. Thompson.

The building belonged to Hunt & Pence and the loss upon it was nearly covered by insurance. The people living along the line of the street moved their furniture and household goods in anticipation of the effects of the tire, but the flames were prevented from extending by the high roof of an adjoining building.

The frame residence of Dr. William A. Hunt, situated on South Jackson street, was destroyed by fire on the 31st of January, 1887. The iire caught from a defective flue and had gained considerable headway when discovered. Only a portion of the household goods were saved. Considerable furniture, clothing and other property were destroyed. It occurred on a severely cold night and there was a heavy snow on the ground. This was the first lire in which Anderson's new fire department was called to battle with the flames, and several serious mistakes were made by the " fire laddies " in getting their paraphernalia together. One of the most serious ^vas : They attached their hose to a hydrant a considerable distance from the building, and before being quite ready the stream was turned on by some one with such force that it bursted. This mishap gave the fire quite a headway before the hose could be repaired, but as it was, the firemen made a brave fight and saved a portion of the building. The loss to Dr. Hunt was |1,500, which ^vas fully covered by insurance. The firemen suffered from the intense cold, many of them being drenched with water, which immediately turned into ice upon their persons. They received the congratulations of the people of Anderson who were present to witness the display made by the new department. The few mistakes that were inade were overlooked, and they were given credit for saving thousands of dollars' worth of property in the adjoining buildings, which would most certainly have been destroyed had it not been for their untiring work. Dr. Hunt never rebuilt his residence, but removed to North Main street, where he died not very long after this occurrence. Dr. \'olney Hunt, his oldest son, now occupies a handsome residence on the ground on which this fire took place, and is one of Anderson's best and most influential citizens.

On the morning of the 5th of March, 1895, one of the most tcriffic explosions of natural gas took place in Anderson that ever visited any community. The " When Block," by John H. Terhune was wiped from the face of the earth, with scarcely anything left to tell where it once stood.

The cause of the explosion will never be known. There are several theories advanced concerning it, however, the most popular being the belief that the store was on fire and that a broken gas connection had emptied sufficient gas into the building to complete the wreck. That the building was on fire before the explosion occurred there can be little doubt. The doors of the store room, which were blown from their hinges across the street into the court house yard, were charred in a manner that indicated as much. Besides this, Mrs. McKee, the wife of D. D. McKee, whose photograph gallery was in the building just north of the ^V"hen, and who occupied rooms there, happened to be up at the time and discovered that the store was on fire before the explosion took place. She saw the fire and had started into an adjoining room to arouse her mother when the explosion occurred.

The explosion tore out the entire east wall of the building and the front end ; a portion of the second floor was still in position when the fire department got on the scene.

Almost at the same instant that the e.xplosion occurred flames leaped into the air, and just as the water was turned upon the debris the front of the building fell into the street and the roof and second story collapsed.

A man who was stopping at the Doxey hotel and saw the gave the following account of it : " First came the sound of the explosion, then a crash of glass that seemed to extend all around the public square. I raised my window and looked out. A huge cloud of white smoke that seemed mountain high was rolling up from where the big block had stood and a scene of awful desolation was presented. The whole front and roof of the building, extending half way back, had been blown awa}". About ten minutes later another crash occurred and the remainder of the wall had tumbled down." Mr. .Sher\vood took occasion to pav a higl) compliment to the fire department. He said : " The firemen worked energetically. The department had but four lines of hose, but did great work and were entitled to much credit." The chief did valiant service in saving the adjoining buildings from ruin. It was due to the efficiency and hard work of the department that the adjoining block was left standing.

The Terhune block was occupied by the When Clothing Company, with a $35,000 stock ; Prather & Son with a .|10,- 000 stock of boots and shoes; C. C. Hadley with a |7,000 stock of drugs and fixtures. The loss of Prather & .Son, and the When store was total, as absolutely nothing was saved. Mr. Hadley saved some of his stock.

Up stairs the block was occupied by Dr. Jonas Stewart, the insurance firm of Cheney, McCormick & Langell, the law firms of Lake & Shuman, Frank P. Foster, Frank Mathews, Carver & Ballard, E. C. O'Crowley, abstracter. No insurance Avas carried by the attorneys, and the loss on books and papers amounted to .$:2,0I>(). ^Messrs. Foster and ^Mathews had just purchased over five hundred dollars' worth of ne\v books, and the}- were not insured. The When carried $10,- 000; Prather & Son, .$5,000, and Hadley, $4,000.

The loss on the building was total, as it was a complete wreck. The building was erected in 1888 at a cost of $:?0,000. There was but $4,000 insurance on the building.

It was known to a good many that Mr. Guy Ballard and Mr. Frank Mathews, both of whom had offices in the ill-fated building, had formerlv roomed there at night, and the startling rumor was soon abroad to the effect that both young men were in the building at the time of the explosion and were buried in the, ruins. Fortunately neither of the gentlemen was in the building, and their earl\- appearance on the streets allayed all fears of their friends and placed an effectual quietus on the rumor concerning their fate.

The Hon. John H. Terhune, the owner of the building, was, at the time, in Indianapolis attending to his duties as a legislator. Upon hearing of the loss he had sustained, he cooly telegraphed a friend to at once have the wreck cleared away and prepare for a new edifice, to be erected on the site of the ruins. As soon as his duties would allow him he came home and commenced the building of the handsome block that now adorns the corner of Main and Eighth streets, where the old one stood.

First Jewish Wedding In Anderson

Prior to the year 1865 there were but ver)- few Jewish families residing in Anderson. Besides the families of Louis Loeb and Joseph Stein, there were perhaps a half dozen Hebrews living in the city. About the year 1870 several other families moved here, and since that time they have steadily increased until at the present writing there is to be found here quite a small colony of Jewish people, manv of whom are quite prominent in business and social circles.

The first event of any importance that occurred in Anderson in Jewish circles was the wedding of Louis B. Warner to Miss Rebecca Hart, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Mr. AVarner was at that time a prominent clothing merchant, being the partner in the firm of Gates & \\ arner, who had their store in the Doxey House building, in the room occupied at this time by J. F. Fadely & Co., as a shoe store.

Miss Hart was the daughter of wealthy and prominent parents, living at Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and was at the time visiting friends in this city.

Mr. Warner, being prominent in social circles, sent out a large number of invitations to his wedding, which took place at the Odd Fellows' hall, on the 22d of February, 1878. The ceremony was performed by Rev. M. Messing, a Rabbi of the Jewish temple at Indianapolis, according to the forms prescribed by the Jewish church, and was delivered in the English language. The ceremony was lengthy, but beautiful and impressive. The stillness that prevailed during the whole time showed the deep interest inanifested by all those present. The Odd Fellows' hall, during its construction, from some cause, had a wall cracked in the south-east corner, which caused some alarm, and some person suggested, during the ceremony, that the building was unsafe. As many of the population of Anderson as could get within the walls were present to witness the event, many crowding in who had not been invited. The ceremony, however, passed off without any accident, and the crowd quietly dispersed.

The bridesmaids were Miss S. Hart, ]Miss Rose Weil and Miss Sarah Baum. The groomsmen were J. Obendofer, Jacob Warner and Philip Obendofer. Immediately after the wedding the newly married couple gave a reception in the sitting room of McKeown's Photograph Gallery, in the same building. Here they received the congratulations of their friends, and many handsome presents.

Mr. Warner, immediately after his marriage, disposed of his business interests in Anderson and removed to Watseka, Illinois, and there engaged in business.

This being the first Jewish wedding in Anderson and the ceremonies of the ritual being so impressive and so well performed by Rev. Mr. Messing, he gained many warm friends thereby, and it will long be remembered as one of the most pleasant affairs that has taken place in our city.

We will state further in this connection that Isaac Loeb, son of Louis Loeb, was the first Jewish child born in Madison county. He is now a resident of Chicago, practicing law at that place.

The Death Of A Hermit

Thomas Piercy was at one time a happy, prosperous cooper, who had a shop near the Bee Line Railroad crossing on Ohio avenue, where he carried on a trade making barrels and packages for the pork packing establishment that was for many years one of Anderson's leading industries. It is stated that he did not live happily with his wife, and that they separated. Afterwards Piercy became insane and was at one time an inmate of the asylum at Indianapolis, where he remained for a number of years, being turned loose upon the public as a hopeless and incurable case. He had no bad or vicious habits, and although he was crazy, he never attempted to do any person or any property any harm. He wandered from place to place for years, begging his bread from door to door. He finally attached himself to a piece of woodland on the farm of Samuel Hughel, about two miles east of Anderson, where he built for himself a rude hut of logs, and in which he lived in solitude for a number of years. During the month of November, 1889, it was discovered by some passers-by that Piercy was ill and lying in filth and rags upon the ground. His hair had grown out to the length of more than a foot, and he presented a very revolting spectacle, looking more like a brute than a human being. He was removed to the county asylum, where he died a few days after being discovered. It is said that during his residence in the woods that for many days and months he would subsist upon herbs, roots and nuts and whatever scraps he could beg at the few residences in the neighborhood. He will be remembered by many of the older citizens of Madison county who knew him while in his busy and prosperous days.

Indian Skeletons Unearthed

While making the excavation for the McCullough-Durbin block on West Eighth street, in Anderson, in the spring of 1890, Newton Burke unearthed a number of skeletons, together with implements of warfare and defense. Several stone axes, stone pipes and a tomahawk were among the relics discovered by the workmen. The tomahawk was given to the Madison County Historical Society, and the others kept by Mr. Burke as relics. These human bones had perhaps been resting there for a century ; how long no one knows. They are silent witnesses of a race now extinct in these parts and their history is merely traditional, as there are only a few living who ever saw a native Indian in Madison county.

They left but little to commemorate their memories when they folded up their tents and departed, as they were a people who did not reap, movvr, plow, or sow, neither did they build monuments to leave to the generations coming after them to look upon with pride and wonder.

The flints and arrow heads found here and there, and the stone battle axes picked up promiscuously in the different parts of the county, are about all that is left to tell of the once noble red man and his habitation. i

About the year 1875 the Hon. James M. Dickson, exauditor of Madison county, erected on South Main street, Anderson, on the ground now occupied by the Hickey House, a large and elegant flouring mill, equipped with grain elevators for the purpose of handling wheat, corn, and other grains to be shipped to foreign markets.

Mr. Dickson and his son carried on the business of milling, buying and shipping of grain for several years, and then the property passed into the hands of Major Edgar Henderson, who died some years ago in Kingman, Kansas.

destroyed by fire. It was first discovered after it liad bursted through the roof. Major Henderson had onlj' a short time before the fire added new machinerj' to the mill, and it was the impression that the fire was caused by a hot box in the third stor)- of the building. There were but meager arrangements made by the city in those days for fighting fires, and nothing could be done to save the building from the flames.

The Major had purchased a large blood-hound of a most vicious disposition, which he was in the habit of keeping in the mill for the purpose of guarding it. On the night of the fire the dog was shut up as usual in the mill, and for this reason many people who went to the scene made no effort to save the contents because they were afraid of the dog. The animal perished along with the other contents. The loss was variously estimated at from $18,000 to $20,000.

In a short time after this destructive fire Major Henderson sold the real estate on which the mill was situated, and it final Iv passed into the hands of John Hickey, its present owner, who erected a hotel and other valuable buildings on its site.

Wrecked By Gas

On the morning of February 12, 1895, the residence of Calvin Hedrick, at the north-west corner of Fourteenth and School streets, was wrecked by an explosion of natural gas at 6 :20 o'clock in the morning.

The mystery of the accident was how five members of the family escaped without injury, save a slight bruise on the left side of Mrs. Hedrick's head.

Houses throughout the city felt the shock and the report awoke nearly everybody yet in bed. Over in North Anderson people ran out to see what was the matter and out by the Arcade file works there was a scare.

In the meantime an alarm from box 34 called out the second division of the fire department, but there was no fire to fight. A great crowd assembled about the ruins in a short time and everyone ^vas afraid to ask how many people were killed.

Of the several gas explosions here none was more destructive than that at the Hedrick home and it is the first case where the occupants were not burned or crippled or a fatality resulted.

The only explanation of the familj-'s escape is that the frame work of the house was not very strong and yielded quickly to the force of the explosion. Had it been brick or even a larger frame building the result would certainly have been appalling.

After firemen had investigated the cause of the explosion Capt. Shinkle, of Company No. 2, was inclined to believe that a gas leak in the cellar was the origin of the accident.

The force of the explosion can better be imagined when it is known that houses shook for eight or ten squares distant. Directiv opposite the explosion all the doors and windows in the residences were blown in, the locks and hinges being torn from the doors.

Rector McGlone's little daughter was up early and at the piano when the explosion occurred. The piano seemed to jump up and the little girl was thrown off the stool.