Indianapolis Fire Service Line of Duty Deaths
March 17, 1890 - Bowen-Merrill Fire. Indianapolis, IN 13 Firefighters Killed.
On the afternoon of March 17, 1890, Indianapolis firefighters were called to the Bowen-Merrill Bookstore on West Washington Street to deal with what appeared to be a routine fire. Instead, it became a major catastrophe, claiming the lives of more firefighters than any other incident in Indianapolis history.
The call came at approximately 3 p.m. from employees at the bookstore who had seen smoke. Firefighters arrived at the scene and believed the situation to be relatively safe, with the fire contained to the basement of the building. Because of the flammable contents of the store, firefighters stayed on the scene to make sure the fire was extinguished. A few hours later, however, flames were seen coming from windows in the upper stories.
A number of firefighters stationed themselves on top of the building, while others entered the four-story building through upper windows. Without warning the walls collapsed, dropping many firefighters into the flames. Thirteen firefighters lost their lives, and more than a dozen were seriously injured.
The firefighters who perished in the blaze are listed below:
• Ulysses G. Glazier
• David R. Lowery, 34
• Andrew O. Cherry, 45
• John Burkhart, 34
• Thomas A. Black, 28
• Henry D. Woodruff, 44
• William F. Jones, 32
• Albert Hoffman, 33
• Espy Stormer, 42
• Anthony Voltz, 45
• George W. Glenn, 36
• George Faulkner, 52
• William R. McGinnis, 40
March 17, 1890
THE BOWEN-MERRILL FIRE
The fire began at 3:08 PM on this memorable St. Patrick's day, volumes of smoke rolling up from the basement of the Bowen-Merrill book house, located at 16-18 West Washington Street where great quantities of paper were stored, attracting the attention of passersby as it came through the grating to the sidewalk. The loss of property to this and adjoining establishments exceeded $200,000, the Bowen-Merrill loss being $87,224; that of H. P. Wasson & Co. and others does not appear. It is pathetically significant that the record of this fire is incomplete in the books at Department Headquarters. The clerk who kept, and still keeps, the record was unconscious under the fallen wall, with dead and dying comrades around him. He fortunately escaped with his life, after hovering for months on the brink of death. This break in the record remains as but one of many reminders of the great disaster.
It was not at first thought the fire would be a serious one, but as the volume of smoke increased and it was seen that great columns of flame were shooting upward from the basement through sky and elevator shafts to the roof, it became evident that a very determined effort would be required to keep the fire within the walls where it started and to prevent it from spreading to adjoining buildings to the imminent risk of perhaps destroying the entire block extending from Meridian to Illinois Streets, one of the most valuable in the city, filled with merchandise of great cost. Upon the roof, the better to fight this fire, a number of the fireman had gathered, while others in the less exposed parts of the building had entered the windows. Without a moments warning, owing doubtless to the great weight upon the floors by reason of the water soaked paper and the insufficient support given by the columns, the floors from bottom to top gave way and the roof fell in. Twelve firemen were taken out dead from the ruins and a thrill of sympathy for their bereaved families went through this community, extending outward from here until it spread all over the land. "Honor for the brave dead who died at their post of duty; let us see that their loved ones do not suffer," was the cry at once taken up.
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