Hide Article Text (OCR)
MAN BURNSDEATHGARY FIRE$150,000 Loss In Destruction of Apartment Building By BlazeAn agecl Gary, resident. was burned to death, another was reported missing, a half a dozen burned and injured and more than a hundred persons rendered homeless as the aftermath of a disastrous fire which gutted a four story 18-family apartment at 45S Washington street, Gary, in the early hours this morning entailing a loss that may reach $150,000. Tenants and firemen were overcome by smoke and a dozen or more leaped to safety from windows. A fireman caught a baby in his arms tossed by a frantic mother from a third story window. Themother also jumped and was in-\jured. Firemen heroically saved the lives of scores of others.TJttJbl DEADCHARLES SMITH, aged 62, of 458 Washington street, steel mill employe.INJUREDCHARLES SMITH, JR., aged .‘5, son of above victim. At the Mercy hospital with serious injuries to his back.MRS. C. CURTAIN AND BA-*B5T, bruised from wild leap from building. Taken to Court View apartments.The fire was one of the worst in the history of the city. The apartment house known as the Towle Building when constructed in 1923, was completely destroyed. It is nowiowned by Wliam Welter, wealthy Gary builder and realtor. Fire.completely gutted it. Mr. Welter stated this morning that the loss to the building will reach $110,000 and contents practically S40.000. Insurance totaling $75,000 was carried on the building.The blaze originated in the basement in the rear of the apartment house. It spread rapidly. Fanned by a strong rittrfhwest gale it was a raging inferno inside of three-quarters of an hour.Scantily garbed in what clothing they could find, 17 families were taken out into the blizzard as soon as they could be rescued. Many men, women and children were overcome by smoke. When firemen responded to the first alarm shortly before 5 o’clock they found the apartifient house dwellers groping at smoke IHeBiHM a r m ontochand*‘ jrsylv s wa witlT1bliz:wellwarfeelzardto afilled windows. Many were scorched by flames as they waited for firemen to same them.While other firemen fought the conflagration, others made heroic rescues with ladders. A number of women and children were lowered out of windows by firemen and dropped into the waiting arms of other firemen from lower floors. Mrs. C..Curtain, trapped on the third floor with her small baby, tossed the 1-year-old infant into the arms of Fireman Richard Ryan. She jumped immediately after, the same fireman breaking her fall. She was bruised, but the babe escaped injurey.Charles Smith, Jr., who was seriously injured and taken to Mercy hospital with a seriously injured back, had escaped fr.om the building but had returned to rescue his father whose burned body was found beneath a crumpled wall in the alley. Mrs. Smith had called her husband to hurry, but it is believed(Continued on Page Six')GKeeInd.pro*pectappLlt; t he peri hie the o w n Stec v a c lt;t:Lei .ftLa n as t til 01discerty$15jMopei
Newspaper Details
Gary Evening Times
Gary, Indiana, US
Tue, Mar 25, 1930
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
OH, USA 10 Jan 2021
Other Publications Near Gary, Indiana
Gary Evening Times
Gary Hammond Times
