Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 16, 1961.
Three Stores Ruined: Fourth Water Soaked
Thousands Of People View Blaze
Thousands of spectators from miles around converged on downtown Valparaiso Wednesday night to watch the spectacular Masonic hall blaze.
Some of the viewers sustained minor burns from flying debris. Auto parked in the vicinity were also peppered.
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Gary’s water tower drew the admiration of many of those watching the fire. “Valparaiso ought to have one of those,” was a frequent comment heard.
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Not only were firemen, police and civil defense personnel active, but so also were the employees of Northern Indiana Public Service company.
When the Gary water tower arrived and main street lights were doused on Lincolnway the general supposition was that the Gary units snapped a wire.
Not so, reported Morris Groverman, Jr., NIPSCO district manager. The circuit was cut off at request of police to insure safety.
The primary elective circuit which stretches east-west through the alley behind the Masonic hall was not affected by the blaze. Lines to the building were disconnected, however, for safety’s sake.
“We had wonderful cooperation from the firemen,” Groverman said, “enabling us to maintain service in the area.”
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One of the merchants hit by the blaze told a reporter that he was advised not to remove any merchandise from his store because it would “complicate” his insurance settlement.
Much of the clothing in Meyer’s Ready-to-Wear and Anderson’s Gift and Tot shop was being displayed for the Easter trade.
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This marked the third major blaze in Valparaiso in six weeks. Garden City Foods, Inc., 1209 Calumet, was destroyed Feb. 3 at an estimated loss of $250,000, and on Feb. 28 a $70,000 fire levelled a hanger, several planes and equipment at Urschel Field, north of Valparaiso.
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Carl Werth, senior at Valparaiso university, and employee of the Feldhaus and Sons store which adjoins the burning buildings, donned a slicker and assisted the firemen in fighting the blaze. Carl, whose late father was a member of the Westmont, Ill., fire department, had worked as a volunteer on many occasions, and lent valuable assistance to Wednesday’s fire-fighters.
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Twenty-five minutes after a call from Leonard Wetmore, Porter County Red Cross director, the Gray Ladies were serving coffee to firemen and other workers from a building on Michigan street which was opened up for use by owner Gilbert Peters. Fifteen women, under the direction of Mrs. Paul Johnson, of Liberty township, chairman, served coffee, rolls, doughnuts and sandwiches until 2:30 a.m.
Officials of local 1227, International Association of Machinists, donated the use of their kitchen, where Mr. and Mrs. Keith Dinwiddie made coffee for the firemen. This coffee was taken to the Red Cross canteen on Michigan street.
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Operators at General Telephone company handled several emergency calls. Division manager Preston Platt stated troubleshooters went to the scene to disconnect phones of the threatened business places. No serious phone interruption occurred, Platt stated, since the cables are underground in that area.
Platt noted, however, that had the fire occurred at the same place six years ago his firm could have suffered a major setback. Since that time overhead lines have been sunk below the ground thus shielding the equipment from damage.
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The management of the Varsity Grill, 120 Lincolnway, stayed open until 2:30 a.m. to serve free coffee to firemen and other workers. Waitresses, who were off duty, returned to help in the project.
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More than 30 members of the Porter county Civilian Defense corps arrived on the scene early and helped local and state police officials with traffic.
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At the height of the blaze, many persons were showered with flying embers near the intersection of Lincolnway and Michigan. One large piece landed on the shoulder of an unidentified woman. It was quickly knocked off by her husband. V-M Photographer Rollie Bernhart and Reporter Charles Zulich suffered slight burns on their hands from embers.
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As a coincidence, the last time a Gary fire department was called to Valparaiso was in 1926, when the Farmers State bank building and the old Masonic quarters, and other businesses at the intersection of Lincolnway and Washington burned. At that fire, a Gary fireman was killed and a local fireman, Lloyd (Mud) Miller was injured.
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The Gary fire department representatives and equipment came to Valparaiso through a mutual aid agreement. No charges are reportedly involved.
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Valparaiso Legion Post 94, in session Wednesday night during the early part of the fire, passed a resolution offering their building at Washington and Monroe to the Masonic lodge for meeting quarters.
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Officials of the Masons said today that they had received offers for meeting sites and condolences from practically every order in northwestern Indiana.
Damage Is Estimated At $800,000
By CHUCK ZULICH
A wind blown fire, causing estimated damage of more than $800,000, struck the Valparaiso business district Wednesday night.
Destroyed by fire was the Masonic Temple, upstairs with entrance at 113 Lincolnway. Put out of business by fire, smoke and water were Meyer’s Ready to Wear, 113 Lincolnway; Anderson’s Gift and Tot Shop, 15 Lincolnway, and Ehrhadt’s Auto Shop, 117 Lincolnway.
Suffering an estimated $30,000 damages from water was the Johnston’s ASports Store, 119 Lincolnway.
One fireman suffered minor injuries in the fire.
Discovered At 6:00
The blaze was discovered shortly after 6 p.m. Several calls were received by the Valparaiso fire department regarding the outbreak of the fire.
Firemen from Valparaiso, Liberty and Gary battled the blaze before bringing it under control.
Many departments in the surrounding areas volunteered services. One Liberty truck was at the scene and the other at the downtown Valparaiso station to take care of possible additional calls. Portage and Chesterton fire departments stood by at Liberty.
A fire chief and 12 firemen from Lansing, Ill, came to help fight the blaze. It was estimated that more than 65 firemen took part from the various departments.
Wiring Possible Source
Valparaiso Fire Chief Stanley Conner said the fire apparently started from defective wiring in the ceiling at the rear of this Ehrhardt Auto shop.
“This blaze could have been smoldering in the ceiling of the auto ship for hours before burning through onto the kitchen of the Masonic Lodge above,” Conner said.
When firemen arrived on the scene, the kitchen of the lodge hall was engulfed in flames. “A register in the room was already red hot,” one fireman said.
Richard Stombaugh, a Valparaiso fireman, in breaking out a window suffered a cut on the middle finger of his right hand. He was taken to Porter Memorial hospital, where seven stitches were used to close the wound.
Slips Down Stairs
Another local fireman, Capt. Byron Butterfield, slipped and fell down the stairs of the lodge hall, but was not seriously injured.
About one hour after the blaze started, it appeared that firemen had it under control. However, when windows broke at the rear of the Masonic Temple the fire, fanned by a northwest wind, quickly moved out of control.
At this time, Councilmen Robert Miller and Bryce Billings, who were at the scene, went to the nearby business establishment of Mayor Don Will and it was decided to call the Gary fire department for aid.
Forty-seven minutes later, a fully manned aerial ladder truck, a pumper and a special service vehicle arrived from the Lake county city.
Battle From Top
Minutes after the Gary truck arrived, men were pumping water over the top of the three-story building down into the fire.
Thanks to the combination of this added equipment with the local and Liberty Township forces, the blaze was “snuffed out” before it could burn through the flooring into the three businesses under the Masonic Temple.
At one time, it was feared that firemen would lose all the buildings east of the Temple, including Johnston’s Sport shop, Feldhaus and Sons, Casbon’s Electric company, offices and apartments upstairs.
A stout firewall between the Temple and Sievers Drug Store and the direction of the wind saved the drug company from damages. There was another firewall between the Masonic building and Johnston’s.
All of the businesses and the lodge hall were partially covered by insurance. Whether any of the shell of the building can be used for reconstruction will be decided by insurance adjusters.
The upper stories of the building have been occupied by the Masonic lodge and its various orders since 1926. The lodge took over the building, a former garage, and reconstructed it after the lodge lost its previous quarters in a fire which occurred at the corner of Lincolnway and Washington, early in 1926.
Lorenzo Smith was the lodge master during the first fire and C.O. Pauley was the first master at the Temple when it was completed on Lincolnway.
The present rooms housed the Porter Lodge 137; Valparaiso chapter 79 (Royal Arch Masons); Valparaiso Commandery 28 (Knights Templars); Valparaiso chapter 164 (Order of Eastern Star); Valparaiso chapter Order of DeMolay, and Bethel 64, Job’s Daughters.
Save Some Items
A Demolay meeting had been scheduled for Wednesday evening. Several of the young men, under the direction of Larry Will, were able to carry out valuable robes owned by the DeMolay order. Files and records of the Masonic lodge were also saved by the youths, as well as many pictures and small pieces of furniture.
A member of the Masonic lodge said this morning it would take $50,000 to replace the mahogany overstuffed furniture in the main room of the Temple.
All of the commandery equipment, including valuable robes, hats and swords was destroyed.
Several smoldering spots were soused with water by firemen this morning. Early today, the area was roped off while employees of the State Highway department cleaned off Lincolnway.
Shortly before 9 a.m. the street was again opened to traffic. Insurance adjusters began arriving to discuss losses with their clients.
Snorkel Here?
(Editorial)
A water tower operation in fighting fires was given a practical demonstration in Valparaiso Wednesday night.
The display put on the equipment hauled here by the Gary Fire department to help battle the Masonic building blaze proved to be a pointed lesson.
Much sentiment was expressed by spectators at the fire that Valparaiso add similar equipment.
The ladders were hoisted and a stream of water was played on the flames from above the burning structure. Valparaiso’s hoses can only be shot from the ground upward.
Secondly the tower shot its load automatically from the top rung until things cooled off sufficiently for a man to climb to the top of the ladder.
Certainly the Gary equipment helped contain the flames in more rapid order than would have been possible from ground level only.
The Valparaiso city council has been talking about the possibility of procuring a snorkel (an improved water tower apparatus which reportedly is not too much more expensive to purchase), but the feeling has been “it isn’t needed here.”
Last night’s fire, however, aptly demonstrated that such equipment could well provide insurance that future fires could be brought under control quicker than under present circumstances.
The snorkel, incidentally, could also help save livesーsuch as at the hotel, apartment homes, factories, or on the university campus. It has a basket attachment at its peak, which could drop six or seven persons to the ground in short order.
We would encourage the city council to pursue its snorkel procurement with renewed vigor.
