Source: North Manchester Journal, August 25, 1910:

RIDGELY BUILDING BADLY SCORCHED

Mort Stock of Groceries Destroyed by Fire and Water

Fire of an unknown origin practically destroyed the stock of groceries of E.L. Mort and badly damaged the building belonging to John Ridgely at an early hour Sunday morning.

Shortly after two o'clock which Nightwatchman Hite turned west at the east end of his beat, on Mill street he smelled smoke, and following his nose he traced it right to the Ridgely building at 108 East Main street. Looking from the front window he could see fire near the first partition in the store, and he lost no time in sounding an alarm. It was only a hundred feet from the engine house to the nearest hydrant to the burning building, and the volunteer firemen were quickly on hand. It was perhaps a little over an hour before the fire was all out, though it was under control in a very few minutes after the firemen arrived.

The building was one of the old style structures, built of wood, and covered with metal, making it a very hard fire to fight. The fire had evidently started just north of the first partition in the building, and burning up along the side of the partition had burned through the west wall, and found a vent in the space between the joists and the iron sheeting on one side and the plastering on the other. This furnished a flue clear to the top of the building, and the fire blazed right up through this clear to the roof. The building was so full of smoke that it was impossible to enter it far, so there was nothing to do but to flood the building with water, both from the outside, and from the holes that the firemen cut in the iron walls along the burning space.

From the start to finish there was the best of water pressure, and at no time was there any let up to it. It is largely due to this fact that the fire was under control so quickly, and what might have been an exceptionally bad fire was soon stopped. In this respect, too, there was especially good luck, for there was more than eight feet of water in the reservoir at the pumping station to start with and it was not necessary to hitch onto the river.

Both John Ridgely and his wife had a narrow escape from being suffocated by the smoke that came in clouds back into the north part of the second story of the building where they were sleeping. Mrs. Ridgley was sick, and about half past one she wanted a drink. Mr. Ridgley, who is blind, left her side and went to the hallway to get a glass of water. When he came back she remarked that she thought she had been smelling smoke for some time. But they thought nothing more of it. A little after two she wanted another drink, and again he went into the hallway for water. As he neared the faucet he encountered such a cloud of smoke that in trying to turn he fell on the steps. His wife heard him and hurried to his side. Just about that instant the fire alarm sounded. They made their way down the back stairs, and were assisted to the Lower home across the alley. By that time the hallway was so full of smoke they could hardly breathe.

The grocery stock belonged to E.L. Mort, he having recently purchased the interest of his son. With the fire, the smoke and the water this stock is practically worthless. There may be some salvage but not a great deal.

The insurance on the front part of the building and the contents amounted to $4,400. A.B. Thomas had $800 on the grocery stock, $2,000 on the building and $600 on the Ridgley furniture. The Indiana State bank had a thousand dollars on the grocery stock. J.A. Clevenger and U.R. Howenstine each had some insurance on the brick part of the building at the north end, but the damage there is only from smoke.