, 1873-08-03
cloaring tho Rtrcot, and leaving room for tho do
pnrtnlont to operate.


woro nlrcady pouring their atroams into tho vim
dows. wllen yonng men md boys, md III aonaeo
casos Representatives Of tho other BOZ, ycnturcl
Untouched unite 1Sf By las to iro ' Thoy fan ovor o
main floor, np-Btaira, and on tho uppor floors,
IN u spirit. Of brayatlo worthy only Of tho
most tlioughtlesH aud desperate. Tho ilromon
tcBtltud but for tho timely nrriynl of Eupt
NaHllurn, callnot bo oHtinntod. Tho Chief Of
1'olico always acta promptly. Ills Immediate
orders to Cant. Buckley. who arrived fow mo-
to cloar thu building. Tho officers obcyotl with
cheorIul alacrity, md the lmrried exit of hun.
tlrcds Of persons Of less braiu tlan muscle tosti
fled to their energy.
LOCATION OF THE FINE.
30 fur ns could 10 aeoE from tho street, tho
tlro was contlnol entirely to tho roof and tho
urpor floor. but experience Ind Taught citizens
Of Chicago that n contlngrAtion of enormous
! dimonsiots could be fannol into existence by u
| moro blazing roof, aud thoy Watched III
AN EvEr-1NCHEAs1NG TltnoNd
tho progress Of tho contiaRratioh. Tho police
restrained thon from pressing in upon tho fire.
hiocking up btato street, llonco tic cars on
Slate mid NladiHun stroetB wcro unable to rench
their switches aud turn-tnhes, and woro masacd
together to tho number OF noarly fifty nt this
eud Of tho track. It would have boon useless to
c1oar tho street, for the supply hoso my acroaa
thu trach In ovory direction, and thus cnt or oil
communication. by tho timo tho head OF tho
| street was falrly
| n1ocKADED WITH yEu1c1.Es,
ono brilliant conductor took tho lend by jump
ing hiB chr off tho track and turning 1t on tue
wooden pavement. trusting to volunteer aaaBt-
auce to place 1t on tho down track. This OK
podient aidod In getting ao,no Of tho qehlc'os
| Btartofl south, and presently those operations
were rendered useless by tho arrival OF gang Of
mon with n portnb!o Bwith. The coast was kort
| pretty wo1l cIoared, and tho traffic resumed 10
| far as practicable. IA
|
| WIS sounded, and thousands moro began to col
| loct the crowd was sproad over all tho available
space in tho noighborhood. An unfinished build
| ing opposite tho soene Of tho confngration was
takon possession of by tho eager tirong, until
foars Of fresh calauity began to stir tho police.
| Tho 1rmncau OF tho masonry OF tho structure
could not DO rood OH, aud tho offorts OF squad
| Of officers wore directed to keeping tho riniug
wallis clear Of spectators. They woro only par
TALLY successful, but it ia not Improbable tlat
they p' ovantol too greht strain, and conso-
| quent accident.
| ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
Tho fire originated nt thu top Of tho elevator
liatchway, betwcen tho fifth floor and tho roof,
in tho nurthcast corner OF tho building, How
| the woodwork ignited no ono call definitely toll,
hut it is thought that cnrcless rootor loft his
live coa1H fell on tho lath boncath. Tho first ill.,
dicntion of lro was small column Of s1noko it,
s,,ing from tho elevator hatchway. It waa OBJ
served by several Of tile worklnen, who gavo tho
alarm to tho persons OH tho toors below,
/ ono of whom ran to tho noarost tlre.Aartn box.
| by tho timo tho district Btoamers arrived, tho
flames lad apparently eaton thoir way conaid-
| ernb1o distance from tho elevator, for nntoko
came from boneatll the cornicos on both State
mud Washington streets.
NO FLAMES WE'RE onsEnvED,
| hut. The smoke continuing to grow donHor avorY
| momont, it was evident tint tIe whole roof, il
not the cntiro structure. waa in danger of de-
| atructiou Considerable ti1no elapsed before any
water waH available, and whom tho cnginee did
get into Horvico tho pressure required to force
tho wator to tho top Of tho building waB 30 great
that length nfter length Of hnso burst, mud
otl,ers hal to bo substituted. For half an hour
| after tho first alarm was giYou
| ONLY ONE STREAM
| was thrown upon tho burning tinabors. Even
| this was almost useless, ns tho tire was out Of
sight. The fifth floor was full Of snoko, aud
donae volumes tonred from tho roof toward
tl,o, SOUTH At q quartor past 6 o'clock,
mid watcr was forced up ,to, tho tifth
floor. tho bose having beon hauled up to tho
roof outside, Or dragged up tho stairway. Tho
fire WAS Increasing NIL tho timo, aud Jet Of
flame now and then appeared beneath tho cor
nico. Meantime, Acting-alaralhl bonner had
learned of tho
PECULIAR CONSTRUCTION OF THE 1looF,
and ordered holes to be cut in it, mud to these
aposturos tho branch pipoH woro applied, aud
tic wator scattered as much as possible
ripo1ncn who woro stationed on the
fifth tlooor, tore down tho plastoring Of
the ceiling with pickle, md flames issued from
Dor dropped down. Tho root and tho ceiling
beneath, except the plaBtRrng and the shoots OF
tin, were composed OF wood. Tho lessoea hav-
ing declined to hayo mansard roof, the flooring
Of what would laye boon tho SIKH story was
nllowod to remain in position, the ahcota Of ti1
above boing supported by boards, which were
held III position by uprights only n few feel
apart. Tho top of the structure waa III fact
| LuMnER YARD.
I tThn Hnncn betEHen the Ceiling and the rO01
varied from six foot to q few inches, md
thero being. 10 access to this ''vacnum,
it was exceedingly difficult to got Mt the fire.
oltopping holes IN tI,o roof and tearing down
the plaatorng did not soeln to suggest itself fol
go,no timo, but when this WAS done, tho Frl
Marshal went to work systematically TO put on
tho conaagration. Commencing, at THO nortl
end of tho building, tho fire was driven foot b,
foot to tho south, or Washington street front
Tho timlers burned very atubbornly, especial,
noa, tho akylight, over the rotundaa, whore onl,
| q few inches interviewed between the ceiling ant
tho roof. Tho
HOSE WAS CONTINUALLY DuRsT1Nd,
and tho steamers being obliged to shut down
every few minutes, tho fire would sozt
fresA material before tho fro'nen wort
ab1o to prevent it. In consequence Of tl,t
fre1uont delaya tho ontiro roof, including tht
major portion Ut tile prisnatio aky-light oyor tls
rotunda, wau DESTROYED. second and
THIRD ALARM
| Wcro considered necessary, AB tho indications
pointed to tho complete demolition Of the strnc
turo and tho cnlanEoring ofHsurounding property
Nearly hundred lengths Of hoae buraed in Tux
} hours. md had not a supply Of new hose l'oo1
Bent for, tho coutiagration would llavo bcol
! mich moro serious. At ono tmo tito wooden
! arms which held tho iron cornice to th'
roof (tLcro woro also a fow iron arnln
. burned brightly, tho flames shooting on
: ton Or flfteen foot. Tho supply Of wator in
creased aftor o'clock, and no difficulty wa
: experienced in
: FORGING wATEll ON THE RooF.
Although Mt first rlowjng that ho did not com
y prello1la tho situation, hlnrshGl Dennor subao
: t,ucntly did oxccllnnt Horyico, and to him i
largcly duo tlio credit for contlnipg tic fire to TIL
roof. Capt, Bulwnkto atll tho Firo Insurance
Patrol worked with their usual energy, aud rel.
.lorod valuable aaAistauco to the department.
7 COMMISSIONERS EAllN1Nn THEIR SALARIES.
] TO Commissioners Wright md Sheridan com
incubation is due for tllo activo pArt tnken b.
, them in directing tho movements Of tho tiremol
on tho street while tho AlarailnA tho thick