, 1874-07-15

| ~ VIII" NE "A4o nAA4AA& HA0 K4f04 3" = pAktuls
man, who Was sens on to hunt up tho person In
charge Of the powder, willis tho Mayor pounded
| vigorously on the door OF tho Btato Street.
Savings Dank to inform tho oustodiana theroot
Of his intention.
On botng asked what buildings hs intended to
blow up. tho Mayor said ho would, II necessary,
blow up all tho buildinga on tho south s,tlo Of
Van Durcn street from State ntroes to Michigan
ayonuo. In answer to tho question uhothor ho
had any ono competent to do tho wo1k thoroug.
". he roplled somewhat angrily that
Of oourac ho had. Tho competency Of tho
Individual was shown about tvcnty minutes
lator, whom tho slow naasoh was lighted. Tho
crowd had been moved back nearly block, tho
tllroe cugines stationed at thta cornor had boeu
drawn of. necosatating tho idlonoss for At least
htteon minutcs; tho powder HAs carried into
tho contro atoro, tho match uas nEhtop, and
about half dozen poraons Acamporcd
out OF tho front door a. II noctnx
tho wrath to como, Tho crowd hold tto
breath, and thono noarcat tho doomed
building orouchod in doorways, and behind wallis
to obtain protection from the shower which
would be apt to follow tho explosion.
THE LAiiRNrABLE F1zzLE
that did follow WAS only objective In thoroughly
preparing tho building to burn rapidly and
aorccly. There waa mu!lod thud, and scat
torlng pun Of smoke and broken glass flow out Of
tho front Of tho etoro into tho street. Not
brick WAS disturbed, nor oven the glasa
Of the adjoining atores broken. Tho loors woro
made into klndling-wood probably and tho fro
was Rtarted at tho bottom Of tho building In
stead OF tho top. Tho scsult WAS, that In flys
minutoa tho whole building Was roaring mhss
OF 0amca. Of such Intensity that Carter'B build
Ing. just east on Van Buren, ntroot, followed
1t, A. also did tho buildings on the
north side opposite. This WAS the koy to
tho aro. and 1t was evident that, II tho
flames obtained control Of the block on Wabash
auenuo. between Van Duren and jacobson
strccts, theto would bo little hope Of stopping
them n al.
THE FARCE
Of putting charge OF 10 pounds Of powder In \
loose blast into a solid brick building naa ro-
peAsed IN the building occupied by Boomer
Jonks, and the aamo disastroua effects resulted.
Tho building ne1t north was the largo fo,ir-story
atone-front facing on Wabash avenue occupied
BY George s. Gilbert, lato sampaon, Gilbert l.
Co., a. furniture warehouse. Had tue Boomer
Jonks building boon loyelod by tho blast Of
powder, as 1t should have bcon, tho fro mould
have beon chooked right thcre, "a tho Gi1bort
warehouse was provided With hro-proof shut-
tors; but the intensity Of tho lalnoa ou1y being
Increased by the attempt to blow up tho adIoiu-
Ing building, the heat soon ignitcd tho furniture
on tho fifth aoor, In spite Of tho
Shutters No streams woro immediately ayaiablo
at this point, or eso tho Importance OF the posi-
tlon was not appreciated by tho AHsiataut Fire
Marshal, for Bomo ten minutes passed before a
atroam wis brought. to bear. 1t naust 10 said,
however, that
ADErTEn FIGHT
was made at this point than anywhere o1so,
except at Harrison stroct, and as the
result was succcsefnl In controlling tho
flames. tho credit should bo giyon to Assistant
o.Marshat Pesrlo.
Hitherto tho efforts Of tho Department aeen-
Cd to havo BEEN directed toward vain attempt
to put out thu fro, rather than toward practical
enacavora to arreat Its progreau; but hero
tho latter plan WAS adopted with sig
Ial euccess. The shutters Of the
building were sufficiently useful to
completely SHUT up the flames inside tho build
Ing for some tmo. Streams were oarricd up
into the building Of Colby d Wirts, On state
street, md also upon tho tops Of the buildings
just north OF The burning oncs On Wabash
avenue. Every ono soon aaw TINT this building
mas
THE KEY TO THE FIRE,
that, It once carried bY tho i1amos, thoro would
be no limit to ita progress. Aftor thirty minutes
Of hard work, tho rouf fell In. and lhs streams
from above became tho most powerful agents In
checking tho further ravages Of tho 1ames.
The oornlco about this tina took
fro and burned with intense heat. Tho front
centre-plcce was Of zinc, and as tho aamoa
curled around 1t the zinc burned with most
brilliant green, blue, and purple aames, curling
aud twisting into grotesquo and picturesque
shapes.
just as tho fire wan being brought undor On
tho west sdo Of Wabash avenue, = number Of
crates and boxes in the roar of Bowen l. Kent'a
crookcry Htoro took fire, and communicated to
The buildings. This outbreak nearly resulted in
3 continuation of the affair indefinitely, but q
few wo1l-directcd streams Boon prevented this
unfortunate catastrophe, aud tho fro
wAs now CLEARLY UNDER CONTROL.