The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-08-22
WORSE THAN A STRIKE.
A BAD YEAR FOR THE WESTERN UNION.
The Company Suffers Great Loss by Flames
in Its Chicago Ofice-The Cause of
the Fire Purely an Ac
cident.
A BLAZE AMONG THE WIRES.

CHICAGO. Aug. 22
The fifth floor of the Union National
Bank Building, on the southwest corner OF
La Sale and Washington streets, used as
an operating department by the Western |
Union Telegraph Company, is mass OF
ruins. Fire broke out there suddenly al
$50 O'Clock yesterday morning, and every
bit of property of every description was de
stroyed with frightful rapidity.
Mr.. Charles T. Day, a chief operator,
who was in the room when the fire started,
describes the scene as follows: There
were ten of US on duty, besides the night
manager. / was seated at the switch board
when a check-boy rushed up to me and eX-
claimed: See that frep l looked behind
the switch board, and at the, lower end OF
a bunch of wires leading down from
the tower on the roof to the top OF
the board saw flame about as large as my
two hands. Almost instantly the flames
had mounted halfway up the tower, and
flames were also creeping down the wires
to the bottom of the switchboard and
under the floor. Night-Manager COngdon
turned in an alarm at once, but, quicker
than it takes to tell it, everything in the
room was ablaZe. l disconnected all
the batteries, but nothing could stop
the progress of the flames. Engines were on
the scene when got downstairs. There is
no question at all as to how the fire origina-
ted. 1t was by the crossing of two duplex
battery wires, at or near the switchboard.
This made what is known as ground
connection and threw all the force of these
heavy batteries onto very short wire. The
strength of such battery would fuse any
thing, and the covering Of the wires being
kerite, highly infiammable substance,
it was naturally the first to catch fire.
| There were some three hundred
wires running into the office, making
| six hundred loops between the tower and
| the sWitch-bo9Td. | do not think anything
! was saved. | left the room five minutes
| after first discovering the fire, and even
! then the sky-lights and tranSoms were
breaking from the heat and dropping out
| We had an experience with fire at the
switchboard four or five months ago, but
the damage was entirely nominal. At that
| time the kerite covering was ignited by a
| lighted gas jet, which was swung too near
it"
The fire was under control by eight
o'clock, but by this time the fifth floor was
completely gutted The roof and tower
had fallen in.
The building has been used by the West
ern Union since the spring of 1875, the Off.
ces being moved into it from the old Central
Hotel property on Market street. The fifth
floor, having frontage of about 200 feet
on Washington street and $50 on La Sale
was devoted to operating purposes. In
it the company had 175 single or Morse set:
of instruments, twenty-five or thirty
quadruplex and twenty-five DUPLEX
instruments complete. These arr
delicate, complicated and verl
expensive pieces Of machinery Tht
switch board, accommodating about thre,
hundred wires, cost some $4,000. Not ;
vestige of anything remained on this floor
On the fourth floor were the offices of tn
District Superintendent, the Gold and Stool
Department, the Wheatstone Depart
of the Central Union Telephon
Company, the Collectors room
and the Western Union lunch-rOom Their
was no damage here by fire, but the wreck
age by water is complete. There was sin
ply deluge of it, The Superintendent
papers are safe, he thinks, but it will tax
weeks to wiring them out A great deal @
damage was done on the third, secon
and first floors and in the base
ment, but was ? caused entirely b
water. The building is owned by the Uniol
Building Association, W. c. D. GranniS
manager 1t has been built ten years an
cost about S22O,0 The loss is fully COY
cred by insurance. 1t will be repaired i'm
medately, Marshal Musham of the Fir
Department thought the damage woul
amount to about $50, 900 to the building.
The effect on Change of the destructi0
of the instruments was to cause tempOrar
shock of paralysis in business. Almost a
trading was nearly suspended for the tim
- being, it being impossible to either receiy
or send messages, so that business durin
the day on the board was merely nominal.
Western Union officials estimate their d
rect loss of property at about 100000. Il
eXtricable confusion and loss will Of cours
follow through the destruction of message
both sent and unsent. Very few files in til
operating room were secured.
The report that several operators had bee
arrested for causing the trouble is denied
the officials of the company. They say the
are satisfied it was purely accidental.