Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-09-16
FRIIIS In FLAMES
A Marrow Escape for the Chi
cago Exposition.
FIRE AMONG THE WOMEN f1xINs."

A Rcd-Hot Electric Light Carbon Drops
Makes Light of $4,000 worth-A
Scene of Panic Among the visitors-A
Missouri Exposition aud Exhibits De-
stroyed-FasaI Blaze at Louisville. Ky.
Six Firemen Crushed to Death.
CHICAGO, Sept 16.-At 1J:l5 p. m. Satur-
day, as the large crowd OF visitors were filing
out in squads of from two TO dog N, the cry
Of sire" was heard in the exposition build
ing. There had been rs many as 10000 peo-
pie present probably half an hour before the
alarm, but the throng had been reduced to
IL, 900. when N. b. Haynes, who was stand
ing with his back toward his own exhibit,
noticed the red-hot carbon from one of the
electric lights IN the great case Of Charles
Gossage 81 ca. drop down into lace curtain
beneath. The thin fabric caught fire at
once, and Mr.. Haynes jumped forward to
kick in the glass plates and smother the blaze,
but before he could do so policeman jumped
at him, crying out, mo you don't" and
twisted him away from the case with great
violence Before Mr.. Haynes could explain
the flames hal gained such Roadway that it
was too late to stop them.
Too Late Seeing the Point.
When tho officer did understand what
was going On he did all in his power to atone
or his mistake He broke in the plate glass
at the bottom and then taking The sheet in
his hands tore It from the frame, decorating
hims II badly rs he did so. A gust of flame
aud heat blew out which nobody could face,
al
hibit, Marshall Field & Co.'s dry goods dis
wrapped in fire
Panic In the Throng.
Half a dozen excited people began to yell
"fire" and the cry was taken up on a hundred
tongues. The end doors of the building had
already been locked and when this was dis
covered by the crowd there was something
like panic Shriekiny women and bowling
men massed themselves up against the south
doors, which could not be got open They
were badly scared, but in moment some
body shouted: Break out the doors; here's
n RAM" and the man jumped up TO Gerrin-
gers display of wooden cornices and scroll
worked beams. A heavy piece of highly
decorated timber was pulled out and thrown
lengthy ways on the floor. A score of men
p cked 1t up and rushed at the door with it.
There was a crash that sounded like the re-
port of a cannon and the door was gone
Only One Casualty.
The noise of the smashing of the door was
heard by the crowd on the other side of the
smoke and it did little TO calm them, coming,
as IL did, with the splintering Of glass and
the cries and confusion of the scene. Some
were so frightened that they smashed out
the windows and made their way through,
leaving bits of trousers and petticoats and
here and there n shred or two OF epidermis
to point out the way to others Yet, curl
ously enough a reporter could find but one
man who was at all seriously hurt in the
rush His wrists were very badly gashed.
Progress of the Flames
While the crowd was taking care of itself
the fire was pushing things theoretically.
The cases OF Haynes, Gossage, Marshall
Field & Co, Julius Bauer, Msndel Bros
Schlesinger & Mayer, james Wilde q Co,
and d. B. Fisk & Co were destroyed,
wholly or partially. Bauer saved his pianos
"a whole, but some of them were badly
water-logged- The material in the cases
was of the most costly sort Fine silks, sx
quisite laces, bonnets that made good women
feel naughty, all those fragile but most ex
pensive fabrics that the finest taste and the
longest purses in the Chicago dry goods busi-
could gather together were In few
minutes shrivelsd up into ashes. The flame
burned flercely, reaching up to the roof, and
swaying back and forth IN the draught itself
had made.
The Fire LaddIes ON Hand.
Everybody thought that the whole mag
nificent show was doomed Alarm after
alarm was sent in, and almost before the
first machine was at work r IL had called
every available engine to the spot The
tarJauins were got over the more exposed
exhibits and water began to play on the
central pile of fire The flames went out
almost as rapidly as they had grown. The
himsy textile substances were burnt out,
and there was in n few minutes nothing but
a steaming lot Of cinders where had been
great many thousand dollars, worth of mer-
chandise. There was another scare, thou gh,
before the episode ended. Fire was dis
covered in the roof, but one hose blew it out
before 1t had time to become serious.
A Girl on the Roof.
Outside the exposition hall a great Gro wd
had gathered, made up partly Of people who
had been in the show and partly by an out
side contingent Of curiosity hunters and
toughs As they were looking ut the black
length OF the building somebody saw a man
and a woman on the roof. How they had
got there was mystery which they declined
to explain, but there was only one way to
got them down, and that was with ladders.
FIremsn went up and the girl was cheered
to the echo by some 1900 people, who
-r.ghed the rescue with all the enthusiasm
About s75, 900 in Ashes
The loss Is estimat d at about S75 900,
| probably all insured. In the art gallery, ms
near ms known, there we're 500 900 worth
Of paintings, some OF them canvases whose
value could not be put into money, but moth
ing here was damaged in the least The ex-
position authorities held a consultation as
| soon as the danger was over, and, after a
| careful survey of the situation, determined
i that the show snnuld oman 10 Law ns usnal