The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-04-13
4 MUSEUM AFLAME.
0hicago's Worst Fire Since the
Great Oofagration.
TEE FREAKS SEIZED WITH TERROR

buhy Aost ahs LING anu several
Others Severely Injured-Monkcys
Burned to Death by Wholesale.
CHICAGO, April 13.-One Of the fiercest
and most disastrous fires the Chicago
department has fought in many years
swept through West Madison street yes
terday afternoon. The big Smyth build
ing that extends from Union half way to
Halsted street was destroyed, and with
it the contents Of John M. Smyth g.
Co.'s furniture house, the largest estab-
ishment in the world. All that is left
alone will lose nearly $500, 900. sH
A Venturesome Boy Killed.
of Kohl g. Middleton's West Side Dime
museum is heap of bricks and eharred
timbers. On the north side of Madison
street from Union street to the Haymar-
ket theatre block five buildings were de-
stroyed. Three Of them tumbled down
before the maelstrom of fire. The total
loss is estimated at between 81, 500, 900
and s., ,000,0 John M. Smythe g. Co.
alone will lose nearly 100000.
An extraordinary feature of the con-
migration was the almost utter lack of
fatalities. Alexander Grant had his leg
broken and his skull fractured by falling
from the supporting beam of an electric
light in front of the museum. A fire.
man was injured by a flying piece of
mortar, and two or three spectators who
got under the danger lines were hurt,
but none of them 80 seriously that they
were unable to go home unaided A
venturesome boy, however, who had
climbed up to the third floor of an ad-
joining building and stood watching the
fire, is probably lost. When the wall
toppled over with loud crash and the
smoke cleared away he was not seen
where he had been standing, and it is
feared that he went down with the de-
bris and was lost in the fire. The heat
was too intense for the fremen to make
any search for the body, and it will be
at least two days before the ruins can
sufficiently cool to attempt the search.
The fire originated in the wagon sheds
of John M. Smyths company directly
in the rear of the museum. Five hun
dred persons were in the lower hall of
the stage. Some one in the audience
saw the smoke creeping out through the
scenes and the alarm was given.
The Rush for Life.
A rush was made for the doors, and
those who sat nearest the stage were
panic stricken. Half of the audience
was composed of women and children,
and they occupied the seats. The flames
caught hold of the light inhammable
scenery and soon made short work of it.
Smoke filled the hall while the people
were struggling to get out, and tongues
of flame leaped from one side of the mar
row stage to the other. Many of tho
women tainted or were overcome by the
smoke and to be carried out.
Police Officer Sheehy, at great per-
sonal risk. liberated the monkeys from
their cages, but the frightened animals
rushed to the upper floors and were
burned to death by wholesale.
The Freaks Escape.
The excitement among the freaks who
were on exhibition on the third floor was
pitiful to behold. They were practically
unable to help themselves, owing to their
abnormal development, or lack of devel-
opment. Clarence Dale, big headed
boy; Zola Lorenzo, the albino; Madame
Carver, the fat woman, who weighs 900
pounds, and hsr son, who is wee mite
Of boy and exhibited as midget, were
on the platform. Nine. Carver hobbled
down from the platform, seized the
midget, dragged herself to the rear win
dow and was about to throw the child
out, when she was restrained. A. ID.
Lafayette, the father of the big headed
boy, who was so top heavy he could not
navigate alone, rushed to the assistance
of his son, and while leading him out
found the albino, almost blind by reason
of her weak eyes, groplng about in the
smoke. With the big headed boy under
his arm, he seized the albino and dragged
her rather than led her to the stairway
nY,1 1,n1 fhn Cd A IL .NaI
William Alexander, the doorkeeper,
was standing at the entrance when those
who were in the rear of the house came
rushing out. The doors were tron from
their hinges by the crowds. The door
keeper sprang inside the entrance and
kept the people from tramping on each
other in their eagerness to escape. In
less than sixty seconds the hall was
emptied, but the audience got out none
too soon, for the flames had already
taken hold of the chairs in the front.
Smyth & Co.'S building was soon at
tackled by the flames, and thence they
leaped across the street to Peats' wall
paper house and three other buildings,
including an apartment house, from
which there were several narrow escapes.
While the fire was at its worst side
wall at the corner of Union street and
Meridian court collapsed and precipitated
forty persons into an excavation be-
meath, Mrs, Bessie Higgins was prob
ably fatally injured by the fall. Ber-
hard Sloth had u leg broken.
When the fire broke out DIR. J. q. Ber-
gerson was attending woman patient
in flat in one of the buildings subse-
quently burned. When the fire got too
close DIR. Bergerson seized the suf-
fering woman and wrapping her
in blankets descended three flights of
stairs with his burden and carried her to
a refuge near by. In less than fifteen
minutes fine girl baby was born amid
the crash of falling walls and the hoarse
shouts Of the firemen. Both mother and
child are doing well.