New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-13
A BIG BLAZE IN CHICAGO.
OVER THREE E-oUARTERs OF A MILLION LOST
IN SMOKE AND FLAMES.
TWO PERSONS LOSE THEIR LIvEs-PANIc IN A
DIME MUSEUM-MoNKEYs RUSH INTO
THE FLAMES AND PERIsH-DE-
TAILS OF THE LOSS.

one Of the most destructive oonGagratons that mas
occurred here since the big fire of 1871 The loss IS
over S750.0oO. 1t was at almost the exact geo
graphical centre Of the city that the flames started and
like the terrible disaster twenty years ago, began in
stable. In this case the stable was the property OF
the wellknown furniture manufacturer and politician
John NJ Smyth, and in the rear Of his house
furnishing establishment West MadlsOn-st, near
Halstead-st The flames speedily communicated 70 inc
furniture establishment, and moment later TO Kohl
q Middleton's Dime Museum
A general alarm to the fire department soon fol-
lowed by special cans for extra engines as the fire was
seen to be ginning ground with extraordinary rapldty
In less than five minutes smoke pouring from
every window in the museu6b and was enveloping
the huge sx-story building occupied by smyth. When
I'm a marvellously short interval, both structures
had turned into q mass Of flame great fiery tongues
darted across the street and lodged in the upper
stories of the buildings on the north-sde OF hadl-
son-st moment later the fremen along the
thoroushfare found themselves working between two
towering walls of fire. For time 1t looked though
the conAacratlon would get beyond control and that
as in 1871, 1t would sweep toward the lake directly
across the business district OF the CITY, As IL 10 auo
TO the CONSERVATION, the wind had suddenly arisen
and was blowing stiff gale from the west froo
ably $4,000 people gathered In the neigaDorins
streets watching the progress OF the names HV
this critical uncture the thorough discipline oil inc
fremcn became
stood steadily In tho street. where the flames scocheo
them from either side, and after fierce battle, az
length brought the fire, in measure under cohtlo
Tho blaze however, continued to rage IN Ihe
bindings already partly destroyed. Inc museum "%o
nothing but a heap of ruins, and the walls OF Iho
smvth building were falling one aiter ahoVIoI
Fortunately they all fell into the ruins and no per
con was injured Across tho street also the "ahS
soon sucrunbed to tie furious onslaught. HeF 'io IN
nrner story of the threestOry building on the horh
west corner of Madison and Union sts caughO nio
Tho flames lodged around the windows oi 'ii1
fifth story of the Haymarket Theatre puiiulns' 90
we're soon stretching along under the mans'.u e.
Inst west Of the Haymarket building was V'o nv nv
storv building occupied by the Peoples Cotmng Ooni
many Here also. the windows were on hre' De'pl'o
au efforts the buildings between Unon-st. anu .iio
Uavmarket block shared the fate OF those across vi"
street and were wiped ont completey' III V'o i'p'
,oolet the fire vas confined TO tho upper story Dut
tho whole bulding was filed with smoke ana water
west Of the Haymarket the damage was comparatively
small ,,,s,
The first intmation the inmates of Kohl Middle
tons -5useum had Of the close proximity OF the hre
,ras when some one opened window on the thIu
eoor through which volume Of smoke poured nil
ing the entire hOor wild panic 1Ono"eu aAn'ne
the 400 persons in the building, most OF whom' nov"
ever. were on the first hoOr watching variety per
tormanoe Those on the first floor were hrst aP
as and as they arose to their feet and fed preclp
,.,sIv toward the front door, the fire appeared at inc
rear windows. Increasing the terror OF the crown.
Tho emergency brought out hero In the person Oh
q nollceman Patrick Sheehy. Forcing MS way ulousu
the frightened people who were madly retarune oa0
o,er IN the Jam at the ex,-he stationed %minse1 es
.,o head of fhe stairs and drawing his revolver. de
clared his intention to kill the first person VINO IL
f,eod N obey his orders. BY GOODNESS and deter-
rrotson he succeeded in quietng the panic ana with
one excepon everybody reached the street In safety
Tho exception was G. II. Messenger, young man.
who before Officer Sheehy reached the sEilr Iii"is
NADIA rusb for the front OF the building and throwing
omen the window jumped out into the street. TIC ien
on the stone pavement and was unconscious ""on
nlcked up one old woman who was III tiis cro"u
fell when near the bottom OF the stairs ana Drohe
her she was pcAeu up ny "i'" ~
away in a carriage
Az soon as Officer sheehy had caused an abatement
Of the panic among the people, he went up 10 the
third floor where scorts OF monkeys were o"eeu
The moor brutes were chattering and screaming
with terror at the flames on all shieS
sbeebv hurriedly seized the iron Dars anu
forcing them apart, opened an aperture wide enough
IN admit of the escape of the little animals "noso
- 80 oln,ost human The creatures, when
liberated. wildly scampered about the room tor
mouent. and then with innate perverSeness' anu
N the intense chagrln of Sheehy, VINO was rishins
his ufe every moment, rushed up stairs In heiu
and were burned to death by wholesale lno
no,iceman was forced TO grope his way down onrous
tlndinp smoke and reached the street dazed anu
nearly unconscious t ,roro nm
.,n,hi,,on On the third floor was pitful. Ihey
,.ro practically unable to help themselves, 0%lns
w. their abnormal development or lack Oh nPd
HeI'' 9' throv,ing themselves from the wlhuoWs thn o.
Clarence Dale the bigheaded boy zoa Tbo Weighs
nIno Cn Nine Carver, the fat woman, VINO w. ~
aS,lO ann Oo,rDds and her son. who Is wee mte "a
bow and exhibited as midget were iroD Uo the pat
forn and Selling the midget dragged heIseM hS " ont S
a window and was about to throw thg emu Who
Naa aa ebe was restrained By Manager BeImon'' WI" N
My Al mcultv escorted them down the starWSyS ~, N
the father Of the boy %hS 10 fSe
topheavy he eT1q and O while leading him out found
tSe abino almost blind by reason & oi her ths big
eyes, cropping about in the soSe cysd the abIno and
STsSged, rather than led, her to the stairway "''N
reaeeq oTfv tg fire engines and nearly 300 imen 10
brlng the fire under subjectlon od severa 70 obaTdon
seemed the men would be p beat hut ceered
ter o bT ndefatigibie superors they managetdh th 70
the heat by tTTa1pS fs bS tEse Se @en
SegHtened by the fact that all the time tey g% Jew
at least hundred md R6 RaPel q SSV likely at any
time to create terrible eXPOSsi9sRh. os sh smvtb budln
fell venturesOme lad climbed up to the TG "fS fSe
~ the bnding adjoining and stooH wa'cne th wall
foPped banfd % with Oua crash .esG and where t4e
snl0he n Standinc and 1t Is feared that he went
6eun Ge 4aG with f the debris and was s in the fire. The
heat was too intense for the fremen 70 uhe o daTs ANY
search tSs for 1s rhG OSGs ss sceny S cooled 70 attempt the
search The loss aggegatng over S20VyT rntyy, stock
tr6utd briidns aS $500 600 Kohl & Middleton,
cuToe fixture; and eud6S 56 aoS SSeSe SSSSSoG KacmP
broters. M ercT si5 OOO Alfred Peats, wall paper SoO
oo6 Bacr rohers hats $1,000 M lg5@ooo &c., cKoys
TT,JOG Companv $4,000; Haymarket lueaue,
Board Of 1Caton pTSPery IN Iaste te @ ss ooo
Ite ois ,rance will be light, John NJ Smyth csurylns
only about wha Kohl NfaeI0g SaySg allowed @
@ nIcinS 10 expire without renewal, as they n""
ther ,apdeS moving within fortnight. s,..o,,o,od
i Tbo fire I'm the IIaymarket Theatre was . ,
ING III ,ninntes before the close OF the last act.
nus. h smoe was barely perceptible when the