Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-04-16
Over Aillions Dollars Worth of
Property Passes Upward
in Smoke.
The Dime Museum and Smyth's
Furniture Store Food for
the Flames.
Actors Forced TO Flee in Stag e
DreSs-lncidents of the
Holocaust.

CHICAGO, April 1a-The most de.
structive fire Chicago has experienced
for many years broke out very sudden
ly in the most crowded business dis
trict of the west side, and involved
loss of over S1,0C0,000.
1t originated = the rear of the six
story block at 100 166 West Madison
street. owned by John NJ. Smyth, and
occupied by the Smyth furniture house,
the Kohl & Middleton museum, several
retail stores, land a number of attorneys
and justices of the peace.
Kohl Middleton's museum, on the
second floor, was filled with the usual
crowd Of visitors. They were scatter
ed through the curio hall and the gal
leries and a big audience was in one of
the theatres watching a stage perform
ance. The first intimation of the dan
ger came when every widow cracked
and shattered and flames leaped into
the rooms.
Where the fire came from no one
seemed to know or care. There was
shrleks and cries, people pushed over
each other and ran panicstricken down
the stairways and into the street Be-
fore they reached the street with the
first alarm a curling cloud of black
smoke was rising from the rear Of the
building. An officer ran to the corner
of Halsted and Madison streets and
turned in the alarm.
In the museum We're speciality per-
formers, attaches and ''freaks," who
did not rush out when the visitors beat
their haSty retreat. Some wore their
stage costumes and were hurriedlv en-
deavoring to collect wardrobes and VAL
uabes. Within brief time they, too,
We're forced to leave, many without
! saving anything except the stage
clothes they were wearing. The fat
woman, the big-headed boy, the gyp-
sizes and the albino rushed into the
street. Two or three policemen and
several pedestrians who had gone into
the m useum at the first a larm attempted
to save some OF the property, but we're
driven back by binding smoke through
which they could see growing fumes.
Officer Shelley succeeded in breaking
open the cage which held the monkeys.
The frightened and chattering anima Is
clambered out and several escaped, one
down the fire escape. Another jumped
to the pavement and had his leg broken.
| When the fire department threw the
| first stream the Smyth building was en-
tirely in flames. The great building
| burned as though it were stored with
naphtha and finder. A mass OF blaze
swept through the front and flung
itself half way across the street. Then
ii curled up and made the front a wall
of roaring fame Firemen retreated
before the attack, and from safe dis
| lance, their rubber coats steaming and
/ scorchInG, they sent q few punnv
splashes into the fire. Almost at the
same time the buildings across the way
were ignited and each side Of the street
became ablaze.
From Union street TO the Haymarket
theater Il row of business houses faced
the terrific onslaught of trebrands
from the burning Smyth block. They
did not withstand it long. Each one
was atire within fifteen minutes after
| the first alarm and the corner Of the
Haymarket theater building was sm0k-
ing, with tongues of fame in dozen
different places. A determined and
successful effort to save the theater
was made, but the row of buildings be-
| tween it and Union street was doomed
from the first.
The loss will reach over $1,000, 900,
distributed about as follows:
John NJ. Smyth. $50 to 156 Madison
street, building and stock Of furniture,
| 5000, 900
Kohl & Middleton, 154 Madison street,
100000.
Nicely Bros, boots and shoes, 152
Madison street, 100000.
Adelbert Kaempfer, jewelry, $50
Madison street. $45, 900.
Alfred Peats, wallpaper and furni-
ture, 155 Madison street. 100000.
| James Casey, building, 155 Madison
street, 5000
| Baer Bros, hats, 157 Madison street,
| $1,000
! M. Irrman, cigars and tobacco, 159
Madison street, $50, 900.
| Hannah & Hogg, saloon, 161 Madison
street, $4,000.
! Newmarket theater, $4,000
| The damage to other business houses
adjoining the theater will be upward Of
| $4,000.
| The insurance is light, John NJ. Smyth
carrying only about 1925 900, while
! Kohl & Middleton and NJ. Truman, the
cigar dealer, carried no insurance what
ever, having allowed their policies to
expire without renewal, as they had
! intended moving into a new building.
| @. H, Messenger was taken to the
county hospital, suffering from burns
and bruises of his face. He was a
| roomer in one Of the houses that
burned, and was injured in trying to
remove goods from the house.
A blind man on the fouth floor Of 159
| Madison street had a narrow escape
from death. He had evidently been
forgotten by his friends, when Eugene
Keller found him and lead him from
| the building.
| Officers Huffman and Wesler had
their hands full leading out about sixty
horses from John J. Browns livery
stable.
One of the persons injured subse-
! quently died.