The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-04-15
FIERCE FLAMES
Again Sweep Chicago's Streets
With Terrible Effect,
OVER a MILLION
Many Narrow Escapes but No Fatalities
Reported as Yet.
THE IMMENSE BUILDINGS

Crumblc and Collapse Under the Intense
Heat = Full Particulars OF the Fire,
Losses, Insurance, Etc.
CHICAGO, April 18.-one Of the ferc-
est and most disastrous fires the Chicago
department has fought in many years
swept through West Madison street
yesterday afternoon. The big Smythe
building, that extends from Union half
way to Halstead street, was destroyed,
and with II the contents Of John M.
Smythe & Co.'S furniture house, the
largest retail establishment in the
world. All that is left Of Kohl & Mid
dleton's West Side dime museum is q
heap of bricks and charred timbers.
On the north side of Madison street,
from Union street to the Haymarket
theater block, five buildings were de-
stroyed. Three of them tumbled down
before the maelstrom Of fire, and at one
time the roof and portion of the front
of the theater building was burning so
fercely that everybody thought 1t
would share the fate Of its neighbors,
but the fremen managed to save the
structure but in a seriously damaged
condition. The total loss is estimated
between 81, 800, 900 and s2,OOO,0OO John
M. Smythe & Co. alone will lose nearly
$500, 900.
An extraordinary feature Of the con.
fagration was the lack of fatalities
One man, Alexander Grant, had his leg
broken and his skull fractured by fall
ing from the supporting beam Of an
electric light in front of the museum. A
fireman was injured by flying piece OF
mortar and two or three spectators who
got under the danger lines were hurt,
but none Of them so seriously that they
were unable to go home unaided. The
fire originated in the wagon sheds OF
John NJ Smythe & Co., directly in the
rear OF the museum.
Five hundred persons were in the low.
er hall Of the museum when the flames
burst out in the rear of the stage. Some
one in the audience saw the smoke
creeping out through the scenes and the
alarm was given. 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 seats in
front 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 front.
By this time Smythe & Co. S big build
ing clear down to Union street was
ablaze. The flames ran through the
inflammable stock like a whirlwind,
bursting through the roof and the front
windows and leaping clear across the
street until they touched the buildings
there. The northwest corner of Madi.
son and Union streets, occupied by Al.
fred Peats as a wall paper house, was
the next TO catch fire. The three-story
structure next door, the lower floor Of
which was occupied by Barr Bros. as
hat store, was slowly crumbling under
the influence Of the heat. The other
buildings known as LaBarge's Recess,
clear to the east line Of the Haymarket,
were on fire. Men and women were
tumbling through their open doors and
running for their lives. Some Of them
barely escaped
Nearly 1000 persons were assembled
in the Haymarliet theater waiting for
the last act of the performance, but
they were dismissed at once through
the alley way leading TO Union street
in good order and without the slightest
evidence of panic.
Every engine that could be placed
within COO feet OF the fire was called out
and put at work Pipemen were dis
tributed all over the neighborhood
Fresh relays Of men were sent down the
fiery gauntlet in Madison street, where,
despite the heat and the wavering walls
which rocked and tottered above theiI
heads, they poured water into the burn.
ing buildings in torrents. They stayed
there until Inspector Shay ordered them
TO retreat and as they slowly retired
the museum front went down with
terrific roar when the interior Of the
building collapsed.
After the burned building had gone TO
pieces the fremen concentrated their
efforts on the Haymarket theater build.
ing, which was afre in half dozen
places, and succeeded in saving It, hui
in a badly damaged condition. With
the Haymarket safe, there was little for
the fremen to do but direct theii
streams against the blazing piles, and
they continued to do this until the last
vestige Of fire had disappeared.
The losses were distributed as fol,
lows: J. M. Smythe G. Co., furniture,
5000, 900; Mrs. LaBerge, $40, 200; A. p.
Peat, wall paper, $50, ,OOO Nicely Bros.
$50, 1000; Patterson block, owned by Ellis
& Shephards, $4,000; James Casey,
brick building $4,000; Kohl & Middle
ton, dime museum, $40, 900; NJ. Inmann,
cigars, $4,000; A. Kaempser, jewelryi
S15, 900; Barr Bros. hats and caps, $1,000
]. NJ. Gettmann, HaymarlSet hotel, 49,
900; A. Gerhart, barber shop, $4,000
Total $780,, 200.
Insurance: j. NJ. Smythe $4,000
A. II. Peat $40, 900, Neely Bros. 10000.
Mrs. LaBerge S35, 900. Kohl & Middle.
ton, OF the Dime museum, allowed theii
policy TO lapse and lose everything.