The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-04-17
BIG CHICAGO BLAZE.
Nearly $4,000, 600 Worth OF
Property on Madison Street
Goes Up in Smoke.
The Haymarket Theater on Fire,
but Saved by the Efforts Of
the Firemen.
Four Firemen Under Falling Walls
at Omaha-One of Them Fatally
Injured.

CHICAGO, April 13.-One of the fiercest
and most disastrous fires the Chicago
department has fought in many years
swept through West Madison street
during the afternoon. The big Smythe
building. that extends from Union half
way to Halsted street, was destroyed
and with it the contents of John M.
Smyth & Co.'S furniture house,
the largest retail establishment in the
world. All that is left of Kohl & Mid
dleton'a museum is brick and charred
timbers. On the north side of Madison
street five buildings were destroyed.
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 it would share
the fate of its neighbors, but the fire
men managed to save the structure, but
in seriously damaged condition.
Loss Nearly Two Millions.
The total loss is estimuted at between
81, 500, 900 and $4,000, 900. John M.
Smythe & Co. alone will lose nearly
5000 900. An extraordinary feature of
the confagratien was the lack of fatal
ties. One man, 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 fireman was injured by flying piece
of mortar, and two or three spectators
who got under the danger lines We're
hurt. but none of them so seriously that
they were unable to so home unaided.
The fire originated in the wagon sheds
of John NJ. Snythe & Co., directly in
the rear of the museum.
Five Hundred Persons
were in the lower hall of the museum
when the flames burst out in the rear of
the stage. Some one in TIE audiene 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
the seats III front. The flames caught
hold of the light, infammable scenery,
and soon made short work Of it. Smoke
filed 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 women
were overcome by the smoke and had to
be carried out. William Alexander, the
doorkeeper, was standing at the entrance
when those in the rear of the house
came rushing out. The doors were torn
from their hinges by the crowds that
surged against them. The doorkeeper
sprang inside the entrance and kept the
people from tramping over each other
in their efforts 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 front. By this time
Smythe & Co.'S big building clear down
to Union street was ablaze. The flames
ran through the 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 Heats 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 a
hat store, was slowly crum bling under
the influence of the heat Men and
women were tumbling through their
open doors and running for their lives.
Some of them barely escaped.
Dismissed without Panic.
Nearly ZOO persons were assembled
In the Haymarket theater waiting for
the last act of the performance, but
they were dismissed at once through
the alleyway leading to Union street in
good order and without the slightest
evidence of panic. Every engine that
could be placed within 600 feet of the
fire was called out and put to work.
Fresh relays of men were sent down
Madison street, and while the wavering
walls rocked and tottered above their
heads they poured water in the burning
buildings In torrents. They staid there
until ordered to retreat, and as they
slowly retired the museum front went
down with a terrific roar, after which
the interior of the building collapsed.
This was but the beginning of the dis
indignation. The entire front of
Smythe's town market tottered and
finally toppled over into the street, land
ing Ii an immense heap.
Upon the Very Spot
TON WHICH tne nremen had so
recently retreated. After the burned
buildings had gone to pieces the firemen
concentrated their efforts on the Hay
market theatre building, which was
afire in half dozen places, and sue
ceeded in saving it, but in badly dam
aged condition. With the Haymarket
safe there was little for the fremen to
do but direct streams against the blaz-
ing piles, and they continued to do this
until the last spark of fire had disap-
peared.