New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1891-04-15
BIG CHICAGO BLAZE.
The Windy City Barely Escapes a Re-
pitition Of the Great Fire Of
1871.
Kohl and MiddletOn's Dime Museum
Burned and the Haymarket The
atre Badly Damaged.

CHICAGO, April l3.-Cbicago this evening
suffered one Of the most destructive con-
fagrations that has occurred here since the
big fire of 1871. The loss is fully 81, OOO,-
Goo <
It was at almost the exact geographical
center 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 we'll known furniture manufacturer and
politician, John NJ. Smyth, and was locat-
ed in the rear Of his big house furnishing
establishment on West Madison street near
Halstead street. The flames speedily com
lnunicated to the furniture establishm ent
and a moment later to Kohl & Middleton
dime museum. D H
A general alarm to the fire department
was soon followed by special calls for extra
engines as the fire was seen to be gaining
ground with extraordinary rapidity. In
less than five minutes smoke was pouring
from every window in the museum and
was enveloping the huge six-story building
occupied by Smyth.
When, in marvelously short interval,
both structures had turned into mass of
flame, great fiery tongues darted across the
street and lodged in the upper stories of the
building on the north side of Madison
street. A moment later the firemen along
the thoroughtare found themselves working
between two towering walls of fire. For a
time it looked as though the conflagration
would get beyond control, and that, as in
1871, it would sweep toward the lake di-
rectly #5
ACROSS THE BUSINESS DISTRICT
ofthe city. AS il to add to the consterna-
ton, the wind had suddenly arisen and was
blowing stiff gale from the west. Proba-
bly, 20, 600 people. gathered in the neighbour
ing Streets helplessly watched the progress
of the horrible impending calamity.
Across the street, also, the walls soon
succumbed to the furious onslaught. Here
the upper story of the three-story building
on the northwest corner of Madison and
Union streets caught fire. Quickly follow
ing, the flames lodged around the windows
Of the fifth story OF the Haymark ct theate
building, and were soon stretching along
under the mansard root. Just west al the
Haymarket building was a five-story build
ing occupied by the Peoples Clothing COM
pany. Here also the windows were on fire.
Despite all efforts the buildings between
Union street and the Haymarket block
shared the fate Of those across the street
and were wiped out completely.
In the HaymaIket the fire was confined
to the upper story, but the whole building
was filled with smoke and water. West OF
the Haymarket theater the damage was
comparatively small.
1t took forty fire engines and nearly 300
fremen to bring the fire under subsection.
Several times it seemed as ii the men would
be compelled to abandon their engines, SO
intense was the heat, but cheered on by in
defatigable superiors, they managed to
withstand the heat by turning the hose
upon themselves. The nerve displayed by
the fremen was heightened by the fact that
all the time they knew at least hundred
barrels Of oil were stored in the basement of
the Smyth establishment, likely at any
time to create terrific explosion.
Jut before the west wall of the Smyth
building fell a venturesome lad climbed up
to the third floor of the building adjoining
and stood watching the flames from his
lofty position. 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 debris and was lost in the fire,
The heat was too intense for the tiremen to
make any search Tor the body, and it will
be at least two days before theruins are suf-
ticiently cooled to attempt the search #.
THE LOSS IN FIGURES
The loss, agregating over three-quarters of
a million dollars, is distributed as follows:
John NJ. Smyth, furniture stock and
building $500, 900
Kohl & Middleton curosit1es fixtures
and building $4,000
Neeiy BROS, boots and slOes............ 10000
Adeibert Kaempfer, jewelry ............... 45 900
Ared Peats wall paper. $4,000
Baer Bros, hats..... ..................... 10000
NJ. FrInan cigars ana tobacco. 25.OOO
Hanna & Hogg. liquors. 10000
Koyal Iallorlng ompany................... 5000
aaymarket theater .......................... 1000
Board OF education property in the .l
rear Of the Smyth block ................ 5000
MlsceAaneous losses ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 5000
The insurance will be very light, John
NJ: Smyth carrying only about $12o, 600,
while Kohl &; Middleton and NJ. Irrman
carried no insurance whatever having
allowed their policies 10 expire without re-