The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-13
FIRE RAKES In A MILLION
TIE CENTER OF CHICAGO ITS
STARTING POINT

CHICAGO, April 12.-Chicago this evening
suffered one of the most destructive confia-
grations that has occurred here since the
big fire of 1871 The loss is fully 81 200, 900.
II was at almost the exact geographical
center Of the city that the flames started.
A stable was the property of well known
furniture manufacturer, John NJ. Smith,
and was located in the rear of his big house.
furnishing establishment on West Madison
street, near Halsread.
SEIZED ON THE STORE.
The flames speedily communicated to the
furniture establishment, and a moment
later to Kohl & Middleton's dime museum.
In a marvelously short time both structures
had turned into a mass of flames, which
darted across the street and lodged in the
upper stories of the buildings on the north
side of Madison street.
BETWEEN WALLS OF FIRE.
A moment later firemen along the thor
oughfare found themselves working be-
tween two towering walls of fire. For a
time it looked as though the confa grafton
would get beyond the control of the fire.
men, and that, as in 1871, it would sweep
toward the lake directly across the business
district of the city. AS if to add to tie
CONSERVATION, the wind had suddenly arisen,
aud was blowing stiff gale from the west.
FIERCE BATTLE.
The firemen, obeying orders, stood steadily
in the street where the flames scorched
them from either side, and after a fierce
battle at length brought the fire in a meas-
ure under control. An immense blazyN
how ever, continued to rage with intense
fury in the buildings already partly de.
strOyed. The museum was nothing but a
heap of ruins, and the walls of the Smith
bnildiug were falling one after another.
Fortunately they all fell into the ruins and
no person was injured.
OTHER BUILDINGS SEIZED UPON.
Across the street, also, the wall soon sue
cumbed Here the upper story Of the
three-story building on the northwest cor
ner of Madison and Union streets caught
fire. Quickly the flames lodged around the
windows of the fifth story of the Haymarket
theater building and were soon stretching
along under the mansard roof. Just
west Of the Haymarket building was
ive-story building occupied by the Peoples
Clothing Company. Here also the windows
were ON fire. Despite all efforts, the build
ings between Union street and Haymarket
block shared the fate of those across the
street and were wiped out completely.
THE DAMAGE TO THE THEATER.
In the Haymarket thester the fire was
confined to the upper story. but the whole
building was filled with smoke and water.
West of the Haymarket the damage was
comparatively small.
The first intimation the inmates of Kohl
q Middleton's museum had Of the close
proximity Of the fire was when some one
openedsa window on the third floor, through
which volume Of smoke poured, filing the
entire floor.
PANIC IN THE MUSEUM.
A wild panic followed among the 400 per-
sons in the building, most of whom, how
ever. were on the first floor, watching the
brought out q hero in the person
O. policeman Patrick Sheeny. Fore
ing his way through the frightened
people who were madly retarding each other
in the jam at the exit, he stationed himself
at the head of The stairs, and drawing his
revolver declared his intention to kill the
first person who refused TO obey his orders.
A LEAP FROM A WINDOW.
By GOODNESS and determination he sue
ceeded in Guieting the panic, and every one
reached the street in safety with the ex-
ceptlon of G. H. Messenger, young man.
who, before Officer Sheeny reached the stair
landing. made rush for the front of the
building, and, throwing open a window,
awful force on the stone pavement and
was unconscious when picked up. Several
persons following him stopped horror
stricken long enough to be corralled by
Offices Sheeny and his revolver. One old
lady who was in the crowd fell near the
bottom of the stairs and broke her arm.
MONKEYS BURNED TO DEATH.
As soon as Officer Sheeny had caused an
abatement of tie panic among the people
he went up to the third floor, where some
scores OF monkeys were Gagged. The poor
brutes were chattering and screaming with
terror at the flames on all sides. Officer
Sheeny hurriedly seized the iron bars, and,
forcing them apart, opened an aperture
wide enough to admit of the escape of the
little animals, whose fright was almost
human. The creatures, when liberated,
wildly scampered about the room
Tor a moment, then, with innate
perversenesS, and to the intense chagriu
OF Othcer Sheeny, who was risking his life
every moment, rushed upstairs lii herd
and were burned to death by wholesale.
ne policeman was forced to grope his way
uoWn through the binding smoke and
reached the street dazed and nearly uncon-
scious
EXCITEMENT AMONG THE FREAKS.
The excitement among the freaks who
were on exhibition on the third floor was
pltl1ul. They were practically unable TO
Ielp themselves owing TO their abnormal
development or lack of development, and
couid only with difficulty be restrained from
throwing themselves from the windows
lhe loss, aggregating over three-quarters
Ul million dollars, is distributed as fol-
lows: John M. Smith, furniture, stock and
building, $500, 600; Kohl 81 Middleton, curl
qqsltles, fixtures and building $85, 200; Neely
bros, boots aud shoes, S2O, 900; Adelbert
Aaeempfer, jewelry, S45, 900; Alfred Peals,
wal wall paper, $4,000; Baer Bros, hats, Sl0,-
000 NJ. Ir-man, cigars and tobacco. $25,-
g8SO Hannah & Hogg, liquors, S2O,O 900;
royal Tayloring Company, 100000; Hay
market theater, 81, 600; board Of education
property in rear of the Smith block, $780,
oOU' miscellaneous loss, $4,000.
LIGHT INSURANCE.
?, The Insurance will be very light, John M.
1tnlth carrying only about S125.0O0, while
hohl q Middleton and NJ. Irrman carried
no insurance whatever, having allowed
their policies to expire without renewal,
night.
=, The fire in the Haymarket theater was
discovered just twenty minutes before the
elose of the last act OF Barry & Fay's per-
Iormance, but the audience was gotten out
quletIy and the scenery and effects removed.
"A SIDEWALK CoLLAPSEs.
While the fire was at its worst the side
yak at the corner of Union street and
14erlQlan Court roIlapcad and rrpcjDitafa1