Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-04-13
AN IMMENSE BLAZE.
Chicago Has a Most Destructive Fire:
The loss Estimated at One
Million Dollars.
PANIC AMONG rHr FREAKS or A
DIME MUSEUM.
The Hayniarket Theatre on Fire
Twenty Minutes Before the Close
OF the Last Act.
v Telegraph to the NEwsl
4 CHICAGO FIRE


THE Most destructive one since
iNsi.
CHICAGO, April l2--Chlcngo this
evening suffered the most destructive
fir- that ha. occurred since this Hrs OF
1871. The loss Is fully Si,OJO,O1O. IL
was almost IN the geographical centre
Of the city that the ilamca started, aud
like the terrible disaster OF twenty
yuars ago, iegnn Ia stable. In tbs
casc the stable wns tho property ofthe
well.knOwn urnltun, manufacture
anu politician John NJ. Smyth, and
was located IN the rear of his big
house furnishing establishment on
Wet Madison street, near Hnlstead
street.
Tue flames speedily spread 10 the fuf-
nltur establishment. aud a moment
later 10 Kohl a Middloton'A dime mu.
scum. A general alarm was turned
In 10 the fire department, followed 10y
n special call for extra engines, Ms tue
irc was gaining ground with great
rapidiiy.
In luss Than 1--WE minutes the smoke
WINS pouring from every window OF tho
museum and -nvulDped the huge ak.
story building occupied by Smyth, ard
In a marvclously short time both slruc-
lures were turned into
A MASS W PLANES.
Great fiery tongues darted across the
street aud lodged Ia the upper stories
Of the building on the north side Of
Madison Street. A moment later the
firenen found themselves working be-
tween the two towering walls % nanic.
For time Il looked ~ though the con-
Migration would get beyond control
and, M In 1871, sweep toward tho lake.
TO aid to tho trouble, the wind wa
blowing stlfily ffom the west. Probably
~ 600 people gathered In the neigh
borhood, watching tho progress OF thc
pos-ibia impending calamity. At thia
critical juncttirc, however, the thor
ough discipline OF THIS fife department
became nilgnifecntly apparunt. rhr
men, ob,ying orders, stool steadily M
the street, whore flames scofchcd them
on both sides, aud, after battle,
bought thu hamus IN a measure under
control.
THE pniESsE Di.AzE,
however. continued ~ rage In tn,
buildings already partly destroyed
The museum was nothing hat o heal
Of ruins, aud walls Of the Smyth build
ing were falling one after another
Fortunately they all fell Inward, aut
no person was Injured. Across III,
| street also the walls soon fell.
The upper story Of "a three-story
building on the northwest corner o
Madison aud Union streets canght fire
| Flames lodged around the fiith story o
tho Hnymarkct ThcatI. buil1iug an,
was soon stretching along under thi
mnuard roof. Just west OF the Hay
market the ilve-s,ory building VI IA
Peoples Outhtting Company caugh
fire Ia front.
Despit. all efforts the buildings be
tween Union street and Hgymarke
Block were wiped out, ~ well a- th0s'
on the south side OF the street. In tn
Haymarket Theatre the iirc WAS con
fined to the upper story, but the Who'll
tallding was iillrd with smoke ant
water.
The iirt intimhtion the inmates Q
| Kohl x Midilcton'r Museum had q
the close proximity Of the fro was whel
some one opened window ON the thir'
floor, through which u volume oisnok
4
poured.
a WILD PANIC
followed among the 400 persons In III
building, tn. most OF whom, fortunai,
Iy were ON the first floor watching tn
variety performance. They were aI
prlscd OF their danger by the stamped
on the upper floors, and o. they aroS
TO their feet and fled precipitately I,
ward the front doors, fire appeared O
the rear windows, increasing the te
ror.
Tho emergency brought out a hero |
the person Oi Policeman Sheehy. Foft
Ing his way through the frightene
people, who were mndly retardiug eac
other, he stationed himself at the hea
OF tho stairs and, drawing b
gun, declared his intention 10 HI
the first person refusing 10 obey order
by his GOODNESS aud determination
succeeded In quieting the panic, M
with one exception everybody reacht
tho street safely. This exception WI
! 20. IA. Messenger, who Jumped from
! window before the officer reached Il
stairs, aud was frightfully inIure
Several pcopl. were following him, b
stopped horrofstricken long CROUCH
lie ropad IN by Sheehy and his lit
J gun. one old lady fell when near u
) bottom Of the stalrs and broke h
arm.
As soon rs oillcor Sheehy clear,
the people out he went up TO the thi
iioor, where scores OF nionkeys we
! Gagged. He wrenched apart the IN
liars OF the cages 30 that the little mo
keys could escape, but with the ina
perversity Of sheep they scanpercd u
stairs aud were burned To death. II
policcma nearly lost his own life 4,
ting down stairs.
This excitement among the frea
|, who were on exhibition on the thi
a floor was pitiful. They were practica
/. unable 10 help themselves and ",
!, with difficulty restrained from thro
= Ing themselves from tho windoS
4 Madame Carver, the SOO-pound v
!. man, seized her son, dragged herself
Il rear winaow aud was about 10 thr
q the child out, when she was RESTRAIN
/, by idanager belmont, who with Ill
Guilty escorted them down stairs.
l. A. ID. Lafayette, the father OF
u blg.hcnded boy, who was " Topples
Is that he could not navigate alone, sci
ID the boy, and while leading him
Vi found the Albino girl, almost bl
aud cropping about In the smoke. W
r thc big.headed boy under his arm,
ID seized the Alblno, dragged her 10
stairway and soon reached the stree