Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-04-13
FRI It CHICAGO.
ols 4 ihs Llltlst silc( u Great IN
4 tSli.
Loss. q. 900 600 o-Ha,row 1soapss-
Heroic Po,ios and Fhsnsn.

CHIcAoo. April II. Chicago suffered
nom one Of most deelluckivs copnaRN-
tions that have occurred since big ifs oi
1871 The loss 10 fully el, 900. 900. The
flames started q almost the exnct eeogfa-
phical centre Of the city. u began il I
sable. Ths stable vas the property Of ths
we'll known furniture manufactufer and
politician, John n. Smyth, located in rear
Of his big house furnishing establishmeut
ON West Msdison street near Halstsad
street. The iismes speedily communicated
to the furniture sstablishmsnt and mo-
ment later 70 the Kohl & Middleton Dime
Museum.
For time il looked - though the con.
Migration Of 1871 would be repeated, % the
wind suddenly risen, vas blowing Q ssifI
gale from the west. Museum was nothip Z
but . heap Of ruins, the walls OF the Smyth
building falling one after after another.
Fortunately they all fell into. o..ths ruins and
no person vas injured. Across the street
also the walls Of building soon succumbed
to the furious onslaught. The upper story
Of the three. story building on the noSsh.
west corner Of Madison and Union ssrsets
caught fre. and flames lodged around the
windows Of the fifth story ofthe Haymrrket
theatre building, soon stretching along the
mansard roof.
just west Of the Hsymsrket building was
hve-story building occupied BY the
Peoples Clothing Co. Here the Windows
were en- fre. Despite all efforts the build
ing between Union street and Hay market
block shared the fate of those scross the
street and was wiped out completely. Iu
the HaymaIket the fise was confined to the
upper story and the whole building was
Allied with smoke and water. West Of the
Haymarket the damage was comparatively
small.
The fret intimation the inmates Of Kohl
and Middietons' museum had OF the close
proximity Of the fre was when someone
opened . window on the third floor aud
volume Of smoke poured In. filing the en-
tire flor. A villa panic followed amons
the 400 persons in the building. Moot Of
them were on the first floor watching the
variety performance, and - they fisd pre-
cipitately towards the front door, fre ap-
peared ut the rear windows. The emer-
gency brought out hero in the person Of
Policeman Patrick Sheehy. Forcing HE
way through the frightened people Who
were ma1ly retsrding each other in Q Jam
ut the exit. he stationed himself ct the head
Of the stairs and, drawing his revolver, de-
clared his intention to kill the first person
who refused t, obey orders.
BY coolness and deter mina.ion he sue
ceded in quieting the panic and with one
exception everybody reached the street in
safety. The exception was G. II. Mes
Ger Sheehy reached the stair landing, made
81 - H.
ing open the window ard jumped into the
street and fell with greas force on the
stone pavement and was unconscious when
picked up.
Several persons following him and stop
ped long enough to be corfelied by
Sheehy and his revolver. One old lady in
the crewd, fell when near the bottom OF
the stairs and broke her arm. A soon %
Officer Sheehy caused an abatement Of
panic among the people, he went up to the
third floor where some scores Of monkeys
were Gagged. The poor brutes were chat.
tering and screaming with terror ct the
flames on all sides. Shechy burYiedIy
seized the iron bars and forced them open
wide enough for the animals to escape.
They scAmpered abou. the room for
moment, then rushed up stairs in herd,
and were burned to death by the wholesale,
The policeman groped his way down
through the blindiog smoke, aud reached
the street dszed, nearly unconscious. The
excitement among the freaks on exhibition
on the third floor was pitiful, They were
practically unable to help Themselves.
Mime. Carver, fat woman, hobbled down
from the platform, and seizing Midget,
dragged herself to . rear window, and was
about to throw the child out when she vss
restrained by Manager Belmont. who with
difficulty escorted them down the stairway
The father Of the big-headed boy, who
was so tophsavy he could not navigate
alone, rushed to the assistance Of his son,
and while leading him out found the Albino,
almost blind by reason of her weak eyes,
cropping about in the smoke. With the
big-headed boy under his arm, he seized
the Albino and dragged her to the stairway
and reached the street.
1t took 40 fire engines aud nearly 800
hremen to bripg & the fire under subjection
The nerve displayed by the iremen was
heightened BY the fact thst all the time
they knew at leas. Of 100 barrels tha,
Was stored in the basement of Smyih estab
lishment and likely at any time to create .
terrific explosion. Just before the ives,
wall Of the Smyth building fell. venture.
some lad climbed TO the third floor Of the
building adjoining and stood watching the
flames from the lofty position. When the
wall toppled over with loud crash ard
the smoke cleared away, he was not to b.
seen. kis feared he went down with the
debris and was lost.
The following smounts of losses are
distributed: John NJ. Smyth, furniture,
stock and building, $500 900; Kohl & Mid
dlston, curiosities, fixtures and building,
ss5 900; Neely Bros, boots and shoes.
$40, ZOO; Adelbert Kaempfer, jswelry, N45,.
600; Nicely Bros hats, $4,000; M. Isr-
man. cigars and tobacco, S25 O00; Hannah
q Hogg, liquors, $50 900; Royal Tailoring
Co., 5000; Hsymartet Theatre, $1,000
Board OF Education property. in the rear Of
Smyth block, 5000; Miscellaneous Losses,
$4,000.
The insurance was verv light, John M.
Smyth carrying about Sl25, coo. Kohl and
Middleton and NJ. Irrman carried no insuY
ance whatever, having allowed their poll
cies 10 expire without renewal, 40 they
intended to move within foftr ishs.
The fire in the Hsymsrket Theatre ~.
die ,vered 20 minutes before the close Of
the last act. The theatre was cleared In
fairly good order. Barry snd Fay's com.
pspy had just begun weeks engagement
Their scenery and effects were re.
moved vithou. any damage. While th4
| fire was at its worst the sidewalk corner
Union street and Meridian court COLLAPSED
and precipitassd 40 people into the excsva
iion beneath. Mrs. Bessie Higgins 10 prob
ably fatally injured by the fall. Bernard
Sloso hsd his leg broken. Francis 0smbjt
WAS struck BY flying debris during the fire
He died at the couoty hospital lsleS. SixJ
guests in thu Haymsskes Hotel los, q
their effects. Gettmsn, the proprietor, ef