St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-10-13

Terrible Tale of Suffering Told
+ and Fearful Scenes Witnessed
+ as the Poor Brutes Met Their
Death - The Chicago Street
l. Railway Company Loses $780,
OOO-started by an Explosion,
CHICAGO, Oct. 12.-Frenzied with
fright and driven into stampede by
raging fire that broke out tonight In the
wallace street barns of the Chicago
City Railway company, neatly 600
horses were burned to death. The barns
were entirely destroyed and the total
loss entailed by the company will reach
high figure. The building was a two
story brick affair which extended 400
feet on Wallace street and ninty feet on
Ihlrty-Ninth street. The fire, when
first discovered, was in the northeast
corner of the upper floor. and it was not
thought to be serious blaze, but 1t
gained rapidly on the firemen and be-
lore much of anything could be done to
save the horses the entire build
ing was in flames. The number Of
hostlers around the building was not
large, and though they did their best
and were aided by men from the rap
idly-gathering crowd, they were able to
rescue but few of the poor brutes. Ali
the horses were on the first floor, and in
ten minutes after the fire was discovered
they were helpless. They were blinded
by the flames and the smoke that rolled
through the place in great volumes, and
soon stampede was in progress. The
animals surged back and forth. in groups
of fifties and hundreds. in their mad
rush to escape. Their loud neighing
and an occasional cry Of pain told the
people on the streets of the fearful
scenes that were being enacted Oh the
inside, Yet little or nothing could at
first be done to save any of the animals.
Gradually the sounds of the stampede
grew fainter and fainter. and it was
apparent that they were being killed off
rapidly, and when the first group Of
firemen had fought their way into the
barn they saw charred carcasses lying
about on every hand. In the south end
of the barn were gathered about sew
enty-five horses. They were huddled
peared as one mass.
The men pushed forward, hoping to
drive them out, but they themselves
were compelled to retire by the hot air
| and smoke. Ten minutes later they
were able to again make their way
inside. But the group of horses was
much smaller. Fifteen only had sur
vived. and they were driven over the
dead bodies of the others to the nearest
| door and taken out in safety.
| In the burned bHilding were SIC
| horses, and in the upper story were 80
cars. There were also 200 tons of hay
and 500 bushels of mixed grain. Soon
| after the fire started the flooring fell,
| and with 1t the heavy cars and tons of
grain and hay. About seventeen horses
| were killed outright, it is believed, by
| being crushed beneath this mass.
The origin of the fire is a mystery.
| James E. Netherwax, barn foreman,
said that he had heard an explosion just
| before he first saw the fire. II was
standing outside" he said, when |
heard report. l went to the door and
saw flames coming through the ceiling.
l also sent in an alarm, and then went
3! back to help fight the fire and rescue
| the horses. l cannot account for the
| explosion"
J The total loss to the company is esti-
! mated at 100000, of which amount $780,
! 900 was on the horses. All losses amply
| couered by insurance. The failure to
| rescue more of the horses is attributed
| by the barn foreman to the rapid spread
| of the flames and to the small number
of men he had-there being but six
| hostlers in the place. By the time
| crowd had assembled, the building was
| SO wrapped in flames that nothing could
| be done to save the horses.