The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1893-07-12
BAPTISM Or FIRB.
A Much Dreaded Holocaust Wis
its the Worlds Fair.
Brave Men Perish With No Possible
Chance of Escape.
To Escape the Flames They
Jump to Death,
ONLY TO BE BURIED IN THE RUINS
OE nLE PILL DINO
ONLY TO BE BURIED IN THE RUINS
OF THE BUILDING.
THE COLD STORAGE WAREHOUSE
GOES UP LIKE TIMBER.

i'iremen Mt Work Half Way Up High
Tower Ignorant of Their Danger Until
the Flames Broke Out Far Beneath
ThGm-One by One They Leap Nearly
/ One Hundred Feet to Certain Death in
I Fun View of the Vast AssembIage of
Awe-StricIcn Visitors - The Burning
Tower Finally Carrying With 1t the I'm
! conscious and NIangIed Firemcn The
/ Great Exposition Buildings ut One Time
/ Threatened-The Loss About VI, 900, 900.
with 40 Insurance, as Companies Com
/ sidered the Risk Too Dangerous.
CHICAGO. July 11.-Thirty thousand
I pIeasure-seekers at the worlds fair
! Monday Afternoon witnessed a scene
| of horror the memory of which Will
! haunt them to their dying day.
/ Shortly after 1 o'clock the great cold
I storage warehouse in the west end of
/ the grounds near the Sixty-third street
entrance took fire from an explosion.
/ In a few moments the flames wrapped
/ the great building and cut away the
! supports of the lofty tower. The tower
/ crashed III and with its downfall is
/ brave fellows are known to have met
] H.
| falling tilnbers or incinerated in the
| furious furnace beneath. Forty per-
/ sors are missing. OF these 13 were fire
men, eight We're guards and - were
electric linemen.
The electrical workers were in the
| employ of the Harter Electric company
| of $40 Fifth avenue. and We're engaged
I in putting up electric wire i'll the tower.
! The eight guards We're burned while
! working heroically to save the lives of
! others.
fire Beneath Them.
| The firemen were caught i'll the burn
| ing warehouse. the fire breaking out
| beneath them. The chances seemed TO
| he that all of them would be burned TO
/ death. Many jumped from the top of
| the tower, which IS fully 100 feet from
the ground.
The cold storage building, though
seldom entered by visitors. was one of
the most notable landmarks. archi-
tecturaily. in Jackson park. 1t was
within short distance of the elevated
road terminal, and instantly attracted
the attention OF people entering the fair
| grounds from the west by reason of its
peculiar high tower and unique YeEe-
tian windows.
Near the top of the tower is n land
| ing The fire broke out about 30 feet
above this. As soon as the firemen ar
rived about 81 or 10 OF them climbed
up the ladders TO this landing and were
| preparing to throw streams of water
to the burning portion when the fire
| which had eaten it's way inside the
staff to point below where the fire.
| men stood, broke out with volcanic
ferocity on all sides.
An Exclamation of Horror
went up from the lips of 10000 people
who had assembled about the building
to see the fire. Five of the men saved
! themselves by sliding down the ropes.
Before others could follow the flames
had burned away the ropes and the I'M
| fortunate fellows who remained hud-
! died together on the north side OF the
cupola We're doomed. 1t was beyond
/ the reach of any of the ladders, and the
/ crowd stood horror stfickeu and help
| less TO rescue the fated crew.
! The flames ran higher and higher I'M
/ til the men We're almost concealed from
/ view. At this moment one of the fire
men sprang ont into the air and WAS
Dashed to Pieces on the Roof
| fully 50 feet below. Another and an
! other followed his example, craZed by
/ the awful heat. and doubtless PREFER
| ing to be killed by fall than burned to
| death. When five had jumped the up
| per portion of the cupOlG gave way and
/ the remaining tiremen We're swallowed
/ no in the seething mass of burning tim
! kers.
The structure was
Known to BE "A Firetrap
/ and the department on the grounds was
| hurried over at full speed. For a time
/ it seemed as though the blaze would
amount to little. but gust of wind
famed it, and before adequate means
| had been taken to fight the fire the
great building was burning like cellu-
lOid. Flames and smoke poured from
the windows and tongue of fire was
seen above the tower. Suddenly the
huge mass began to sway. while the
| firemeu were cliugiug to il like flies. It
tumbIed in as # the supports We're
| paper, and down il the boiling mass
went nearly every man on the roof.
The men near the abyss ran TO the
gutter and
Lcnpcd Nearly One UunGrcd Feet
to the ground. The ground was COW
cred with crushed and manSled forms.
The cries of the men being murdered
| by inches near the edge of the furnace
| could be plainly heard Alarms were
sent down town and a terrific fight
with the fire began. For nearly an
| hour it seemed as if the exposition
| buildings were doomed. The regular
soldiers and the French marine guards
were sent down. and the whole force of
4
fought with splendid valor.
After burning the paint shops and
stables the fire was
Gotten Under Control.
At o'clock the fire had been safely
confined. and danger of its spreading
was over. But during the short time
it had ragged it had accomplished hOrri-
Bile destruction. The hospital is full of
men burned cruelty and dying. The
whole crowd at the fair was gathered
at the scene. and became almost riOtous
| with terror.
The heat was intense: as the fremeR
worked one by one they were overcome
by heat and taken away by the ambu-
/ lance. One hoseman was holding a
I pipe on the east side. when suddenly he
threw up his hands and fell back in
Eensible. The monday sun poured
down on the multitude. and every few
minutes some one IL the crowd was
overcome. The guards stationed near
( the blaze stood the heat no better.
Many of them We're compelled to give
up their post. and they. too, We're cared
E H. .