The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1893-07-13
A SETTLING FURNACE.
A Scene of Unprecedented Horror
at the wor'fsA Fair.
Over Score OF Lives Lost npHl Many Mcf
Injured by the Burning OF the Cold
Storage I.uiIding within
the Utouaas.
Brave Firemen. Caught in n Trap Far
Above the Reach of Assistance,
Compelled TO Plunge to Denth
Thrduah Seas Of Flame.


ThrduHh Seas Of Flame.
CHICAGO, July io.-Death fins never
ione such swift and ghastly wofls n, Il
fire in this city since the dark days of
October, 1871, as tia. which turned
the Worlds fair grounds int5n scene of
mourning this afternoon. The hofrn"
Of the spectacle will forever remain as a
hidcous nightmare in the minds of
many men and women vino ga2cd upon
it. 1t was intensified 'tv the dizzy
height from which W. Nictin1;. -snrf
seen to fall into vast furnace of blsz-
ing timber and other inflammablc ma
terial. Deeds of hcrosm were done hv
the firemen who perished md those
who live to grevc over their lost com
rndes. The Columbian guards were
not lacking in bravery and devotion to
duty in the hour OF danger and even in
the face OF death
There is rnhIirhing within the White
City tonight. for the blacitchod rem
nants of humanity full Of life bat yes
tcrday are lying beneath the tEattF=
soaked wreck or stretched out in the
morgue outside the gates, The loss of
property will probably amount to $3.50,
0O0 but no one except those who have
suffered financially is thinking of the
money loss.
The sun was shining its brightest
from blue sky at 1850 o'clock this af-
ternoon, and the pleasure seeking pco-
pie passed under the shadow of the
cold storage warehouse. Suddenly II
boy, VIM. sheppard, son of the guide
book publisher, saw tongue Of flame
escaping from the cupola, or observa-
tory, which Is the toplnost. section of
the warehouse. From the ground to
that first flame there were 80 feet of
space. The boy gave the alarm. and
in few minutes the heroes OF the fire
stations at the Casino and the Terminal !
depot came dashing along with hose
cart, engine and hook and ladder,
many alas that never returned alive.
The altitude of the blazing tower
and its isolation from the roof made
the work of the fremcn hazardous and
slow from the start. Before the men
got TO work several painters, electric
light men and others employed in the
building assembled by the elevators to
the main roof and aftcrward climbed
up the spiral staircase which was built
around the great death trap of Il
smokestack until they reached the bal
cony underneath the burning cupola.
They found the fire had gone too far
to be smothcred by the chemicals at
hand. They waited for the tiremcr tc
join them, thinking they could he oI
help.
Capt. Hardness of the guards or.
dcred Sergt. Douglass to take eight
men up to the blazing tower and aid
the fremen. The sergeant gave hi,
| superior officer one look, such one a'
the officers Of the light brigade at Bala
klava may have given the commanding
| general when he gave the order tc
charge in the midst OF roaring Russian
cannon. But the sergeant went, and
eight guards followed to do their duty.
BY strange chance all are alive to-
night and mourn the loss of brave com
radcs.
Not so with the fireinen. They went
out on the roof and hauled up the hose
with ropes to the first story of the
tower on the south side Of the ware
house. Others rushed up the spiral
stairway to the landing next the blaz-
| ing top and lowered ropes on three
sides to the men below to attach the
hose. Until this time the fire rescm'
bled the flaming mouth of small
blast furnace, and at distance there
seemed to be no danger. The expert
enced eye of Chief Murphy, in com
mand of the Worlds fair fire depart
ment, failed to suspect any danger tc
his men when he ordered them to &c
to the tower below the blaze. But he
sent nearly all of them to death, the
horror and agony of which no human
tongue or pen can describe. Ihost
| few moments of realization that tho
| flames surrounded them above and he
| low followed by their last act in life
must have been as an eternity of hcl
| to every one.
A sixteen-foot ladder was placed
! from the first section of the tower
to the landing where the men were
but no one thought of placing big
/
so as to connect with the small one a
the main roof. The men were at worl
| on the east and south sides. All thi'
time the flames were burning through
the larger section of the tower. The
first intimation of danger came to thu
victims when the smoke appeared un
der them, and as the wind blew it int
their faces they rctreatcd around thu
landing to the north side of the towc
with the exception of one man,
painter, who slid down the hose, whicl
had been brought up to the south sid'
of the tower. 1t may he that NOR
would have taken this apparently sur
means of escape had ii not been for tn
smoke which enveloped them. !
seemed as If the victims changed posi-
tion because they feared the flame
would soon follow the smoke whicl
they saw.
Death quickly came to put an end t.
1t all. The flames had been devourini
five feet of framework which sur
rounded the cast-iron shaft that pierced
the tower below the men. Quick as
flash, like band of molten gold, flame
burst through the square. The gol
letters, Hercules Ice, Skating Rim
and Cold Storage Warehouse" were /
the center of the tower, and aroun
them the flames circulated and raise
to mock and torture the poor wretche
to whom the eyes of thousands wer
skturned, In few seconds the impri
1oned ones felt the fire coming, and wit
one impulse of self-preservation, tn
men moved quickly to where the rope
were attached at the northwest col
ner.
They could not look down and Sc
the flames because of the projectin
cornices, but they knew where I'll
ropes We're. There they stood, hui
died together, some without the
coats, others hatless, and all preparir
TO save themselves if they could. TT
man nearest the rope grasped it ar
descended. But for only dozen fee
The flames had no mercy, The rol