The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-07-12

COLD STORAGE BUILDING DEFOUF THE FIpF
Columbian guards are missing. but there
are many vacancies in the different com
panics scattered about the grounds. and
their captains, while refusing to commit
themselves, fear that several of their men
have been cremated. The following is a
list OF the dead and the miss ng-all of
whom are probably dead:
Dead-Captain James Fitzpatrick, act
ing chief Columbian fire departments; John
Mcbride. driver; William Denning truck
man; unknown American, initials OH belt
III. w" or IN. H."
Mssing-Captain Garvey, Captain Page.
Lieutenant Pnrvis and Lieutenant Free
man, Phil Breen, pipeman; John Smith,
pipeman; Paul Schroeder, truckman; John
Cahill, truckman; Sergeant Donaldson.
Columbian Guard; four Columbian Guards:
IL. D. Strand, fireman; Henry Geduldip.
foreman of painters in Cold Storage build
ing; Lieutenant Motion, of truck 10.
Fatally injured-W. o. Mahoney, ladder
man, internally injured and legs and feet
fractured.
Death has never done such swift and
CHASTITY work at fire in Chicago since the
dark days of October, 1871 The horror of
the spectacle will forever remain as hid
eous nightmare in the minds of many
thousands of men and women who gaZed
upon it. 1t was intensified by the dizzy
height from which the victims were seen
TO fall into a vast furnace of blazing tim
Der aud other inflammable material.
Deeds OF heroism were done by the fire
men who persisted and those who live to
grieve over their lost comrades. The
Columbian Guardsmen were not lacking
in bravery and devotion to duty in the
hour of danger and even in the face of
death.
The loss of property will probably
amount to over $650,000 but nobody ex-
cept those who have suffered financially is
thinking of the money loss when all
around, at the fire and guard station
house, the Emergency hospital and the
morgue. on the highways of the fair.
around the scene of woe, are evidences of
the exposition's deadly baptism of fire.
The sun was shining it's brightest from a.
blue sky at 1870 O'Clock yesterday after
noon, and the pleasure seeking people
passed under the shadow of the cold stor-
age warehouse. Suddenly e boy saw a
tongue of flame escaping from the cupola,
or observatory tower, which formed the
tOpmost section of the warehouse. From
the ground to that first flame there were
800 feet of space. The boy gave the alarm
and in u few minutes the firemen came
dashing along.
The altitude of the blazing observation
tower and it's isolation from the great
main roof made the work of the firemen
hazardous and slow from the outset. Be
fore the firemen got to work several paint
ers, electric light men and others employed
In the building assembled by the elevators
to the main roof and afterwards climbed
up the spiral staircase which was built
Of
stack until they reached the balcony un-
derneath the burning cupola They found
the flames had gone too far to be smothered
by the chemicals Mt hand.
captain darkness, of the guards ordered
sergeant Douglass to take eight men I'M
to the blazing tower and aid the firemen.
The sergeant gave his superior officer one
look, such as officers of the Light brigade
at Balaklava may have given the com
handing general when he gave the order
to charge into the mouths of roaring Rus
sian cannon. But the sergeant went. and
eight guards followed to do their duty. By
a strange chance all are alive today to tell
the tale and mourn the loss of brave COM
rades.
Not SO with the firemen. They went out
OH the roof and hauled up the hose with
ropes to the first story of the tower on the
shst and south sides of the warehouse.
Others rushed up the spiral stairway to
the landing next to the blazing top and
lowered ropes on three sides to the men
below to attach the hose to. Until this
time the fire resembled the flaming mouth
Of small blast FIJI rnace, and at distance
there seemed TO be no danger menacing
those brave men at work hundreds OF feet
in the air.
The experienced eye of Chief Murphy, in
command of the Worlds fair fire depart
ment, failed to suspect any risk to his men
when he ordered them to go up to the
tower below the blaze. But he sent nearly