Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-07-21
A FIRE At THE FAIR.
The Cold Stc--age Warehouse Com
pletely Destroyed
Eiphteen Men Roasted to Death on a
Tower.


,ns;de the Worlds Fair grounds, near tho
sixty-fourth street entrance, was compie'eiy
DESTROYED by fire and the big paint shop az
fojning was partly burned while 5o,OOO per
sons looked on. As far as is known al ieas'
s,obteen men lost their lives and nineteen
,yore injured. It was the most serious DIS
aster that has happened to the iair' ahu ~
such loss of life at fire has been known IN
Chicago since 1871. The money loss IS estl-- e
mated at s65O,0OO.
The full extent of the death wrought may I
,over he known. as the building collapsed
.o,o,,v IN az short time after the fire started.
that many people who entered the uuiluine
hon to render aid before the peril unuei
which they we're placing themselves was re'i-
izad went unannounced TO tneir uooni.
t. is Gail that but four Columbian guaros
a ~ roies;no hut there are many vacancies In
a. difforent companies scattered apout tne
s,roun ds and their captains, wnlle refusing
o. commit themselves, fear that ther neh
, have been cremated.
TIE BURNED BUILDING.
The cold storage Warehouse was lou ny 1''
feet. It cost $3.50, 900, and was puii' q" "o'u
and staff. and was stored with meats, VeSo-
,oh,oe fruts and wines belonging TO tne
restaurants on the grounCs. 1t had a mas
q ve tower 26O feet high. The establishment.
was outfit I'd with complete apparatus o'
the manufacture OF Ice, lell er;ni. An
| ond was on tie grounds as an exnlDl'. an
o,tif,cial ice rink in the top story had jug.
been comm cted, ald the place was u7u'"'
throDged with sight seers'
THE FIRE STARTED.
Atout I so o'clock ?. NJ. a small IRE oloAo
oft in the tower. Twenty-Five nremen weh'
n work to extinguish it, while tney "eto
,b,s engaged flames suddenly burst out 20
foet hel0w them and they were iorced "
;,,,,, too feet TO the main roof OF the build
;Of ;ua The thrilling spectacle brou2h thoas
nnSs of sioht-see,s to the neighbour Iod, anu
ths excitement became intense. Brave hre
mo ran nm ladders to the rescue ol 'nvn ',
nornrades nrU Fire Chief MarD1y was on tne
wonf Int csc ned to the iiocr below an anu
tbencc TO the ground without injury. 1ne
ar, enread with great rapidny, bursting ou' ,
ali ever the tower. Five minutes Iatsr r ~.
! h.o1.nc tower fell with a terrific crash, car
rv;ng down with it the roof. Fifty hremen
;Sere on the building at the time, anu one
; ladder was theit only means OF escape
nmn,ber Of them fell one hundred feet to tne
g ground. and several were carried oown Hs'1
eho roof into the interior OF the puiulnS'
which was a literal fiery furnace. ,..,
VI The loss of so many men almost paia! a. "a
: the fire department. The Coluhipinn M O" ~,
- endeavored to keep the cloWuo n" forwar,
:. thirty-fye thousand people presseo ioi ""''
!" as close as the heat would permit
IMPRISONED AMID FLAMES.
~ fine first intimation of danger came TO IN
victims when smoke appeared under tnem
q. obd &C the wind blew it into their faces the.
le retreated in an orderly body BEYOND 'n
"a landing TO the north side of he tower wiz wy!
the execution of one man, palnterr "no on'
" down the hose which had been prou9n' VI
I'd to the south side of the tower: A.,
n ~ ~ nav he that mole would have taken tll
onnarentlv sure and safe means OF escap
g haad II NOT been for the smoke, wnlcn seele'
IN 70 enyelop them. 1t seemed as IL tne r,o
obonoed iosit;on because they feared name
=. ,rouI3 soon follow the smoke whish the
- saw ,o,orring five fee
TO- IN, na arnuoozvotk which surrounded tn
~ acct iron shaft that pierced the tower peloN
tbe men Quick as a flash, like a panu
o. so,tan .no GOLD flames burst through the squar
o In.ror l,U, net underneath the imprisoned me
ed on all sides To cLot;n
ot VI The he rnld letters "Hercules Ice SEalln
20 Rink and cold Storage Warehous, were a.
aS the centre of the tower ana arounu .nGni -
le- flames circulated and raleeu ~ nl 10 ~,
ya torture the poor wretcnes 10 "n0" nv
IA of thousands ere turned. .. to
'iu Tn few seconds the in pllsone q ones ~ ~
nj the scorchipg fire coming, and WIN ono ~
ere nulse of lf-presel vatlon inc nlen ho1
20. ppnicklv 10 where the ropes were at'acnen ~
he northwest corner. They coule Eot !o' W
oi down and see the fames Lecause ol tne =,
rd- iecting cornices, but they knew VIZ % !,
arb !sures D ere. and they huidled togelnet, s-n
. I',,'. ~ their coats. others hatless, and
'nu ~renoring 70 save themselves il they ccu'u'
md The man nearest the rope grasped u a.
descended. But for Cozen ieet 'he h"nI a..
had no mercy. the rope was Durheo ~ w
oil a ond With foef downward the first victim 81
H., throurh the air to the main roo. he .us1
mr. nartIy over before he struck anu D0U"'
md up. lying as If .dea'. , soor c,mo
'ho great ry cf anguish and lear me
Ter. ,ron, thousands on the ground and at OIL
den noints where the first OF those awlui leu
n Pand falls could be seen. Strong men w
and women became hs sterlcal.
e., LEArIxG TO DEATH.
NJ, The men on the tower only prolonged III
-. consciousness of lire for all were doomed
,oo. die vet they struggled to catch at anythl
which seemed to hold out chance TO Il
o;a and live. One by one they dropped from
e,"' tower. some cinging to the burning ropS
the far rs It afforded them any hoid ana u
ston shooting through a solid sheet ol nain'
tion the roof. . .ho -,
W. The sight was too much for even tne II
la tarymen and the fremen on the grouh
hich bear without shudder and turning az
ther of faces. Human forms leoping thr1'
"a. flames n hundred feet or more down, &c
n'1' to sure death, presented sight the stoh
Val- hea could not witness unmoved. 80,
t 800 One last man on the tower waited WIN
ored onnarent fear until there was only MIN
eft. He was a fireman and he grasped
'' D. remnant of burning rope just as the WI
girls, tower-structure parted diagonally ana
ilan, towards the north, right over the prost
,,to. bodies of the poor fellows who had ieape
escape the pitlless flames.
The last man who went downto dea'h
the tower kept feet down as iar as the
went and then the rush OF flames and ar
40 GREAT that his body was turned round
youni in the passage within sight OF Ill
the blazing tower fell over his form, MAJ
lave n funeral pyre and ending his agony,
was not dead before striking the root.
victim reman"d on the tower until tne Id
rom below had burned his legs so that