The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-07-11
JUMPED TO DEATH
A Score of Firemen Perish in
@ Worlds Fair Blaze.
VICTIMS OF A FIRE TRAP,

r,ar the Top-The Interior was n Mass OF
Kindline Wood. and, the Flames Rushed
Down, Cutting or tho Retreat OF the Men
Rome. on which They Try to Descend
A.. Burned On-Numbers Killed by Jump
ting to tho Roor-Then the Tower Falls
Among tho Dead and Dying. and the Roof
Sinks, Carrying Other Victims With It
Acrowd OF 10000 People Witnesses tho
Scene Of Terror aud Many Brave Deeds.
CHICAGO, July 1O-Twenty thousand men
And women stood helpless in jackson Park
tbis afternoon and watched q score OF their
,sllow creatures die msernbly. Fire showed
wself in the tower OF the Cold Storage Ware
hou,e at 80 o'clock. The entire brigade of
ina Worlds Fair Fire Department answered
an alarm. Reaching the scene OF the blaze.
Chief Murphy ordered his mon to the roof OF
tho building. whence score or more clam
bsred UP the ladders Of the tower to the top
balcony. where. $50 feet above the earth. tho
flames wore curling about the cupola-
The grounds were thronGed with visitors
The heavens were blue above. brisk north
Wind swept over the park and the gaudy en-
zines and carts seemed but to add to the holi-
dsy appearance Of the scene. It was as II tho
Ara departrn emit was out on dress parade and
none OF the thousands saw any menace in tho
little blaze away up at the crown OF the big
white building.
Aline Of hose was dragged up to the waiting
nremen on the top balcony. A truck Captain
came to the edge OF the roof and shouted the
signal for a steamer to begin pumping. Be-
fore the order had been transmitted to the
sngiueman the FIRE suddenly burst through
the white sides OF the tower. midway Of its
height.
Tho treacherous element had eaten It's way
down the wooden siding between the iron
chimney and the exterior until the men on the
balcony were cut of. A shout from the assem-
bled thousands told them Of their danger.
They had been watching the flames above
them, and discovered those below only when
II was too late.
Chief Murphy himself had led his men on
their perilous climb to the balcony. and when
the fire burst forth below he ordered them to
save themselves. They could not go down as
they had come up fog the interior Of the tower
was roaring crater.
The men Of the hook and ladder trucks. see-
Ing the peril OF their comrades. sprang to their
machines. and the big ladders were slowly
hoisted against the roof. Meantime the flames
spread with Incredible rapidity. The men
worked like trojans. but 1t was almost in
stantly apparent that the heavy ladders could
not be drawn to the roof in time to save the
;, men in the tower. The poor fellows rushed to
the south side OF the balcony and swarmed
down the line OF hose. Five m en- slipped down
the smoking tube and then 1t gave way.
With this avenue Of escape cut or the men
surged back to the north balcony. rope was
made fast to the chimney. and fireman start
cd to slip down to the roof. ssventy-hve feet
below. Twelve feet from the balcony the rope
met the flames and snapped dashing the poor
follows who clung to it to the roof.
The calmness Of despair settled on the mon
Sill In the balcony. To remain whore they
were meant cremation: to jump meant to be
dashed to pieces. Silent and grim the little
band hung over the side OF their death trap.
and watched their fellows struggling hope
lessly to raise the ladders. Over. under. and
oil about them. surged the fire. Not a man
lost his head. None shrank back. None cried
out
When every vestiGe Of hope was gone. one by
one they dropped through tho sea of flames
that surrounded them to the roof below.
strong mon in the crowd sickened and turned
away as the blue-clothed forms shot through
the air.
Women tainted as the manRled bodies
bounded up after striking tho roof. Sixteen
men Jumped from the burning balcony. and
Inc last one sprang out the tower. COM
with a crasH nh m"-e,. .',.o'oo "nu 80. Ioa
tbrouub th. 90, n ,.n a' -, s .,i
and wounaa, , Nv ca ing WIN " .ne ueao
place ~ 60 .otr "No '"u NV oeen ufasseo "
Do p'', VI safety
utes altar tha ,.u ~. nos Gnu mere. Two MN.
was ablaze. Ono hundred mon were ON 1t. So
quickly did the fire spread that the ladders on
cut m INV oou.n siues Oh tue Duliolne were
bnndr.a ,ra, , ""' VI es,Ape ior tne g"hant
end ~ ~. "' uU"n single iaaaer AZ the hortn
saf.s,or,e INC ueeus Oh heroism. Oh
fev m,nntao .I ana 'oulako per'ormeo IN tne
nsvsr no. tei. '""' ~ LUX W ciear the TOOL Will
Tho .h,a h"s,.,
helnlsss ,o,,"'s 'u men rusheo 10 save tnelr
broksn hodior -, "no iaI ABOUT Win crueily
tower Tnn. .ne result OIL the leap from the
burning 49, JUG VINO was not puriea IN the
ronos or " '. was lowered 10 'he GROUND oy
hsross sa,,,.,'.. ufns, ihee me olstereo
About IT,, n '"o no' .h iaaoer'
around thoi. sou INC nre. t'ameS ourieo
leksd ~ - 'ss' s'aopeu NJ thelr faces ana
''''t houblicllcb anu 6ytDTOWs.