Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1893-07-11
PYRAMID OF DEATH
ACCIDENT NEAR
THE WORLDS FAIR.

Fire Breaks Out in a Cold storage |
warehOuse-FIre COrnpelI-I |
ed to Jump From a Tower 100
Feet High or GO Down with ihe |
RuIn-I5 Bodies ReCo~ered
WORLDS FAIR GROUNDS, July IA |
fimsily constructed building erected by |
the Hercules Iron company, of Chicago,
ice skating rink and situated near the
Oath street entrance to the exposition
grounds, was burned to the ground in
little over an hour yesterday afternoon.
The building collapsed totally in a
short time after the fire started, and
many people who entered the building
hoping to render aid, before the peril
under which they were placing them
selves was realized were caught like rats
i'll a trap. Before the firenen got to
work several men employed in the build
ing. assembled by the elevators to the
main roof and afterwards climbed up
the spiral staircase, which was built
around the great death trap of a smoke
stack, until they reached the balcony
| underneath the burning cupola. They
were thus cut off by the flames. One
man, a painter, slid down a line of hose
that had been carried up by the firemen.
Others waited and were burned to death
or were killed or injured by leaping to
the roof below. Many of those who
| jun ped were embedded in the roof COM
position. A rope was hung from the
upper balcony and Il number of Gagged
| men were seen to struggle for posses
| sion of the rope, but it soon burned OH.
| KaerO's Deash
One by one they dropped from the
tower, some clinging to the burning rope
as far as it afforded them any hold and
then shooting through a solid sheet OF
| flame to the roof. The sight was too
| much for even the military men and old
| frcmen on the ground to bear without
| a shudder and turning away of faces.
| Human forms lcaping through flames a
hundred feet or more down, down to
sure deaf n presented sight the StOn1eSt
heart could not witness uumoved. L he
last man that tower died hero S
death. Among all those who fac the
furnace below them, he had waited will
out apparent fear until there was only
himself left. He was a fireman, aud he
grasped the remnant OF the burning rope
just as the whole lower structure parteC
diagonally and tell towards the north
right over the prostrate bodies o
the poor fellows who had lcaped tc
. escape the ptiess flames. The last mar
who went down to death with the tow
, | er kept his feet down as far as the rop
went. and the rush of flames and air wa
so great that his body turned round ant
| round in the passage within sight OF all
and then the blazing tower fell over hi
form, making funeral pyre and ending
{ his agony if he was not dead before tn
striking of the roof.
| When the tower tODpled over thcr
was no hope of saving any who had no
been taken off the roof. The bodies O.
S striking had become imbedded nearl
1 | three feet in gravel and tar betwee
nj a fe cnI1ld
to a place of safety before the great Ger
trail Tower crashed over.
+ Two hours after the extent OF the ca
d lamitY had become known $4,000 ha
been subscribed for the Deneht of tt
fallen heroes.
u Dead Bodies Taken Out TOdas
,fl Ten thousand people this mornin
crowded around the debris, eagerl
n , watching the search for dead bodie
Early this morning three bodies we
= recovered from the ruins They were :
: badly charred as to make recognitic
:. impossible. The bodies were not the T
J mains of frcmeu.
- All the firemen who lost their iv
-, were huddled up in one place in t.
- dreadful fire trap. This discovery ga
II fresh color to the fearful apprchensit
that the tiremen were by means the on
ones who fell victims to the flames, al
the public at once became disposed
le doubt the declaration made ycsterd
that all the visitors and employees we
j., out of the building before the cOnfiag1
a. ton reached the dangerous stage.
e- The total number of dead bodies
k covered at this time is 1 o The COlu
es bian guard on duty yesterday at t
scene of the disaster has constan
1e maint aimed that several World F.
tn visitors and electrical men and otl
on workmen were caught in the flames.
he has been decided to make a minute
animation of the pyramid OF ruin a
'cr debris before he day is out.
nd 1t has been definitely ascertained I'll
IL fiji emen lost their lives.
he The fremen who lost their lives we
IN. Capt. James Fitzpatrick, Lieut.. II. Fl
an man, Vim. Denning, Philip D. Bo
Capt. James A. Garvey, John McBri
an John Cahill, Paul Schroeder, Burton
no Page, Lieut.. Chas. Purvis, driver i
ice A. Smith.
ast The Hercules iron works company,
las owner of the cold storage warehouse
the the Fair Grounds made an assignm
in this morning. Assets estimated $500, @
liabilities, estimatde, 5000, 900. The
caused loss of $1,000
nee A War snip Abroad.