Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1893-07-13
FIRE AT THE WORLDS FAIR.
A Score of Lives and Half a Million DOL
lars in PROPERTY Given UD.

Idio III TIUp6lGy 0l96ll Wy.
CHICAGO, ILL.,, July l0.-The fear that
has existed for months in the minds of
nearly every citizen of Chicago, a fear
that none dared utter to his fellow but
that all felt, found realization to-day in
trlghttul holocaust at the Worlds
Fair that claimed nearly two score of
victims and for time threatened the
destruction of the entire White CITY,
To-day's disaster was all the more dread
full because of it's sudden transformation
from an innocent flame into a death
dealing catastrophe. Like an animal
monster, it enticed it's victims to the
topmost stage Of high pinnacle and
then, encircling the whole shaft in a
sheet of flame, held them in trap
until, one by one, they fell sac
them, while 10000 people stood help
lessly by. The structure that burned
to-day was, by comparison, one of the
smallest buildings Of the fair 1t was
the cold storage warehouse and skating
rink, and was not the property Of the
exposition. 1t was concession
and exhibit of the Hercules Iron
Works and ice and refrigerating
machine manufacturers. In addition
to the skating rink there were three
12O-toE ice machines and thirty or forty
barrels of linseed OIL The oil no
doubt greatly fastened the confagra-
ton, and that the fire was not com
municated to the other Worlds Fair
buildings was due to the favorable
winds.
twenty-five men are either known to
be dead or are missing. The number of
injured is probably thirty.
At the first signal the firemen rushed
up the huge shaft surrounding the
smokestack, and at the summit began
preparations to fight the flames, which
had first appeared at this point. Be-
fore the hose could be coupled a cry Of
horror from the crowd below caused
the fremen to look down, AMI
the whole shaft below was found
to be encircled in flames. In
danger, but there were few to find
an avenue of escape. One man sudden
ly grasped a hose and, half sliding, half
falling, reached the roof ninety feet be-
low in bruised and burned condition
but still alive. By this time the crowd
below became wild with excitement, and
weeping women and frenzied men
rushed hither and thither wringing their
hands in anguish over their inability to
render aid.
The fremen appeared to realize the
awtulness of their position and some of
them moved back and forth along the
edge of the balcony, as if in search Of
some means of escape. Suddenly one
of the unfortunates, either crazed by
heat or fear, or preferring to be crushed
by the fall to death by fire, sprang
from the balcony and was crushed to
death on the roof below. He was fol-
lowed by several of his companions.
Those who remained on the balcony had
only a few minutes respite, for the
flames which had cut off their retreat
undermined their support, and before
the horror-stricken watchers realized
the situation the tower toppled and fell.
Seeing that it was a hopeless task to
attempt to save the building and as all
who escaped alive had left the roof the
firemen now directed their efforts to
keeping the fire from spreading. The
Worlds Fair stables just south of the
big warehouse were burning and the
fire had spread to the roofs Of several
hotels across Stony Island Avenue, out
side the grounds. With a good deal Of
effort the hotels were saved, but the
stables were burned. In less than two
hours from the time the fire started the
bio cold storage warehouse was leveled
to the ground. 1t is doubtful if any of
the bodies will ever be recovered, SO in
tense was the heat. The building being
of wood, and added to this the barrels
of oil, made the fire one of the hottest
the department had ever had to fight:
A complete and accurate list of the
dead will be difficult to obtain, as many
of the bodies were entirely destroyed.
The cold storage warehouse was stu
ated south of the transportation build
ing annex, close to the Stony Island
boundary and not far from the Sixty
fourth Street entrance. 1t was report
ed to be unsafe few weeks ago by Mar
shall Murphy and the insurance com
panies cancelled their risks. The loss
is estimated at from 100000 to 81, OOO,-
600. President Higinbotham and
other members of the council of admin
istraton said tonight they had never
been notified the building was danger
Gus.