Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-17
Needless Loss Of Life in the Recent
Chicago Disaster.
fIREMEN DRIVEN TO THEIR DEATH.
Serious Charges Against Fire Mar
shall Murphy.
PLENTY OF WITNESSES
INExCUSABLE LOSS OF LIFE,

dent Of the Hercules iron works, the company
owning the cold storage building burned last
Monday, lays the blame for the terrible loss Of
life upon Assistant Fire Marshal Murphy. He
insists that Q biunder was made IT the face Of
repeated warnings from employees in the build
ing. Capt. Fitzpatrick was with Marshal MUIR
ply.
The men, Mr.. Skinner declares. would not
listen to the admonitio:s Of men who knew the
structure and the danger Of an ascent to the
tower.
There il one side of this fire case that has
not yet been told" said Mr.. Skinner yesterday.
81 suppose Ii will all come out before the cor
oner IL the case is gone fully into and the cor
oner keeps his promise that he will 90 to the
bottom Of the affair.
There was absolutely no excuse for the loss
Of q single life. The fremen were informed by
our employees that there was fire below before
they went up into the tower. They were begged
not to 90 up and the danger was pointed out in
advance. when there was plenty OF time to order
down such we're already up.
among those who warned them and who is
ready to testify to the fact Is Walter n. DON
aldson, the Office manager Of tine business part
Of the storage and ice department He went
into the tower and fully informed himself Of
Donaldson had been present during
nearly the whole period Of construction,
was familiar with the building, and was
In every wav competent to act a. . guide to
the fire fighters. He could not have been
mistaken for an outsider, either. As soon a.
the firemen arrived he hunted up Capt. Fitx-
patrick and found him on the rink floor with
his men. some OF whom were armed with
axes. He asked the captain to chop hole be-
low and turn the hose on the fire in the lower
part of the tower. He emphasized and re-
peated his statement that the bottom was the
v1lo 40 Ul,t 10 IT, L.. 4
entreaties Capt Fitzpatrick answered: You go
to h. Go to b. l am running this
thing
He was trying at the time to carry three
leads OF hose up at once and was not making
Roadway Notwithstanding his rebuff Donald
son, appreciating the situation and the neces-
sity for greater haste. begged him to &c. up
one. Capt Fitzpatrick answered he would get
three up or none.
"A. J. Branch" continued Mr.. Skinner, in
response to a request for the names Of the
other witnesses, lone Of our pen. also asked
Capt Fitzpatrick to work on the base Of the
tower and fight the fire which was already
there. The captain for an answer fetched hmm
a back-handed blow with the fiat Of his hand
which knocked him eight or ton feet.
Mr.. Alsop, the architect. was ono who also
advised the men OF the danger and told them
the fire was below before they went up and
begged them not to ascend.
"Harshal Murphy stood there and in spite of
this information actually drove his men to their
deaths. Upon the inf ormation we had given
them some of the hremen hesitated and de-
INJURED. The marshal was heard to shout to
them by at least two Of our people: Get up
there, you d cowards.' He drove them to
their deaths.
There is no question about it, We are pre-
pared to prove it and it must all come out at
the inquest. As soon as heard the statement
Of our men right after the fire went Immediately
over to Higginbothams Office and told him
what state here"
Disputes In the Fire Department.
Two matters are engrossing the attention Of
the worlds fair dremen besides their regular
duties. One Of them is the accusation brought
bv President John B. Skinner and other officers
Of the cold storage company that Marshal
Murphy drove the fremen up the tower to their
death. but did not lead them nor follow them
The other subject of general conversation in
fire department circles and Columbian Guard
circles is the dispute between Marshal Murphy
and Chief Swenie IS to who made the heroic
| rescue Of Capt. Fitzpatrick from the burning
| roof by means Of ladders and life line.
Lieut.. Barker Of Engine Company No. 50 and
Lieut.. Miller OF truck No. 16, both parts Of
the city fire department. outside the gates. per-
| formed the gallant rescue at the risk Of being
burned to death, according to the report Of
! Chief Swenie, the veteran head OF the Chicago
department..
In contradiction Of this Official statement
Assistant Marshal Murphy says shat neither OF
the heutenAnts were on the roof at the time.
He makes the same statement that he did on
! the night Of the fire, that Hans Reifeldt Of hook
and ladder No. 8, Capt. Jas. Kennedy of hook
and ladder No. and himself brought Fitz-
| patrick's broken, burned and almost lifeless
body from the blazing roof.
| The rescue was witnessed by 10, 600 people
and all those not employed OH the fair grounds,
but those who knew the iremen, say that the
! two heutenants were the heroes. while Marshal
Murphy was only the under man on the ladder.
Inside the grounds there is peculiar agree
ment in the statements regarding the rescuers
| in favor Of the exposition chief, Ed. Murphy,
| and the hremen named by him. At the coro-
| ners inquest some light may be thrown under
oath on the contradictory statements, but the
present situation shows that the official rela-
tions between Chief Swenie and Marshal MUIR
! ply are considerably strained.
| This it is understood by many persons in and
out Of the fire department. is due to n convic-
ton in the mind Of Chief Swenie that Murphy
should have needed the warning of the cold
storage people as to the danger from the fire
below the men in the tower, and he should have
| regulated the orders to bis men by the infOrma-
ton given him regarding the FIRE and tower
| with the sole intention Of guarding against the
needless sacrifice Of brave hremen.
Even the dead Capt Fitzpatrick comes in for
| n share Of the accusation made in regard to the
|
the ieaders.of the firemen.
Walter NJ Donaldson, Office manager Of the
| warehouse, Architect Alsop and A. J. Branch,
an Office employee, will be called on to testify
before the coroner to the alleged UNDECIDED
| warnings, advice and information given to Mar.
shall Murphy and Capt Fitzpatrick.
At the time Of the fire when the perishins
men were in the flaming pit there was one
thought in every ones mind and it found ex-
| preston everywhere. 1t was that I'm sending
] those men between two fires some one had made
| o blunder which the law should not overlook
and Marshal Murphy's name was coupled with
it.
| The Exact Loss Of Life Unknown.
| One week has elapsed since the worlds fair
fire and still the mystery Of the exact number
Of human lives lost remains unsolved. Fol
three days practically no attempt was made t.
| clear up the ruins. and tine work that has beer
| done since that time has only had the effect o.
| indicating the large amount Of labor still
ahead before the investigation is complete ant
tho funeral pyre gives mp its secrets.
The cessation OF work yesterday attracted
general unfavorable comment, and, although
large force is engaged on the ruins today, tn,
frightful odor arising from the scene
despite the lavish use OF disinfectants
indicated that putrefaction is proceed
ing with rapiditv that will render it i'm
possible to distinguish between any decom
posed fragments that are uncarthed and the
Quantities Of meat and provisions that were
l srO red int h,,iI 81 h. Aro