Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-07-15
4 FIRE At THE FAIR.
The Cold Storage Warehouse Com
pletely Destroyed.
Eighteen Men Roasted to Death on
Tower.


Eighteen Men Roasted to Death on a
Tower.
The large cold storage warehouse erected
by the Hercules Iron Co., of Chicago just
inside the Worlds Fair grounds. near the
Sixty fourth street entrance, was completely
destroyed by fire and the big paint shop adj
fo.ning was partly burned while $4,000 per-
sons looked on. As far as is known at least
eighteen men lost their lives and nineteen
were injured. 1t was the most serious dis
aster that has happened to the fair, and no
such loss of life at a fire has been known in
mated at s650,000
The full extent OF the death wrought may
never be known, as the building collapsed
totally in 50 short time after the fire started
that many people who entered the building
hoping to render aid before the peril under
which they were placing themselves was real
lied went unannounced to their doom.
1t is said that but four Columbian guards
are missing. but there are many vacancies in
the different companies scattered about the
grounds and their captains, while refusing
TO commit themselves, fear that their men
have been cremated.
THE BURNED ByILDINs.
The cold storage warehouse was 1870 by 255
feet. 1t cost $3.50, COO, and was built ofwood
and staff, and was stored with meats, vege-
tables, fruits and wines belonging to the
restaurants on the grounds. 1t had mas
sve tower 260 feet high. The establishment
was outfit I'd with complete apparatus Tor
the manufacture of ice, refrigeraIinS, &C.,
and was on the grounds as an exhibit. An
artificial ice rink in the top story had just
been comp ted, aad the place was usually
thronged with sight seers.
THE FIRE STARTED.
About 1 80 o'clock P NJ small fire broke
out in the tower. Twenty-Five nremen went
to work TO extinguish it. While they were
thus engaged flames suddenly burst out %
feet below them and they were forced to
jump 100 feet TO the main roof of the build
ing. The thrilling spectacle brough thous-
ands of sight-seefs to the neighbour BOD, and
the excitement became intense. Brave fire.
meI ran up ladders to the rescue of their
comrades. Fire Chief Murphy was on the
roof but escaped to the floor below and
thence to the ground without injury. The
fire spread with great rapidly, bursting out
all over the tower. Five minutes later the
blazing tower fell with terrific crash, car
rying down with it the roof. Fifty fremen
were on the building at the time, and one
ladder was their only means Of escape. A
number of them fell one hundred feet to the
ground and several were carried down with
the roof into the irierior of the building,
which was a literal fiery furnace.
The loss of so many men almost paralyzed
the fire department. The Columbian guards
endeavored to keep the crowds back, Tut
thirty five thousand people pressed forward
as close as the heat would permit.
IMPRISONED AMID FLAMES.
The first intimation of danger came to the
victims when smoke appeared under them,
and as the wind blew it into their faces they
retreated in an orderly body beyond the
landing to the north side of he tower with
the exception of one man, painter, who slid
down the hose which had been brought up
to the south side of the tower.
1t may be that mole would have taken this
apparently sure and safe means of escape
had it not been for the smoke, which seemed
to eavelop them. 1t seemed as IL the victims
changed position because they feared flames
would soon follow the smoke which they
saw.
The flames had been devouring Ave feet
of the framework which surrounded the
cast-iron shaft that pierced the tower below
the men. Quick as flash, like band OF
molten gold, flames burst through the square
tower just underneath the imprisoned men
on all Sides
The gold letters "Hercnles Ice Skating
Rink and Cold Storage Warehouse" were in
the centre of the tower and around them the
flo al OF nd ~ nnpY
torture the poor wretches to whom tho eyes
of thousands were turned.
In a few seconds the in Pr isoned ones felt
the scorching fire coming, and with one i'm
pulse of self-presefYation the men moved
quickly TO where the ropes we're attached at
the northwest corner They could not look
down and see the flames because of the pro
jecting cornices, but they knew where the
ropes we're, and they huddled together, some
without their coats, others hatless. and all
preparing to save themselves if they could.
The man nearest the rope grasped it and
descended. But for dozen feet the flames
had no mercy, the rope was burned in two,
and with feet downward the first victim shot
through the air to the main roo. He turned
partly over before he struck and bounded
up. lying as If dead.
A great Try of anguish and fear came up
from thousands on the ground and at other
points where the first OF those awful leaps
and falls could be seen. Strong men wept
and women became hysterical.
LEAPISG TO DEATH.
The men on the tower only prolonged their
consciousness of life, for all were doomed to
die, yet they struggled to catch at anything
which seemed to hold out chance to leap
aud live. 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 mill
tarymen and the fremen on the groun to
bear without u shudder and turning away
of faces. Human forms leaping through
flames hundred feet or more down, down
to sure death, presented a sight the stoniest
hea could not witness unmoved.
One last man on the tower waited without
apparent fear until there was only himself
left. He was fireman and he grasped the
remnant OF burning rope just as the whole
tower-structure parted diagonally and fell
towards the north. right over the PROSTATE
bodies Of the poor fellows who had caped 10
escape the pittless flames.
The last man who went down to death with
the tower kept feet down as far as the Iopa
went and then the rush Of flames and air was
so great that his hody was turned round and
round in the passage within sight of all and
the blazing tower fell over his form, making
funeral pyre and ending his agony, il he
was not dead before striking the roof One
victim remain on the tower until the flames
from below had turned his legs so that the
flesh peeled from the bone
When that tower topplei over there was
no hope OF saving any who had not been
taken off the root The bodies on striking
had become imbeddsd nearly three feet in
the gravel and the tar between the wooden
ioists and only few could be removed to
place Of safety halore the great carfrhl fnxar