Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-07-13
BAPTISM Or FIRE.
A Much Dreaded Holocaust Wis.
its the Worlds Fair.
Brave Men Perish With No Possible
Chance of Escape.
To Escape the Flames They
Jump to Death,
ONLY TO BE BURIED IN THE RUINS
OF THE BUILDING.
THE COLD STORAGE WAREHOUSE
GOES UP LIKE TINDER.

Firemen at Work Half Way Up High
Tower Ignorant of Their Danger Until
the Flames Broke Out Far Beneath
Them-One by One They Leap Nearly
One Hundred Feet to Certain Death in
Full View of the Vast Assemblage of
Awe-Striclken visitors = The Burning
Tower Finally Carrying With 1t the I'M
conscious and Mangied Firemen-
Great Exposition Buildings at One Time
Threatened-The Loss About 81, ,Ooo, 900,
With No Insurance, as Companies Con-
sidered the Risk Too Dangerous.
CHICAGO, July 11.-Thirty thousand
pleasure-seekers at the worlds fair
Monday afternoon witnessed scene
of horror the memory of which will
haunt them to their dying day.
Shortly after o'clock the great cold
storage warehouse in the west end of
the grounds near the Sixty-third street
entrance took fire from an explosion.
In few moments the flames wrapped
the great building and cut away the
supports of the lofty tower. The tower
crashed in and with its downfall IS
brave fellows are known to have met
their death, being either crushed by the
falling timbers or incinerated in the
furious furnace beneath. Forty per-
sons are missing. OF these 13 were fire.
men, eight were guards and 10 were
electric linemen.
The electrical workers were in the
amnlov of the Harter Electric comnanv
Of g7e Fifth avenue and were anoaoad
=, ,,,,t+;na ~, o,ec+~;c Jy;ro In tbe to1Ter
T,pe m o;oLf ap a!',ords yUora b,,rnod 1yb;ie
[rnrl,;pa ~ ero;coi1v to sovo tba lives of
others ~ ' = ~
st. p.,, 1r,
Tho fro,,,o,, ,,,o,.o co,,,rl+ i, Tho h,,rn
;,1. u ,varelo,,so tbo f,.e I,.aa i~;,,a I o,,+
haSSoa4h tbo1a Tha T1ln cbonoas e9 saa,ood ~
be e that oil IT, - tbo,n - would % he ] b,,rned ~ 70
5eotb Msnv ;n,1na8 from, tba ton Of
tbe tower which IL fnlIv 100 feet from
the gronnd
Tba cold STORAGE building thoupb
seidoI, antared bT visitors was ono "a
tha most notable landmarks archi-
tactnraIIv in jackson mark II was
nitl;n a short distance III tba elevated
road tarminal and Instantly attracted
tha attention. of reonle entering tbe fair
erronnds fron, tbe west hv reason of its
necniiar high tower and unioue vene-
tian windows.
Near, the top of the tower is a land
ing. The fire broke out about 30 feet
above this. AS soon as the firemen ar
rived about 35 or 40 of them climbed
up the ladders to this landing and were
preparing to throw, streams Of water
to the burning portion when the lire,
which had eaten its way inside the
staff to a point below where the fire
men stood, broke out with volcanic
Ieroclty on all sloes'
An Exclamation of Horror
went up from the lips of 10000 people
who had assembled about the building
to see the fire. Five of the men saved
themselves by sliding down the ropes.
Before others could follow the flames
had burned away the ropes and the un-
fortunate fellows who remained hud-
died together on the north side OF the
cupola were doomed. 1t was beyond
/ the reach OF any of the ladders, and the
crowd stood horror stricken and help
less to rescue the fated crew.
The flames ran higher and higher un-
TIL the men were almost concealed from
view. AT this moment one OF the fire
men sprang out into the air and was
g1ashed to Pieces on the Roof
fully 80 feet below. Another and an
other followed his example, crazed by
the awful heat, and doubtless PREFER
ing to be killed by fall than burned to
death. When five had jumped the up
per portion OF the cupola gave way and
the remaining firemen were swallowed
up in the seething mass OF burning tim
bers.
The structure was
Known to Be Firetrap
and the denartment on the grounds was
hurried over at full sneea For a time
II seemed as THOUGH the blaze would
amount to little. but a gust of wind
famed it, and before adequate means
had been taken to fight the fire the
great building was burning like cellu-
loid. Flames and smoke poured from
the windows and tongue OF fire was
seen above the tower. Suddenly the
huge mass began to sway, while the
firemen were clinging to 1T like flies. LII
tumbled in as IT the supports were
paper, and down in the boiling mass
went nearly every man on the roof.