Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1893-07-15
CHICAGO'S HORROR.
Awful Holocaust at the Worlds
Fair Grounds.
Twenty Brave Fircmcn Perish-Thcy Are
Caught Ninety Feet Above tho Roof
and All Means Of Escape Cut
OLA Terrible Scene.

existed for months in the mind of near
" every citizen of Chicago, a fear that
none dare utter to his fellows, but that
all felt found realization in a frightful
holocaust at the worlds fair that
claimed nearly two score OF victims and
for n time threatened the destruction
of the entire white city.
The structure that burned yesterday
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 EXPOSE
ton. 1t was concession and exhibit
of the Hercules iron works and ice and
refrigerating machine manufacturers.
The fire was not generally observed
until about lis p m, and within thir-
ty minutes the great loss of life oc-
Cured. At the first signal the tiremen
rushed up the huge shaft surrounding
the smoke stack and when at the
summit began preparations to light
the flames, which had first appeared
ut this point. Before hose could
be coupled cry of horror from the
crowd below caused the firemen to
look down, and the whole shaft below
was found to be encircled in flame.
Instantly every man realized his dam
ger. but there were few to find an
avenue for escape. One man suddenly
grasped rop. or hose, ard half sliding,
half falling, reached the roof, ninety
feet below, in bruised and burned
condition, but still alive.
BY this time the crowd below had be-
come wild with excitement and weep
ing women and frenzied men rushed
hither and thithcr, wringing their
hands in anguish over their inability
to render aid. Suddenly one of the
firemen was seen preparing to jump
and every one was tr-::ea upward. He
gave n quick, spasinodic leap, and
turned over and over half dozen times
before he struck the roof ninety feet
below. TO the spectators he seemed
minute falling this distance and when
the body struck the roof with a
frirhtful crash and bounded four
feet into the air groan OF
horror went up from the crowd.
From this time the bodies raincd from
the steeple, but in nearly every in
stance breath and life had fled when
the victim was picked up on the roof
below. After the first wild leap, one
man after another jumped in quick sue
cession as the flames closed in below
and the heat became more intense. In
nearly every instance the victim turned
over and over again before he touched
the roof and in nearly every instance
the result of the desperate leap for life
was the same-death. The very horror
of death riveted every eye to the scene,
and while men and women shouted
Historically and wept below, the
guards were almost powerless to keep
the crowd away from danger.
The spectacle of death became more
terrible as minutes passed and for the
last man on the cupola was reserved
the most dreadful fate of all. After all
his companions had leapcd to apparent
death. and as the last man was hesitat-
ing. the whole shaft began to tremble
and vibrate. The lone fireman under
stood Alright the ominous warning and
gave q quick, wild leap. He was toe
late. At the very instant he sprang
the whole structure gave way.
AS fire trap the cold storage ware
house could not have been more per
fectly constructed. The structure was
$50 feet long by $50 feet wide and was
constructed entirely of wood covered
over with staff. The main body of the
building was five stories high. In the
center of this rose the smokestack II
the shape of cupola, to the top o.
which was almost 200 feet The base
of this cupola was about thirty fee'
square. About eighty feet from the
base of this cupola there was balcony
from which another square tower
arose. eliminating in the mouth OF the
smokestack, where the fire was discov
cred. 1t were at this point the mer
were imprisoned and every avenue OF
escape cut off In attempting to slide
down the rope many fell into the seeth
ing furnace and were lost.
A large quantity Of hnseed oil wa
stored on the top floor and when thu
tower fell it crashed through the roo
TO this infammable fuel, and then thu
flames rolled up high in the air.
Following is a list of dead and injured
M far as known: William Davis, killed
by leaping from the cupola; William
H. Deming, terribly burned and crushed
by jumping from cupola; Philip Breen
was on cupola when roof fell; james
Green, fell through roof into flames
Barton E. Page, killed by jumping
James A. Carney, burned to death
John Mcbride, leg broken, body
horribly burned, died in the hos
pital; Capt James Fitzpatrick, assist
ant chief, worlds fair battalion, arm
broken, body burned and crushed II
falling. died in hospital; John Cahill