The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1893-07-15

Chicago, July ia number of fire.
men lost their lives ut the worlds fair
yesterday afternoon. The cold storage
warehouse just south Of the Sixty.fourth
street cote ought fire in the top Of the
ccpola, which rises fully 200 feet from the
ground. Through this cupola the chimney
passes. The cupola is built of wood over
laid with staff, and is highly ornamcnted
with columns and pillars. Near the top
is a landing. The FIRE broke out about
thirty feet above this.
AS soon as the tirelnen arrived about
thirty-five or forty of them climbed up
the ladders to this landing, and were pre-
pairing to throw streams of water On the
burning portion, when the fire, which had
eaten its way inside the staff to Il point
below where the tiremen stood, broke out
with volcanic ferocity on all sides. 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.
The unfortunate fellows who remained
huddled together on the north side of the
cupola We're doomed. 1t was beyond the
reach Of any Of the ladders, and the
crowd stood horrorstricken and helpless
to rescue the hapless crew. The flames
ran higher and higher until the men were
almost concealed from view.
At this moment one Of the firemen
sprang far out into the open air and was
dashed to pieces on the roof fully eighty
feet below. Another and another followed
his example, crazed by the awful heat,
and doubtless preferring to be killed by a
fall thar burned to death. When five
had jumped the upper portion of the
cupola gave way and the remaining fire
men were swallowed up in the seething
mass of burning timbers. The structure
was entirely consumed, causing a loss Of
$G50,OW. Several other buildings were
burned, but the loss is not heavy.
The following is a list of those who
met death, the missing and injured:
Killed-Capt. James Fitzpatrick, acting
chief Columbian fire department; John
Mcbride, driver Company No. s.; William
Denning, truckman, No. 8.
Missing-Capt. Garvey, Fire Company
No. 1; Capt. Page, Fire Company No.
3; Lieut.. Purvis, Fire Company No. 4;
Phil Breen, pipeman, Company No. s;
Lieut.. Freeman, Company No. 1; John
Smith, pipeman, Company No. =: Paul
Schroeder, truckman, Company No. s;
John Cahill, truckman, Company No. 8;
Sergeant Donaldson, Columbian guard;
four Columbian guards; IL. Strand, Com
pany No. 4; Henry Gedutdig, foreman Of
painters in cold storage building.
Fatally 1njnred-W. A. Mahoney, lad
derman, Company No. 1, internally and
legs and feet fractured.
Injured-Capt. William Barry, fireman;
Frank B~ielenberg, fireman.; Sig. Nordrum,
fireman; Lewis Frank; NJ. Murray, guard;
George Davis, guard; w. G. Fisher,
William Lynch, T. J.. Donovan, u. s.
Hayman, G. B. French, Fred Gcetz,
Frank Faulkner, fireman; Capt. Kennedy,
Company No. 5.
-Four other fremen, hands badly
burned, treated at emergency hospital
and taken away by their friends before
their names could be ascertained.
Several bodies We're recovered from the
ruins, but they could not be identified.
The death list will amount to twenty
five, and possibly many more.