Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-07-12
THE WORK OF ,NcEnDlARiEs.

the Administration, Manufactures, Elec-
tricity. Machinery Hall and Agricultural
Buildings-MaDy Firemen Missing-Nar-
row Escape of Sightseers-A Choice Be
tween Death by Burning Drowning
| Eight Hundred Acres Burned Over.
| CHICAGO, ILL.,, July 6--What is left OF
the gilded statue of Columbia, near the
eastern end of the Court of Honor, the
central point of interest to thousands
OF visitors last summer, tonight looks
upon a waste of ashes. The six
large structure which fo1 med the
Court of Honor were burned by incen-
diaries yesterday evening. The build
ings destroyed were the Terminal sta
ton, Administration, Manufactures,
Electricity, Machinery hall and the
Agricultural building. The Art gal
lery, which has been re-christened the
! Field Columbian museum, and the Gov
eminent building were saved, together
with the minor buildings south of
Machinery hall and the Agricultural
building.
| The fire started almost simultane-
ously at three points, so selected as to
afford the best possible opportunity
for the spread of the flames. In each
| of these places, on the second floor of
| the Terminal station, the southwest
| corner of the Mechanical Arts building
and on the southeast corner of the
Manufactures building, man was
seen running away from the grounds
| by paSserS-by or members of the gangs
| of wreckers who are at work tearing
down the buildings, just before the
| fire broke out.
The first call was turned in by John
Lawrence, employed at the Fisheries
building, who, while passing the Ter
minal station at o'clock. saw a man
acting in suspicious manner on the
second floor of the station, and had
gone but block when he saw flames
coming from the windows. He
| ran to to the Worlds fair fire sta
ton, northwest of Agricultural
hall, but the engine had answered
| a call several blocks distant, and it was
about twenty minutes before it reached
the fire. Then it was found that,
either because the mains had been
tempered with by the incendiaries or
the supply had been cut off by the
wreckers at work on the buildings, no
water could be obtained, and it was
necessary to stretch to Stoney avenue,
500 feet away.
Help was asked from the city sta
tions near the fair grounds. but before
any effective work could be done the
flames, carried by southwest breeze,
had spread to the Administration and
Mining buildings, and fires had also
made their appearance in the Manu-
features and Leberal Arts build
ings. The structures, built largely of
staff and wood, burned very rapidly,
| and within two hours the work of de-
struction was almost complete.
At s:25 the roof of the immense Ag-
ricultural building fell in with re-
sounding crash that was heard for
blocks. The news of the fire had
spread to the city, and by Q o'clock
thousands of people had made their
way to the fair grounds and far into
the night all the southbound cable
and elevated cars were packed.
The only loss of life in connection
with the fire occurred at about 7:3O
o'clock between the Mining and Elec-
tricity buildings. These buildings
were connected by spacious subway,
used last summer as a. conduit for the
intricate system of electric light and
power wires that connected the vari-
Gus buildings. A group of spectators
| was standing directly over this tunnel
at about 7:3O when its roof caved in
and two men, Edward Anderson and
Edgar j. Bassett, were precipitated
into the fiery furnace below. Anderson,
who resided at Forty-frst street and
Evans avenue, and was employed as q
book-keeper, was rescued. Bassett, a
policeman, is seriously burned about
the limbs and lower part of the body.
Transportation building was badly
scorched. but the firemen, by concen-
trating more than half of their avail
able force on this work succeeded in
stopping the spread Of the fire in that
direction.
The condit ions were favorable to the
rapid spread of the fire northward
from the Transportation building to
the Horticultural and Women's build
ings and then to the crowded portion
of the grounds, occupied by the various
state buildings in the north end. The
Transportation building is northwest
from the Mines and Mining building
| and the southwest wind kept the space
clear SO that the firemen were not inn
peded in their work.
AT midnight engine No. 10 and five of
the crew are missing, and it is reported
that they have been burned to death.
Hook and ladder No. Is and all the
members of the company are also miss
ing.
The people who had come from dis
tant parts to view the terribly grand
scene and had taken positions on the
movable sidewalk which extended out
into the lake off the Casino and peri
style had a narrow escape from being
burned to death or choosing death by
drowning. When the fire caught in
that direction they stayed too long,
and finally had to be rescued from
their perilous position by boats.
Five thousand dollars worth of books
and papers, bought at the fair by D.
C. McCleanhan, of Chicago, and stored
in the Philadelphia cafe, were de-
stroyed in the burning of the cafe.
The total territory burned over was
500 acres.
Lacks Confirmation.
WASHINGTON, July 5.-At the war de-
nartment Gen Schofield's adiutant gen.