The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-01-12
WORLDS FAIR FIRE.
Two Tramps Revenge Themselves
for Being Kicked Out.
THEY FIRE THE CASINO BUILDING.
The Flames Spread In All Directions. Caus-
ing CONSERVATION and Serious Loss
to Many Exhibits-One Fire.
man Killed.

CHICAGO, Jan. 9-Ths worlds fair
Pompeii came last night. A rushing
volcano of flame, huge gothic archi-
lecture tumbling into chaos. bewildered
mobs of people-all were there under a
great starry sky of Italian clearness,
with Lake Michigan's bread expanse a
second Mediterranean
Probably no more magnificent, yet
terrifying, spectacle has ever been wit
messed this side of the Atlantic.
1t was long after dark when belated
people returning from work to their
homes in the southern suburbs along
the elevated road, familiar to hundreds
of thousands of worlds fair visitors,
noticed a constantly enlarging column
OF fire ascending skyward in the east
The worlds fair is on IRE" was the
cry, and few indeed of the fascinated
watchers from the train windows
alighted until the famous terminal at
the exposition grounds was reached.
The fire had been burning less than
an hour when a thunderous crash of
falling timber and tremendous shout
went up from the crowd announcing
the collapse of the peristyle. A mo-
ment later another terrific yell from
the crowd told that the liberal arts
building had caught fire, and that
the whole exposition was threatened.
A dramatic incident marked the
destruction of the peristyle. One of
the ladders bearing up group of fire.
mo fol yyi+ hn nd nf
the heroic fire fighters went down to
death, while number of others Suf-
fered injuries more or less severe. The
sky was llvid, brilliant at this time
with falling sparks, many of which
fell away to the north, showering the
roofs of the art palace, women's build
ing and the various state structures
with fire.
Every train and street car added mo-
mentarily thousands to the throngs of
people. and but for the terrifying
spectacle and the danger to life and
property, it seemed as if the greatest
gala night of all the worlds fair was
on in all its glory. Directly past the
scene of the frightful fire of the cold
storage warehouse, where scores of
firemen lost their lives. hundreds of
spectators hurried from the trains into
the celebrated court of honor. There
suddenly the confagration came into
full view.
Whirlwinds of blazing EN- bers were
being carried from the end of the court
of honor furthest from the administra-
tion building high over the roof of the
liberal arts building, the largest
structure on earth. The great golden
statue of the republic could be seen
lifting her cap defiantly almost through
the clouds of smoke and fame.
The fire started in the. casino, just
east of the agricultural building and
south of the peristyle. The casino
was quickly devoured and the flames
surged north on top of the peristvle.
and dropping made a second line of fire
along the bas-. of the columns. The
flames then sprang through the music
hall, which corresponds at the north
end of the peristyle to the casino at
the south.
While the fire was burning there
was one of the most singular and fasci-
mating sights of the night. Along the
top of the peristyle were scores of
statues. The spectacle for those peo-
pie fortunate enough to be on the side
walk just east of the peristyle was that
of succession of gigantic human be-
ings plunging one after another head
long into the waters of the lake below.
The origin of the fire is said to be re-
venge on the part of a coupe of tramps.
The solitary guard in the music hall
says that just before the flames broke
out he kicked two vagabonds out of the
music hall and told them to find quar-
ters elsewhere. They left in the direc-
ton of the casino and soon after the
fire broke out, and soon everything on
the grounds was terror and confusion.
Fears of looting added to the horror
of the scene. At about 10 o'clock with
possible loss of about SO, 900. 900 by fire
in the manufactures building alone.
the authorities began to realize that
large element in the crowd was COM
posed of idlers, who. once started in
lawlessness, it would be hard to con-
troll Such preparations as could be
hurriedly made were set in motion to
remove goods and guard other build
ings, but all such efforts were the
merest child's play. The utter hope
lessness of such attempts on such short
notice were apparent at once. The
few officers on guard could hardly do
more than shut their eyes and grit
their teeth, hoping against hope that
the flames would speedily be stayed
About 1915 great iron arch gave
way directly above the French wares
and falling heavily, buried them be-
meath the burning pile, and they were
abandoned. Back of the French wares
was the Japanese exhibit and about it
clustered crowd of scared and frantic
japanese. This, like many exhibits,
had not been released from bond
and the goods could not be
taken from the building. Under the
directions of some of the japanese Of
ticials the wares were c1rted to the
doors and there they stood guarded by
natives of the Flowery Kingdom. who
sorrowfully awaited the destruction
that seemed inevitable. The bulk of
American exhibits had long ago been
removed, lut the formalities of the
custom house had detained the goods
of the foreigners.
Shortly after II o'clock. four fremen
We're caught beneath crush of falling
tim oers Just outside the manufactures
building Streams of water were in
stantly poured upon the mass and soon
the injured men were removed Their
names rOuld not be aScertained by the