The herald., 1894-01-09
THE WHITE C|TY'S DOOM.
Worlds Fair Buildings Dis
mantled by Fire.
Several Of the Magnificent Pal
aces Destroyed.
Flames in the Manufactures and Lib
eral Arts Buildings.
Many of the Beautiful Foreign Exhibits
Burned-Immense Crowds View
the Conhsgration-An Awful
Spectacle.
By the Associated Press.


By the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, Jan. S.-TEe worlds fair
Pompeii came tonight. A rushing vol
cano of flame; huge Gothic architect
ure tumbling into chaos; bewildered
mobs OF people, all were there. Under
great starry sky of Italian clearness,
with Lake Michigan's broad expanse a
second Mediterranean, probably no more
magnificent, yet terrifying spectacle. has
ever been witnessed this side Of the At
lantic.
1t was long after dark tonight when
belated people returning from work to
their homes in the southern suburbs
along the elevated road, familiar to hum
dreds OF thousands of the worlds fair
visitors, noticed constantly enlarging
column of fire and smoke ascending
sky-ward in the east.
"The worlds fair is on fire." was the
cry. and few, indeed, of the fascinated
watchers from the train windows alight-
ed until the famous terminal at the ex-
position grounds was reached. The last
half mile of the journey is directly east
to the fair, 30 that all view of the
BLAZING PLEASURE HOUSES
OF the world was shut off for the time
completely.
Directly past the scene of the frightful
fire of the cold storage warehouse hun
dreds of spectators hurried from the
train into the celebrated court of honor,
There suddenly the csnfagration came
in full view. Whirlwinds of blazing
embers were being carried from the enc
of the court OF honor farthest from the
administration building. high over the
roof OF the mammoth liberal arts build
ing, une largest structure on earLn. The
great golden statue of the republic
could be seen lifting her liberty cap de-
family aloit through the clouds OF smoke
and flames.
The fire had been burning less thar
an hour when a thunderous crash O
falling timber and q tremendous shout
from the crowd announced the
COLLAPSE OF THE PERIsTYLE.
A moment later terrific yell from the
crowd told that the liberal arts building
was on fire and the whole exposition
was threatened.
A dramatic incident marked the de.
struction of the peristyle. One of the
ladders bearing up firemsn fell with the
columns and one heroic fireman went
down to death, while a number O.
others suffered injuries more or less
severe.
The sky was livid at this time with
falling sparks, many of which fell upon
the roots of the art palace. the woman'f
building aud the various state struc
lures. Every train and street car added
,
and but for
THE TERRIFYING SPECTACLE.
it seemed ss if the greatest gala night
of the fair was on in all its glory.
The fire started in the casino, just
east of the agricultural building and
south of the peristyle. The casino was
quickly devoured, and the famee surged
north on top OF the peristyle, and drop
ping, made a second line OF fire along
the base of the columns. The flames
then sprang through music hall, which
corresponds at the north as the peri
style to the casino at the south. While
the fire was burning there, one OF the
most singular and fascinating sights of
the night was Witnessed. Along the
top of the peristyle were scores of hero
ic statues. The spectacle for those peo-
pie on the moving sidewalk east of the
peristyle was that of succession of gi-
gantic human beings. plunging, one
after another, headlong into the waters
OF the lake below.
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE
is said to have been revenge on the part
of couple of tramps. A solitary guard
in music hall said just before the flames
broke out he kicked two vagabonds out
of the building. They left in the direc-
ton OF the casino, and coon after the
fire broke out and terror and confusion
ensued.
Fears of looting added to the horror oi
the scene. At 10 O'Clock, with the pos.
sibe loss of about $l0,000,000 by the
fire in the manufactures building alone,
the authorities began to realize that the
large element in the crowd composed oil
idlers, once started in lawlessness. would
be difficult to control. Such prepare.
tions as could be hurriedly made were
set in motion to remove the goods and
guard the other buildings, but all such
efforts were the merest child's play.
! The utter hopelessness OF such attempts