Morris tribune., 1894-01-10
WORLDS FAIR FIRE.
THE WHITE CITY THE SCENE OF
A DESTRUCTIVE BLAZE.

r. hA's tnu OO1OI0 p61llS pIOuSub uAOo1
control destroyed the Casino, Peristyle,
Music Hall and portion of the Liberal
Arts building. The latter contained ex-
hibits valued at 81 900, 900, the most of
which were destroyed or practically ru-
ined by the floods of water poured on
the burning structure. A strong wind
was blowing during the evening. and at
one time the entire White City was
threatened with destruction. A sad
phase of the big fire was the killing of
one fireman and the probable fatal in
jury of three others.
Started in the Casino.
The fire started in tie Casino Just
east of the Agricultural building and
south of the peristyle. The Casino was
quickly devoured and the flames surged
north on the top of the Peristyle, and,
dropping, made second line of fire along
the base of the columns. The flames
then sprang through Music Hall, which
corresponds at the north end of the Per-
istyle to the Casino at the south. While
the fire was burning there occurred one
of the most singular and fascinating
sights of the night. Along the top of
the Peristyle were scores of statues. The
spectacle for those people fortunate
enough to be on the sidewalk Just east
of the Peristyle was that of a succession
of gigantic human beings plunging one
after another headlong into
The Waters of the Lake Below.
The origin of the fire is said to be re-
venge on the part Of couple 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
quarters elsewhere. They left in the
direction of the Casino and soon after
the fire broke out and everything on the
grounds was terror and confusion.
Fears of looting added to the horror of
the scene. At about 10 o'clock with a
possible loss of $4,000 900 by fire in the
Manufacturers building alone, the au-
thorities began to realize that large
element in the crowd was composed of
idlers who, once started in lawlessness,
1t Would Be Hard to Control.
Such preparations as could be hurriedly
made were set in motion to remove
goods and guard other buildings, but all
such efforts were the merest child's play.
The utter hopelessness of such attempts
on such short notice were made appar-
ent 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.
The fireboats and engines on the lake
side had by this time subdued the flames
in the ashes of the Peristyle, and in the
lower collonade Of the southeast side of
the Liberal Arts building, and the hopes
were raised that the fire had been sub
dued. But shortly after II p. m. the
flames got beyond control away up on
the top promenade of the Liberal Arts
building and the main aisle OF the build !
ing was mass of flames, arising from
the blazing brands which came from
above.
Saving Exhibits.
RemorselessIy the fire was hurting
itself through the interstices of the big
iron arches at the dizzy heights above.
The flames would twine boa constructor
fashion in and around the mammoth
electric light coronas suspended from
the roof. Below these fearful circles of
iron, likely to drop at any moment, no
man dared to go, even the hardest not
venturing within 100 feet. Frantic
horses, with heavily loaded trucks, were
plunging through the aisles not encum-
bered with wreckage or drenched with
the falling cataracts of water, most of
which fell far short of the topmost
flames.
About 10:45 a 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, |
has not been released from bond and the |
goods could not be taken from the build |
ing.
Firemen Killed and Injured.
The great fire was not without its
work of death and injury. For the Sec
ond time within the history of the expo
sition the fremen risked life and limb to |
save the p1 operty of others and saddened
home as the result. Two fremen, Will
lam Mackey and Frederick Getz, fell
from the roof of the Manufactures build |
ing and Mackey was killed and Getz Sc
riously injured. Four other fremen !
were caught teneath mass of falling
embers and three are said to be fatally |
injured. Chief Swenie, who is still |
suffering from injuries received at re-
cent fire, came down about midnight,
but Assistant Chief Musham, who had |
handled the fire from the start, had done |
it SO well that the chief made but few
changes in the arrangements.
President Higinbotham says: ''The /
loss by water is much greater than by |
fire. The total loss to exhibitors will |
not exceed 100000 All told, the con-
tents of the Liberal Arts building did |
not exceed $1,000,000 in value. AS to
the Casino, Peristyle and Music Hall,
there is no loss. We should not regret |
their burning, as it is the cheapest way
to remove them"
The fire was under control at 2:15 |
q. m.
Too Slow For American Mails.