The herald., 1894-07-06
TRANSIT GLORIA MUND|
More Worlds Fair Buildings
Burned.
The White City Again a Sea
of Flames.
Only q Few of the Noble Structures
Left Intact.
The ADMINISTRATION, Agricultural, Min
ing, ElectrioaI, Manufactures and
Mechanical Arts Buildings
Destroyed.

By the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, July 5.-The Worlds Col
umbian exposition is q billowy sea of
fire. The Administration building, the
architectural crown of the White City,
with its gilded and decorated doors, its
supporting pnvilions, enriched with
statuary; the majestic Agricultural
building, with decorated col onnades.
with its beautiful statues Of abundance,
above which once wheeled st. Gaudin's
beautiful figure OF Diana the Chaete /;
the beautiful hall of Mechanical Arts,
with its lofty futsd Corinthian
colonnades, its superb circular
porchss and its figure.tipped spires; the
light and airy electric building, with its
open roof lanterns, it's curvilli near the
recessed entrance where erstwhile stood
the statue of Benjamin Franklin on the
south and it's graceful projecting bays
on the north; the attractively or
nate but substantial.looking mining
building; the mammoth manufacturers
and liberal arts building, with large
arches OF steel inclosing a 40.acre lot,
and its lofty triumphal corner and CEN
trail arches, together with number Of
minor structures, have passed into his
tory ct the wave of an incendiary's
blazing hand.
ASt rom the south colonnade to the gov
ernment building and from the lake to
the golden door of the angsl-guarded
transportation building, the worlds
famous White City is no more.
As the evening sun was shedding his
rays for the last time on the eretwhile
scene of life they fell upon the familiar
outlines of these tIiumphs OF human
handiwork, almost untouched in their
serene loveliness. Two hours later the
new moon bent her pale CRESCENT above
them, shining on mass of ruins,
wrapped in pail of smoke, save where
TIE yellow red OF blazing timbers fsred
against the blue black which covers the
site of the White City and covers
up all of the great departmental
structures. The fire spared only the
transportation. the horticultural and the
fisheries buildings and the art palace.
The last named is now occupied by the
= cid Columbian museum, and the fish
g building is mere steel skeleton,
ling been demolished by wrecking
COMPANY. Besides these, the govern
ment building, the woman's building
and the British buildings are all that
remain of the hundrede OF structures
that once filled Jackson park. Even the
polygot glories of the merry midway
have departed.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
The burned buildings were the prop
erty of the Colubian exposition Salvage
hnd hnn Co..
about $4,000. The fire was discovered
this evening by several boys in the
southwestern corner of the first floor OF
the Terminal station. When first seen
it was but an incipient blaze and the
boys tried to stamp it out for several
minutes. They were unsuccessful,
however, as the fierce gale which was
then blowing from the southwest famed
the fire. Before an alarm could be
turned in the fire had reached the Sec
ond story of the building.
| Owing to the distance which separated
most OF the fire engine companies from
| the scene OF the fire, there was consid-
erable delay in getting stream of water
upon the blazing structure. The first
alarm was Immediately followed by a
3-l1 call, and this by special call for
10 engines.
By the time the first detachment OF
engines were fully at work the Terminal
station was q mass of flames and the
fire had leaped across to the administrs-
ton building. In 20 minutes the dome
of this beautiful structure fell with a
terrible roar and sparks and blazing
brands were carried by the wind north
and northeast to the mining. electricity
and agricultural buildings. the electric
building was the first to take FIRE. In a
few minutes it WAS enveloped in flames
and at 10 the glass roof collapsed and
the iron and frame work OF the structure
fell in.
At7:15 the east end of the mining
building fell in and the flames became
80 fierce that the engine com panies sta
toned between the electricity and min
ing buildings had to fly for their lives.
Engine company Is wore forced to aban-
don their engine and had scarcely time
to unlock the horses from their traces.
One of the animals succeeded in getting
away, but the other was sufocated.
Several hundred feet OF hose was also
burned.