Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-07-07
SEA OF WHITE ASHES
Four Of the HandSomeSt Worlds FAR
Buildings Destroyed.
FIERCE SPREAD OF THE FLAMES.
The Terminal station, Agr'c"''"'"'
Mining, Electricity, and Admins
tration Buildings = Mass OF Ruins

The Worlds Columbian Exposition is
bllIowy sea OF white ashes, calclneu stan
and twisted steel girders.
The Administration Building. the archi-
tectural crown OF the White cry, WIN
It's ailded and decorated dome, It's sup"
porting pavilions, enriched with sta'uary'
the majestic Agricultural Building with
i,s tinted and decorated colonnades, its
beautiful statues OF Abundance. its 20,
d,acal circles. and it's nattcned dome sur
rounded by a decoration OF turkey COCKS
with spreading tails. above when once
wheeled st. Gaudens's beautiful figure OF
Diana. the chaste are a mass OF runs.
The beautiful palace the Mechanic Arts.
with its lofty. nuted Corinthian colon
nadcs. It's superb circular-porched en-
trance. and its hgured-tpped spires; the
light and airy Electricity Building with
It's open roof-anterns, It's curviilihear re-
cessed entrance where erstwhie $1,000 lne
statue Of Benjamin Franklin on the south.
and It's graceful. projecting pays q" VIC
north. too. are gone.
Tho attractivcly inornatc but substan-
tial.Ioolling Mining Building; the mann
moth Manufactures and Liberal Ar's
Duilding. with it's towering arches OF
steel enclosing a forty-acre lot, anu i's
lofty. triumphal corner ana cehtrdi
arches. together with "A number OF minor
structures. have likewise passed INTO ms
tory on the wave Of an incendlary
blazing wand.
NEARLY Alb DESTROYED
From the south colonnade to the GOV
eminent Building. and from the laKe 10
tho golden door Of the angel-guarded
Iffi
nous White City is no more
AS the evening sun was shedding MS
Lowell RAYS for the last time upon the erst-
while scene of life. movement. ana color
they fell upon the familiar outlines OF
tbeee flowers Of human handiwork. almost
untouched in their serene loveliness.
TWO hours later the new moon bent
her pale crescent above them, SHINING on
a mass of ruins wrapped In pail OF
smoke. save where the yellow-red OF
blazing timbers nared against the blue
HACK. which covers the site Of the White
city and covers us all.
OF all the great departmental structures
the fire spared only the Transportation
building, Horticultural Hall. the Fisher
les Building, and the Art Palace. Inc
last named is now occupied by the F1eld
Columbian Museum. and the flsheIles
building Is a mere steel skeleton, having
been demolished by a wrecking company
Resides these, the Government building
the Woman's Building. and the British
and German, and "A few of the state
buildings are all that remains OF the nun
dreds of structures which once filed jack
son Park Even the glories OF the merry
Midway have departed.
DISCOVERED BY BOYS.
The buildings were the property Of the
Columbian Exposition Salvage Company
and had been purchased from the EXPOSE
ton Company for about 5000
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 endeavored
for several minutes to stamp il out They
were unsuccessful, however as the fierce
gale which was then blowing from the
southwest famed the fire. and before
an alarm could be turned in the fire had
reached the second story Of the building.
Owing to the distance which separated
most Of the engine companies from the
scene OF the fire there was considerable
delay in getting stream of water upon
tie blazing structure The first alarm
was Immediately followed by a special
call for ten engines
FIREMEN FORCED TO FLEE.
BY the time the first detachment Of en-
gines was fully at work the Terminal sta
ton was a mass Of flames and the
fire had leaped across TO the Administra-
ton Building. In twenty minutes the
dome Of this beautiful structure fell with
terrible roar and sparks and blazing
brands were carried by the wind north
and northeast Of the Mines, Electricity,
and Agricultural buildings.
The Electricity Build x was the first to
take fire In few minutes it was en-
veloped in flames. and at 40 o'clock the
glass roof collapsed and the iron
framework OF the structure fell In. Al
715 o'clock the east end of the Mines and
Mining Building fell In, and the flames be-
came 50 fierce that the engine companies
stationed between the Electricity ana
Mines AMI Mining Buildings TO fly for
their lives.
Engine Company No. was compelled
70 abandon its engine and had to cut the
horses from the traces. One Of the ami
mails succeeded in getting away, but the
Other was suifocated. Several hundred
feet Of hose was also burned. The Agri-
cultural Building was also destroyed.
OTHER BUILDINGS QUICKLY GO.
The IRE communicated almost simulta'
rcouslv 10 the Transportation, the Manu-
features. and the Agricultural buildings.
BY hard work however, the fremen sue
cceGei in saving the greater part OF ;he
Transportation Building. but the other
two buildings were soon enveloo@d In
flames. and by 9l5 o'clock the last of
the framework Of each had fallen i'll.
When the firemen first reached the sTot
an engine company was detailed 10 pre-
vent the fire In the Terminal Building
from communicating with Machinery Hall.
For some time the effort was successful,
hut with the four immense structures
the Terminal Building. the Electricity,
and the Mines and Mining buildings, ard
the Administration Building on fire at the
r.mc time. the heat became so intense
that Machinery Hall was ignited also. The
direction of the wind. however. beng
away from the building, enabled the fire.
men 10 save part of the structure.