New-York tribune., 1894-01-09
THE WHITE CITY BURNING.
BEAUTY TURNED TO ASHES.
ARCHITECTURAL TRIUMPHS RUINED BY
A FIRE STARTED BY TRAMPS


AND MANUFACTURES BUILDING BURN-ONE
FIREMAN KILLED AND OTHERS HURT
FIGHTING THE FLAMEs-TrE LOSS
WILL REACH si.Jc0oo.
Chicago. Jan. S-Before the gaze of a vast
thronc this evening the beautiful Perlstyle OF, ,the
Worlds Columbian Exposition met glorious
cnd and the magnificent column sank to ashes
in a funereal pyro With 1t went the Casino and
the Music Hall. nanking the Peristyle at either
end. and before the destruction Of the grand
wa,er-entrance t. the Fair had been completed
the great Manufactures Building containing
81 900 600 worth Of exhibits packed and ready for
brave nremen with heroic energy were risking
nfc and limb to stay the destruction. Fifty
thousand people watched the desperate fight and
cheered the efforts Of the men. who. on the roof.
$50 feet or more from the ground. were strug-
Cling to beat back the flames.
II was n grand contest. and was waged for
hours without any apparent gain on either SIDE
The blaze played in the woodwork Of the roof.
brands amidst the costly exhibits on the floor
below There other detachmcnts Of fremen were
stationed L. cxtinGuish tho brands rs they fell,
and inside the building fire engines were play
ing streams 10 soak the floors and make them
less combus,ible Among the exhibitors n semi
panic rcigncd and hantc foreigners were using
every effort to remove the goods to places Of
salty.
Following is list of persons killed or In
jurcd in lighting the flames;
WILLIAM MAcKEY. plpcman. Engine Company 40. CT;
f.u from ladder on ;he Pcrletyle and Internally In
jured. died NJ tho Emergency Hospital
CAPTAIN FREDERICK GETZ Truck Company No. 10:
f,ll from tic rot = c,ures Building. cf,
IT, broken ch~f badly Injured ard Internally huIi'
rcf.1' 81 Emergency Hospital
rrGENE DELAND waichmar in French section. Man
ufacturcs Building. s,nIck in the head by plank.
ally cut AMI h,uisol; removed 20 tho hospital
CAPTAIN TOBY. Injured at perisiyl'; taken to Emer-
~en-y Tosfrnl
i: $40 o'clock park policeman saw glow
q Hight In a sccond-story window Of the Casino
building As the policeman watched the flicker
Ing light 1t spread and before he had time to
rcallz. II tho glow had resolved Itself into a
tongue Of flame. which burst from the window
and crept up toward The roof. The officer ran -
the house Of Engine Company No. Il. which has
The 0reboat Fire Queen and Is but n short distance
from tho c.siro II was but a few seconds rum
bat before a lead 81 hose carried 10 the burn
ing structure tho Casino was a blazing shell
Ever, nook and corner seemed to BE- abazc and
before n strrnm was turned on the roof to dis
,ancc Of % feet from the west end fell and from
the space thus openel tho flames shot Up TO the
skv. II was an urgent call to emphasize that al
ready sounded by the fire company for extra
help. Tho summons was sounded at the house
of Engine Company No. C3. al the service build
ing and as Marshal O'Mallcy loft he ordered
a general alarm This had been anticipated by
Sergeant Boyd. of the Columbian Guard and Of
acer Rafferty,. II the Chicago force. who had
reached the scene a moment earlier.
The fire was carried 10y burning brands to the
promenade around the roof Of the Manufactures
and Liberal Arts Building almost in the centre.
4 little to tho soutl Of the clocll-towcr which
formed n striking ccntrcpiccc In IN" great build
ing. The plank walls Of which the promenade
was constructed furnished material for IRE
which at midnight threatens to consume '"e
whole roof unless the liremen are able TO carry
an, their plans chief Allcrton of the Manu-
features Department has ordered the Fire Chiei
TO send n force Of men to the roof ana en-
,Io,,.or ,o cut ont a section to the north us the
natnos are eating up the roof In that direction
Tho o,r,.s ON the south of the coci,-tower arc
extending downward more than to the south ana
the fircmcn will probably he able 70 check them'
There is great danger to the half-demolished
novilions booths and places of costly exhibits be-
,o,o,n,, ,o Germany. France. Great Britain. Rus
STA and other countries which exhibited in a
cluster around the clock-tower There Is an IN
ccssant shower Of burning pieces of timber from
the roof falling upon the combustible material
on the floor AMI making the task OF the "re-
men plaving streams OF water on the incipieh'
fires most difficult one. The fremen nave
brought n lead Of hose by means OF rope 10
the west sldc Of the burning roof. and have ap>
further on that side. The work of carrying an
other hose to the east side Of the promehanc
roof is now IN progress but at present the i'aheS
are having II all their own way on that S'ue'
burning downward and To the north Part "i
the lower section OF the roof on the west sue
has caught fire. but there Ia not a Su''o'e"'
force of mon and engines at present to ex'inguish
IT, The interior of the building IL opScured oy
dense clouds of smoke. and great placK cloud
can be seen ascending from the structure io'
miles around.
At 1890 n m the fire chief believes that none
of the exhibits will be destroyed and that much
Of the roof may be saved. The danger To the
millions Of dollars worth Of properly IL height-
cned by the inaccessbty Of the pace ana the
extreme risk 10 human life involved III ascend
HU,tt