Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-01-09

building. Under the direction of some Japanese officials the wares were carted to the doors. and there they stood guarded by natives of the Flowery Kingdom, who sor- rowfully awaited the destruction that seemed inevitable.
 Foreign Exhibitors Frantic.
 All of the American exhibits had long ago been removed, but the formalities of the custom house had detained the goods of the foreigners Superintendent Graham of the Manufactures building said it would be weeks before a schedule of the damage could be prepared.
 Ut can hardly be overestimated." said Mir. Graham. "It is an awful sacrifice of wealth. I have feared this ever since the fair has closed, and now it has come worse than I even dreamed"
 All through the great structure frantic exhibitors rushed, seeking the safety of their goods.
 The fire department fought with energy and skill, but the conditions were all against success. A fierce wind came over the lake, flinging fiery embers everywhere and flaming the flames into fierce life with every moment.
 Huge pillows of flame rolled northward over the great glass roof, being manful1y 
 were handicapped, however, by the lack of water. An heroic effort was made to get streams to the top of the giant structure, for the only apparent salvation of the structure lay in getting men upon the promenade and pouring streams into the furnace below.
 The water supply was fearfully made quate. Time and again the streams were cut off almost entirely. Scattered through out the fair grounds are hydrants from which the supply was to be drawn, but they were insufficient in the hour of dire need. Finding that it was impossible to reach the roof, the chief ordered his en- zines into the building.
 Firemen's Gallant Fight.
 With changing gongs and the chatter of hoofs, steamer after steamer rattled through the smoke down the fire lit aisles until the center of the building was reach ed. They were ranged about the burning heaps of merchandise, and the last strug- gle of the firemen was taken up. Streams of water were hurled upon the blaze, but with little effect. From above fiery hail of embers poured down upon the firemen. The heaps of blazing merchandise grew more and more numerous, and foot by foot the engines were forced back toward the other end of the building. Now and then blaze would break forth in new place, but shouts arose telling of new stand of the insidious enemy. Pipemen were hur- ried in the direction of the fresh danger, and with the extinguishing of the blaze rushed back again to the battle over the exhibits.
 About the Manufactures building cor dons of policemen were stationed, and groups of bluecoats guarded every en- trance, but the eager crowds which throng- ed over the bridges and crushed about the walls of the blazing piles could not be stopped in their course, and thousands gained admittance to the building. They thronged every aisle, and crowded every passage way, and pushed forward to be thrust back time after time by the officers on guard.
 Shortly after Il o'clock four firemen were caught beneath mass of falling embers just outside the Manufactures building Streams of water were instantly poured upon the mass, and soon the injured men were removed. Their names could not be ascertained by the chief, but it was said that all of the men were unconscious when rescued and that two of them were fatally injured.
 The climax of interest was reached after midnight, when a company of 50 men could be seen by the watchers outside the PuSlnS IuelE way d1OuS lu6 EIuSe of the roof. Heretofore all efforts in this direction had practically failed, and owing to the frightful loss of life on the fair grounds when firemen were ordered up to face possible fall of 250 feet, the marshals had been slow to incur the responsibility of duplicating such peril,
 Dead and InjU
 The great fire was not without it's work of death and injury. For the second time within the history of the exposition fire men risked life and limb to save the prop erty of others, and saddened homes are the result. William Mackey, pipeman of En- zine Company No. 61, fell from ladder on the peristyle and was internally injured and died at Mercy hospital
 The injured are Captain Frederick Getz Truck Company No. Is, fell from the roof of Manufactures hail. left leg broken, chest badly injured and internally hurt; Eu- gene Durand, watchman in the French sec tion of the Manufactures building, struck on head by plank, badly cut and bruised, removed to Emergency hospital.
 At midnight President Higginbotham telephoned that he had been ill the burning building over two hours; the roof had burned and fallen, but that fortunately few of the exhibits were in the range of the fall ing embers.
 II should say that the loss by water would be much greater than by fire," he said ''The total loss to exhibits will not exceed S100, 00O. Of course the loss is seri- ous enough, but the fire is now fairly un der control, and there is no more fear. All told, the contents of the Liberal Arts build ing did not exceed S1 100000 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 re- move them"