St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-01-09
VOLCANO OF FLAMES.
fhe Beautiful White City a
Sea Of Fire.
WORK OF MALICIOUS TRAMPS.
Loss Reported to Be About
a Million.
COLLAPSE OF THE PERiSTYLE.
Liberal Arts Building Con-
tents Suffer Severely.
SCEKE OF GREAT BRNLiANCK.
Casino and Music Hall To-
tally Destroyed.
Liberal Arts Building Con-
tents Suffer Severely.
SCENE OF GREAT BRNLiANcK.
Casino and Music Hall To-
tally Destroyed.
LAST AcT IN THE FAiR DRAMA.

CHICAGO, Jan. S.-The worlds fair
PompeIi come tonight. y rushing vol
cano of flame, huge Gothic architect
ure tumbling into chaos; bewildered
mohs of people-ail were there, under
great starry sky of Italian clearness,
with Lake Michigan's broad eXpanse
second Mediterranean.
Probably no more magnificent, yet
terrifying, spectacle has ever been wit
messed this side of the Atlantic. 1t was
long after dark tonight when belated
people, returning from work to their
homes IN the southern suburbs along
the elevated road, familiar to hundreds
of thousands OF worlds fair viSitcrs,
noticed constantly enlarging column
Of fire and smoke ascending skyward in
the east.
The worlds fair is Oh fire." was the
cry, and few indeed of the fascinated
watchers from the train windows
alighted until the famous terminal at
The exposition grounds was reached.
The last haif-mile of the jouaney is di-
rectly east to the fair so that all view of
world WAS shut off for time completely.
Directly past the scene of the fright
ful fire of the cold storage warehouse,
where scores of firemen lost their lives
during the fair, hundreds of spectators
hurried from the trains into the cele-
Orated court of honor. There, suddenly,
The contlagratiOn came into full view.
Whirlwinds of blazing emberS were
being carried from the end OF the court
Of honor farthest from the adminiStra-
ton building high over the mammoth
roof of the liberal arts building, tie
largest structure on earth. The great
golden statue of the republic could be
seen lifting her liberty cap defiantly
alOft through the clouds of
SMOKE AND FLAME.
The fire had been burning less than
an hour when a thunderous crash OF
falling timber and a tremendous shout
from the crowd announced the collapse
Of the perStyle. a moment later an
0ther terrific yell from the crowd told
that the liberal arts building had caught
lire, and that the whole exposition was
threatened.
A dramatic incident marked the de-
structon of the peristyle. One of the
ladders bearing up group of firemen
fell with the columns, ana one of the
heroic fire fighters went down 10 death,
while number of others suffered in
jurieS more or less severe.
The sky was liYid, brilliant at this
time with falling sparks, many of which
fell away to the north, showering the
roofs of the art palace, wOmen's build
Ing, and the various state structures
with fire. Every train and street car
added momentarily thousands TO the
thrOng of people, and but for the terri
flying spectacle and the danger to life
and property, it seemed as if the great
est gala night of all at the worlds fair
was on in all its glory.
The fire started in the Casino Just
east of the agricultural building and
south of the peristyle. The Casino was
quickly devOured and the flames surged
north Oh the top of the peristyle and
dropping made second line of fire
along the base of the columns. The
flames then sprang through the music
hall which corresponds at the north end
of the peristyle to the Casino at the
south. While the fire was burning
there was 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 fortu-
nate enough to be on the sidewalk Just
past of the peristyle was that of a sue
cession of gigantic human beings plung-
Ing one after another into the waters of
the lake below.
The origin of the fire is said to be
revenge on the part of a couple of
TampS. 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
Inc fire broke out, and soon everything
on the grounds was terror aud con-
fusion.
Fears of looting added to the horror of
ibe scene.
The fire boats and engines on the
AXE had by this time subdued the
lanes in the ashes of the peristyle and
the lower colonnade of the southeast
Dide of the liberal arts building, and
hopes were raised that the fire had been
ubdued. But shortly after II D. m. the
lanes got beyond control away up on
The top promenade of the liberal arts
building. aud the main ase of the
building was mass of flames. arising
!rom the blazing brands which came
rom above.
Three days ago the number of pack
lges awaiting shipment in each building
vas:
Manufactures, 1884; Midway PIai-
lance, 1900; fine arts, 7SO; woman's.
19; horticulture, 1000; transportation.
100; mining, 1850; electricity, 1861;
agriculture, 1900, and 1856 scattered,in
nher buildings, making a total of 23, ,654
packages. Less than 1900 packages
Hd been shipped away prior to Dec. 26
Rst. Most of the goods remaining
we're foaeign exhibits.
Remorselessly the fire was hurting
kself through the intarSliras of tha hi0