Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1894-01-13
SMOKING RUINS.
The Symmetry of the Marvelously
Beautiful Court Of Honor
Gone Forever.
The Peristyle No More and Music
Hall and the Casino But
Heaps Of Ashes.
What the Fire Fiend Accomplished
at the Worlds Fair Grounds
in a Few Hours.

symmetry Of the marvellously beautiful
court Of homer should be marred by the
red-tongued fend, whose malice has
heretof> re brought sorrow and suffering
to Chicago. Others took a more philo-
sophical view of the situation, saying the
fire but anticipated the work which
time would have assuredly done. Still
others express d the wish, barring the
ct hat the exhibits had not all been
removed, that the flames had been given
their w i without 1t or hindrence, and
that they
Night Have Swept the Grounds
from end to end, including the Midway,
le;v. nothing behind them except
ashes and the indestructiLle portions Of
the great exposition. So should it have
had a fitting finale. Unexalnpled in the
magic of its rearing and unmatched in
its almost supernatural beauty its end
would have been actually unparalleled,
and it's grandeur would have been
treasured in memory, uni lemished by
tllC + SuG W1UE lOoLu VI G4A4C, ALSlCoA Va
falling apart piece by piece and
Becoming Melancholy Reminders
of vanished loveliness. Thescene at the
eastern end of the court of honor was
one Of utter desolation and destruction,
where at sunset cleaned the white col
umns Of the peristyle, fanked by the
Musi; hall and Casino, and capped and
ornamcnted by the imposing quadrigga
the cornice. The peristyle is no more,
and tie Music hall and Casino are heaps
of ashes. Save for the great golden
statue Of the Republic, standing in silent
II jesty at the eastern end Of the basin,
| the view from the grand plaza in front
OF the administration building, between
the Agricultural building on the on the
one side and the great Manufactures
hail on the other, the view out over the
llue waters Of Lake Michigan is unob-
structed, and what Was few hours
since perfect architectural whole, is
now an
In,ight;y and sorrowful Aggregation
of b ls.nced architecture. Thus does
one little change mar the symmetry of
all artistic whole; thus is shown with
what almost inspired knowledge Of
artistic unity the builders OF the worlds
f,.i- worked. The ieauty Of the grand
court is completely taken away as an
artistic whole and the plans for it's
preservation have been put completely
to rout unless it shall be determined to
rebuild the destroyed portions-a thing
not at Ill kelly.
the flames produced greater changes
in tho appearance = o. Chicagos
famous pleasure park than it was ex-
pectcd would be made by six months Of
building To the gloomy
sight Of vac ant buildings and almost de-
serted driveways, since the gates We're
closed, is now added the spectacle of
smoking and biackened heaps Of debris.
The Casino, where thousands spent de-
liyhtfui hours watching gay scenes upon
and about the gland basin. was wholly
destroyed. OF the peristyie, once illum-
ina.ed with thousands Of inclndescent
lights and Greek fire, and furnishing
endless enjoyment, nothing remains.
It's arches were burned away, and its
stately columns, half burned and
cl lllel, lie in confused m tsses upon
the bri K promen &c which surrounds it..
The colossal foures which surmounted it
torpiea to the ground when their sup
port burned away, and are broken in
pieces. Columbus and his heralds, with
t5e.r war horses and chariots, are I'M
recognizable among the mass Of ruins.
Music hall likewise is
Melancholy Heap of As,ea.
Save here and there where d twisted
iron girder protrudes, not portion of it
was saved from the flames All about
the w.iks are strewn with debris,
charred lrands which the wind blew
frcm the burning buildings, and little
piles Of white ashes where some of the
brands were consumed after falling. AT
various hydrants, fire engines yet re-
main to throw heavy streams upon the
smoking ruins to prevent any possible
new outbreak of flames. Manufactures
building, both within and without, pre-
sents sight not desired either by artist
or exhiLitor. The lattice work letween
the top roof ana the curved one cover
ing the central aisle on the east side,
Was burned away from a point above
the southern end of the United States
section, south to one above the Russian
section. On the west side the burned
portion of similar lattice work extends
over the British section to- little beyond
the south extremity Of the Ger
man pavilion. Upon the tin iand glass
arched roof lie half burned boards,
which formed part of the lattice, and
which when loosened by the fire, slid
downward.
Inside the Building
appearances are worse than upon the
roof. In the region burned over and for
some distance on either side the floor is
covered with water. Standing in the
water, which in many places is two
inches in depth, are innumerable boxes
bound for reshipment as soon as they
could be released from bond. Upon
and about them lay the now destroyed
decorations of the pavilions. The
French, Belgium and English sections
suffered most, and in the spaces occu-
pied by :l,.m is to be seen the most dis
astrous results.
When the lattice work in the roo1
began to burn and the enlbers were seer
to fall upon the light decorations be
meath, lines of hose were conveyed into
the building and an attempt made to ex
tinguish each before any fire began, lr
spite of all that could be done
The Triump!aal Archway
before the French section caught fire
and in an instant was ablaze through
out. Streams We're directed upon it
but it continued to blaze until the frame
work fell into Columbia avenue, where
it could be more easily reached and ex
! tinguished. The fire B7ght in mum
berless other places an5 burned small
holes in the floor and decorations.