Mower County transcript., 1894-01-10
WORLDS FAIR FIRE
THE WHITE CITY THE SCENE or
A DESTRUCTIVE BLAZE,

The Fire Started In the Casino, just East
of tho Agricultural Building Music
Hall Destroyed and tho Big Manufac-
lures Building Badly Damsyed-Loss to
Exhibitors u O0, ,Oo0-one Life Lost.
CHICAGO. Jan. 9.-Fire started in the
Casino at the worlds fair grounds about
Up. M, and before being brought under
control destroyed the Casino, Peristyle,
Music Hall and \ portion of the Liberal
Arts building. The latter contained ex-
hibits valued at 81 600. 900, the most of
which were destroyed or practically ru-
ined by the floods Of water poured on
the burning structure. A strong wind
was blowing during the evening, and at
one time the entire White City was
threatened with destruction. A sad
phase of the big fire was the killing of
one fireman and the probable fatal in
jury Of three others.
Started in the Casino.
The fire started in tie Casino lust
east of the Agricultural building and
south Of the peristyle. The Casino was
quickly devoured and the flames surged
north on the top Of the Peristyle, and.
dropping, made second line of fire along
the base Of the columns. The flames
then sprang through Music Hall, which
corresponds at the north end of the Per-
istyle to the Casino at the south. While
the fire was burning there occurred 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 fortunate
!! enough to be on the sidewalk just east
of the Peristyle was that of succession
of gigantic human beings plunging ono
after another headlong into
Tho Waters of the Lake Below.
T.: Tbs. origin of the fre<is said to be re-
venge on the part of q couple of tramps.
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
the fire broke out and everything on the
grounds was terror and confusion.
Fears of looting added to the horror of
the scene. At about 10 o'clock with a
possible loss of $4,000, 900 by fire in the
Manufacturers building alone, the au-
thorities began to realize that a large
element in the crowd was composed of
idlers who, once started in lawlessness.
1t Would Be Hard to Control.
Such preparations as could be hurriedly
made were set in motion to remove
goods and guard other buildings, but all
such efforts were the merest child's play.
The utter hopelessness of such attempts
on such short notice were made appar-
ent at once. The few officers on guard
could hardly do more than shut their
eyes and grit their teeth, hoping against
hope that the flames would speedily be
STAYED.
The freboats and engines on the lake
side had by this time subdued the flames
in the ashes of the Peristyle, and in the
lower collonade of the southeast side of
the Liberal Arts building. and the hopes
were raised that the fire had been SUBJ
dued. But shortly after II p. m. the
flames got beyond control away up on
the top promenade of the Liberal Arts
building and the main aisle of the build
ing was mass of flames, arising from
the blazing brands which came from
above.
Saving Exhibits.
Remorselessly the fire was hurlinr
itself through the interstices of the big
iron arches at the dizzy heights above.
The flames would twine boa constructor
fashion in and around the mammoth
electric light coronas suspended from
the roof. Below these fearful circles of
iron, likely to drop at any moment, no
man dared to go, even the hardest not
venturing within 100 feet. Frantic
horses, with heavily loaded trucks. were
plunging through the aisles not encum-
bered with wreckage or drenched with
the falling cataracts of water, most of
which fell far short of the topmost
flames.
About 1O:45 great iron arch gave
way directly above the French wares.
and, falling heavily, buried them be-
meath the burning pile, and they were
sSOoAAAOAAOAs 00CA VI C110 IcuC0 wares
was the Japanese exhibit, and about it
clustered crowd of scared and frantic
Japanese. This, like many exhibits.
has not been released from bond and the
goods could not be taken from the build
ing.
Firemen Killed and Injured.
The great fire was not without its
work of death and injury. For the Sec
ond time within the history of the exno-
sition the fremen risked life and limb to
save the property of others and saddened
home as the result. Two firemen. Will
lam Mackey and Frederick Getz. fell
from the roof of the Manufactures bnild.
ing and Mackey was killed and Getz &C.
riously injured. Four other 6remen
were caught beneath mass of falling
embers and three are said to be fatally
injured. Chief Swenie, who is still
suffering from injuries received at re-
cent fire, came down about midn;pht:
but Assistant Chief Mush;.m. who had
handled the fire from the start. had done
it an wn11 fhof tho o1,ioe