The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-11-22
A HALF MILLION BLAZE.
Chicago Bears Ont Its Name Of
Windy City.
WIND FED THE FLAMES AMI
FIREMEN FOUGHT HARD.
1t Was an Exciting and Dangerous Fire
Hundreds of Panic Stricken Women
Employees Rescued With Difficulty
Firemen Blinded by Smoke Have
Narrow Escapes,

Employees Rescued With Difficulty
Firemen Blinded by Smoke Have
Narrow Escapes.
Chicago, November 21.-A fire which
caused a loss of $780, COO and imperiled
the lives of half thousand persons orig
mated at O'Clock this afternoon on the
third floor of Charles Emmerich & Com
pany's feather and down goods factory
at 175-1S1 South Canal street. A seven
story brick building extending from 175
Canal street, south of the corner of Jack
son street, nine-story brick building
adjoining and the greater part of the
four story building in the same direction
were destroyed. These buildings occu-
| pied nearly the whole Of the block on the
west side of Canal streett between Adj
ans and Jackson street,. The seven and
nine story buildings is owned by Warren
Springer, and the owner of the four-story
structure which is saved, is William j.
Wilson. The buildings are amply in
sured The firms burned out are Shoe IL
& Carquevillet, photographers, George e.
|
machinery manufacturers, Charles En-
mich & Co.. feather and down goods,
Schnadig & Co.. ladies shoes, Abner shirt
and waist factory, Gibson's gas fixture
factory, Chamherss brick machinery
mandatory, Russell Piano Company,
Banner Shirt and Waist factory, Epworth
piano and organ factory, Heusmor Bak-
cry Co., Samuel Lyon, mill supplies,
George F. Blake, steam pump works,
| Knowles steam pump works, Derby
Cycl, Co., and Strouss, Eisendrath &
Dron, manufacturers of mattresses and
quilts.
The following were damaged by falling
& Co. So West jackson street, packers
of beef and pork, Hayward & Windsor,
confectioners, IL Canal street. The losses
to the above firms are estimated at
$3.50, goo; building loss, $150,00o.
The fire started from an explosion of
chemical used in cleaning feathers, and
the rapidity with which the flames spread
in the Emmeirch factory, where 200 girls
and women were employed, created a
panic. The frightened employees on the
upper floors rushed for the elevators
which were small, and the few stalrways
were soon jammed with horror-stricken
and fainting females Cool headed men
and policemen came to the rescne and
| prevented horror, The excitement was
tly as great among the 200 female
employees of the Banner Waist Company.
The police and 1iremen had a. hard task
to get all the young women in safety to
the street, many having to lie carried
| out unconscious, or else driven out be-
cause they wanted to save small personal
property. AS far as the police learned, all
employed in the buildings escaped with
| out serious injury, but many We're
bruised and scratched.
In the early stage OF the fire the engine
company and the chemical engine men
were sent to the sixth floor of the nine
story building in the rear to light further
spread of the flames to the north. The
smoke from the burning feathers made
dense cloud and the fremen saw too
| late, that the fire had broken out in front
of them, ana cut off their ESCAPE IN that
! direction by the ladders. The imperilled
| men forsook the apparatus and struck
out in the binding smoke for the stair
way The hose was the only thing to
guide them to safety, and they half fell
and half climbed down it and the stairs
to the street Several men had there
hands and faces badly cut and bruised.
When part of the west wall of the Ex-
celsior building fell it made hole
in the two-story brick building of the
Miller Hendricks Packing Company
the fire was apparentlyu under control,
large part OF the front wall of the
nine story structure, and crashed on the
forr-story Wilson building, starting
out the flames again and making havoc
with the contents. The fremen were
helped by the thick fire wall in the centre
of the building The fire was under con-
troll in two hours in spite of high