Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1896-10-27
BIG GRAIN ELEVATORS BURN
Over Million Bushels Of Wheat and
Corn Consumed by Flames.
FIVE FlRtaEN HAVE A NARROW ESCAPE
Fire Starts In n Dangerous Part of
Chicago and Valuable Proper
ties Are I'm Danger for
About nm Hour.

| CHICAGO, Oct 26.-The two huge grain
elevators belonging to the Chicago & Pacific
| Elevator company were destroyed by FIRE
| this afternoon, together with their contents
A number OF smaller buildings were burned
as well and the total loss will be 81, 600 600
! Tho insurance will cover three quarters OF
the amount II was dangerous locality
| for a fire. Directly to the north is the
| Armour elevator, the largest in the world
stocked up to the roof with grain. To the
northeast is the immense mailing house of
Hale & Curtis, while close at hand are the
docks OF the Crescent company with thou
sands of tons OF bituminous coal. The numer-
GUS lumber yards in the vicinity added to
the danger. Thousands of people gathered
to witness the spectacle afforded by over
100000 bushels of grain ablaze At one
stage they saw cataract of burning wheat
| falling from 100 feet in the air. The blaze
started about noon.
BY p. m. the fire had been mastered.
1t had by this time spread to several small
| franc buildings used as weighing offices
and these were soon destroyed. The heat
| from the burning elevators was terrific and
| finally compelled the abandonment of four
lines of hose which had been run into the
boiler room OF elevator A.
Five firemen of company SO nearly lost
their lives while fighting the flames from
the roof of the Office a small brick build
ing in close proximity to one Of the ele-
yators. Notwithstanding the roof had
caught fire and was burning beneath them
they stuck at their post, until suddenly the
roof fell from beneath them. Two OF the
men were close enough to the edge Of the
wall to grab It and were left dangling there
as the roof fell in. The other three went
down, but held to the hose and were res
cued with great difficulty.
The Pacific elevator was composed of
three separate buildings, each six stories in
height. Elevator A was the first to go and
then elevator b caught fire. Burning tim
bers we're carried by the high wind and
for a time it was thought that many build
ings in the vicinity were doomed, and heavy
lines of freight cars standing on the track
were removed as fast as possible. Loss in
this direction was slight.
The mailing house of Hale Curtis is the
nearest building Of any size to the burned
elevators and for a time was In imminent
danger OF destruction. Several times 1t
caught fire, but by hard work the building
was saved from serious damage
i. G.. Perry, the superintendent Of the
Pacific Elevator company, said there were
LOO 900 bushels OF wheat stored in elevators
A and Il. He estimated the loss to be at
least 81 500 600 Shortly after the fire broke
out the south wall of the elevator gave
way and thousands Of bushels of wheat fell
into the river. Directly TO the west OF the ele-
yators are The yards OF the S. Il. Crane Hard
w6Od Lumber company and several times
small blases were discovered among the
! piles of lumber. but as fast as they were
discovered tLey We're extinguished. The
greatest danger experienced by the iirenfcn
was the flying debris. The burning buildings
were covered with corrugated iron and large
sections of this heated to white heat fell
as they were oosened from their fastenings
by tho fire. 1t was with the greatest diff
Guilty that tho fremen kept lodging these
falling sections of iron.
Most of the grain was the property OF the
Pacific Elevator company. The insurance is
said to be about $3.50, 600. The loss on wheat
in the elevators is Appropriated at 1851 900,
On the corn the loss will be about $35, 900.
Before elevator b was in flames Captain
Qulrk of engine No. IA with twelve men
was ordered into the building with leads
of hose to play upon the other elevator.
When the flames caught elevator the fire
men were caught upon the top floor and
| could not escape. Their cries attracted tho
| attention of Fire Chief Swenie, who ordered
| Lieutenant Wendt and truck company No.
| 10 to climb the fire escape and cut a hole
| through tho roof in order that the men
| might come out that way. Wendt managed
| to do the work after a hard struggle with
| the smoke and fire and one by one the thir-
| teen men clambered up to and down the
fire escape. Quirk was the last man down
| and when no left the roof IL was ablaze in
| many places
John Morton, ppemen, was badly cut
while forcing an entrance into one of the
| buildings. Peter Rowe was injured in like
manner and Captain Michael Sullivan OF
engine company No. A was badly hurt by o
falling piece of sheet iron.
Tho origin OF the fire is mystery.