The record-union., 1897-12-25


rapidity that there was no chance
whatever of saving the building. With
in ten minutes after the fire began the
roof was ablaze, and within a short
time after the fire had appeared on top
of the building one of the large arches
that spanned the building gave way
with a tremendous report, and then an
other and another, each going down
with a sound like the report of a can
non.
The building fell very quickly after
the first arch went down, as the weight
was too great for the arches next to it,
and. all collapsed. 1t took not over
twenty minutes to make a complete
ruin Of the building.
Nothing is known of those supposed
to be lost beyond what has been stat
ed Manager Austin of the exposition
is confident that the girl Pauline lost
her life. as he says that he met her
near one of the entrances making her
way into the building. He pushed her
out, telling her that she would lose her
life if she entered the building, which
by this time was a roaring furnace. She
said that her mother was in there,
penned in by the flames, and that she
must help her. Before Austin could
restrain her she ran into the building
once more, going, Austin says, right
into a tangle of Live electric light wires.
Before he could do anything more to
save her the building collapsed.
The Coliseum cost S250, 900. and was
twice as large as Madison Square Gar
den building of New York. 1t had a
floor space Of seven acres, including the
ground and gallery floors; was $40 feet
long and 300 feet wide, and contained
100000 pounds of Steel 100000 feet
of timber and 5000 900 bricks.
On August 21, 1885, the first Coliseum,
then in course Of construction, was
wrecked, entailing a loss of S125, 900
The cause of the collapse has never
been known, but it was thought that
the last arch was not placed in position
correctly. The building was to have
been opened September ID of that year
by the Barnum & Bailey circus and the
contractors We're rushing the work in
order to have it completed in time Six
hundred men had been working on the
building up to half an hour before the
crash came, which was 11:10 at night.
Fifty thousand feet of green lumber,
which was to have been used for roof
ing, was on the roof of the building at
the time, and the weight of this was
supposed to have had something to do
with the accident.
After the collapse Of the first build
ing Architect S. S. Beman at once drew
plans for a new building, and it was
constructed and opened to the public
June l, 1896. The details of the mas
sive building show a composition of
fourteen enormous arches, seventy feet
at the apex above the ground and with
span Of 230 feet in the clear. The
building was encircled on the inside by
gallery thirtyfive feet wide and thir-
tythree feet above the floor. The
arena was only equaled in extent by
that Of the Roman Coliseum.
The total loss on the building and
contents is said to be S47S.G00. OF this
amount $3.50, 900 was the value of the
building, and S12S 900 the estimated
cost of the exhibits and material in the
exposition in progress in the building.
Insurance to the amount of S120 900
was carried on the building, but of this
amount 100000 viii go to the holders
of outstanding bonds to pay their OBJ
legations in full. The owners of the
building will get but $4,000 out Of the
building.
Colonel ]. T. Dickinson, President of
the Coliseum Company, said tonight
that no effort would be made to re-
store the building.
1t is almost impossible to form any
idea of the loss of the exhibitors, as
there were about 100 booths in the
place, filled with all sorts of goods.