The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-25

Chicago, Dec. 24-Fire tonight de-
stroyed the Coliseum building at Six
ty-third street and Stony Island ave-
nue., in which the Democratic national
convention was held last year. The
fire was one of the quickest ever seen
in Chicago. AT the time when the fire
was originated, by the crossing of two
electric light wires, until the Coliseum
was a pile of twisted iron and not
bricks, was not over 20 minutes.
The building had been rented for a
manufacturers, exposition, and was
filled from end to end with booths, all
of which were destroyed, with all OF
their contents.
persisted IN FLAMES.
1t is supposed a number of people
were lost III the flames, and although
no bodies have been recovered, the fol-
lowing people are missing and have
undoubtedly persisted;
Two women, dancers in the Midway
exhibit, seen entering the building just
before it collapsed.
Two men seen in the center of the
building during the fire by fremen.
l. Ladanyi and his son conducted a
sausage booth in the building. Ladanyi
entered the structure during the fire to
search for his son, whom he declared
was penned in by the flames, and
neither have been seen since.
Howard Geyser, Wilmington, Del,
decorator
Joseph Byrnes HOboken, decorator
lieyser and Byrnes We're decorating
one OF the booths in the balcony when
the fire broke out. The manager of the
exhibit ian TO the booth and called TO
The men that the place was on fire, and
for them to save themselves. They were
apparently IL no hurry, and the last
seen Of them they were still aI work.
Ii is thought that they were both lost.
The injured are:
Peter Foots, Waterman, burned about
face and hands.
Mrs. c. \. Lyons, severely burned
NJ j. Morley lacerated by explosion
of CrookeS tubes and burned about
head.
William Robertson, face and hands
burned.
NJ ) Wheeler watchman, hands
burned.
JamrS Maser, fireman, burned while
cuttins live wire with pair of
shears.
Robert Harley, fireman, severely
bruised by debris during the collapse
of a wall Of the building.
Miss Helen Conger, shocked by live
wire and severely burned about right
arm.
George Dekreke. proprietor of the
streets OF Cairo" exhibit, jumped
from q window OF the burning building
ana was severely bruised.
Louis Weis, janit0r. burned about
face ard hands
Frank Murphy, st. Louis. severely
burned.
Harry Hamilton. burned about face
w a. Wright burned about arms.
William Allaby. fireman, thrown from
a fire engine in a collision With a Lake
Shore train at Cottage Grove avenue
and Fprry-lirsI street.
Albert Chamberlain, burned and cut
on face and hands.
Eugene Duggan, burned about the
ORIGIN OF FIRE.
The fire originated in a booth which
was used for an exhibition of X-rays,
the booth being managed by NJ. j.
Morley and William Robertson. The
two men were examining their Roent-
gen machine when they were startled
by d sizzling noise behind them. and
upon turning saw a part of their eX-
hfbit ablaze. Crossed electric light
wires, which were over the exhibit, are
thought to have caused the flames.
flames. but before they secured water
and cloth the fire had spread through
out the entire booth. Morley, realizing
that he and his partner would be I'M
able to cope with the flames, then made
an endeaVor to save some OF the most
valuable of the X-ray parapherualia
Running TO the machine, he grasped
two Crookes tubes and with Robert
son, began fighting his way out of the
building. Before he reached an exit
the tubes. which he held in both his
hands, exploded from the heat, severely
decorating his hands. His hair also
caught fire, and ne was severely burned
about the head. Robertson was burned
about the face.
RUSH FOR SAFETY.
About 800 people We're in the building
at the time of the fire and at the first
alarm there YVES q rush for safety.
Fortunately the aisles were wide. and
owing TO the comparatively small num-
Der OF people in the building, there was
little difficulty in reaching the doors.
Most of those endeaeoring to escaDe
ran to a large door on the east side of
the building, which is wide enough to
admit q team OF horses and wagon. A
crowd OF fully 300 people gathered be-
fore this door, which was found to be
locked, and as the fire was roaring
through the building with great speed.
it seemed for a few minutes as though
none Of those would be able to escape.
w. J. Wheeler. a Waterman, saw the
trouble and ran to open the door but
the crowd was packed in front of it so
closely that he had the greatest diff
Guilty in opening it. Once it swung
wide, however, the crowd was in the
open air in a few seconds.
CRUSH AT THE DOOR.
During the jam at this point. several
people were crushed, but none were
seriously Injured. The balance of the
people made their way through the
other doors. and several who were
caught III the balcony were compelled
to jump TO the ground from the roof.
The balcony is lined with windows
thai swing outward and they had no