The herald., 1897-12-24
Wrecks a Big Building al
Chicago
TWENTY-THREE PEOPLE HURT
BY THE THINGS SENT FLYING
THROUGH THE AIR
An Explosion Of Benzine at Cleveland
Results in Damage of About
One Million Dollars
Associated Press specias Wire


CHICAGO, Dec 2S-Fire broke out
shortly after o'clock this afternoon in
the basement of the five-story building
at 104 Madison street. the first floor and
basement ofwhich were occupied by the
Tosetti Cafe and Restaurant company
and the second floor by the billiard par
lors of Frank Mussey. A crowd of
people gathered on the sidewalk in front
of the building to watch the work of the
firemen. About dozen policemen We're
busily engaged in pushing back the
| throng when terrific explosion of nat
ural gas took place. The building was
| badly wrecked, the windows, window
gratings, sidewalk lights Cnd manhole
covers were hurled into the air and fell
among the crowd. Dozens of persons
were thrown from their feet and twenty
three were injured.
OF these Police Captain Thos. OCon-
nor was the only one seriously hurt. He
| was burned about the head, face and
body and may die. The others who were
injured sustained burns about the head
and face and more or less painful
| bruises.
| The explosion caused a wild panic in
| the street and in the frantic rush for
| safety many people were thrown down
| and trampled upon. That many were
| not killed and many more injured was
| little short of miracle.
| Mussey's billiard parlors were filled
with players when the explosion came
and the men, who had paid little or no
attention to the small blaze in the base
| ment, appreciated the situation at its
proper value when the windows went
sailing into the street and plaster began
to come down on their heads. The rush
in the street was duplicated by the eX-
cited billiard players as they plunged
down the stairs for safety and into the
outer air. Many of them escaped by the
stairway, some took to the fire escape
and those who We're late or who deliber-
ated as to the best way of egress were
taken out by the firemen. The fire
spread through the building with great
rapidity after the explosion and within
ten minutes it was blazing fiercely. Call
after call for additional engines was sent
by Chief Swenie, but the fire could only
be reached in front and rear and was diff
fcult of access. The severe weather
|
within an hour the building resembled
an iceberg with furnace in its interior.
The burning building is within fifty
feet of the intersection of Dearborn and
Madison streets, where the loops of the
West Side and North Side cable lines
intersect and from the time the fire
broke out until after midnight traffic
was entirely suspended on both lines.
"a .,f
which $4,000 will fall on the Tosetti
company, $4,000 on Mussey and $4,000
on Morris Rosenfeld, the owner of the
building.
The Grand Union hotel, which backed
UP against the Tosseti structure, the two
forming a right angle, was damaged to
the extent of $4,000. The building is
owned by Chief Justice Fuller of the
supreme court of the United States.
THE BENZINE EXPLODED
CLEVELAND, o., Dec. 23.-Fire broke
out in the business center of the city at
5 o'clock this afternoon and, famed by
high northwest wind, destroyed property
worth more than half a million dollars.
The Power block on Frankfort street,
owned by ]. B. Perkins six stories high
and made of brick, was consumed above
the second story, and the rear of the
brick Wiltshire block, six stories high,
owned also by Mr.. Perkins, and fronting
on Superior street, was burned. The fire
started by the explosion of large can of
benzine in the lithographng establish
ment of Johns & Co., in the Power block.
Windows We're blown out and several
employees escaped with difficulty by the
fire escapes and bridge leading to the
Wiltshire block. The loss of Johns & Co.
is $4,000, covered by insurance. The
other occupants of the building were
small manufacturing concerns. The
block was worth about $500 900. The
roof Of the power house of the Century
building was demolished by a falling
wall. The J. L. Hudson clothing house
and the offices in the Wiltshire building
We're damaged somewhat by fire and to
a greater extent by water. The Wiltshire
building is damaged to the extent of
1000. A large part of the stock of J. L.
Hudson, valued at $250,00O, is damaged
but amply insured.
The losses will be much heavier than
at first estimated, and it is believed they
will come close to a million dollars. The
principal losers are: Johns & Co., lith-
ographers, Power block, 1925, ,000 j. L.
Hudson, clothier, on stock, 100000; J. B.
Perkins, on Power block 100000; J. B.
Perkins, on Blackstone building, $4,000;
j. b. Perkins, on Wiltshire building, $780,
600, II. C. Rouse, on Century building,
$50 900.
The losses of the scores of tenants, es-
pecially in the Power and Blackstone
buildings, the latter of which was occu-
pied mainly by lawyers with their costly
libraries, will be very heavy. About 70
per cent of the losses are covered by in
surance.
Lieut.. McFeelers Of the fire department
fell through the floor in one of the build
ings and was badly, though not fatally
hurt. The fire was under control at .
o'clock.