The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-25
FILLED WITH SHOW BOOTHS
NOTHING SAVED BY MANUFACTURE
ERS' EXPOSITION EXHIBITORS.
Fire Caused by Crossing of Wires
chine Operators Were at Work.

CHICAGO, Dec. "a. - Fire tonight de-
stroyed the Coliseum building at Sixty-third
street and Stoney Island avenue, in which
the Democratic national convention was
held last year. The fire was one of the
quickest ever seen in Chicago. From the
time when the fire was originated by the
crossing Of two electric-light wires until the
Coliseum was pile of twisted iron and
hot bricks was not over twenty minutes.
The building had been rented for a manu-
facturerS exposition and was filled from end
to end with booths, all of which were de-
stroyed, with all of their contents. 1t is
supposed that number of people were lost
in the flames, and although no bodies have
been recovered the following people are
missing and have undoubtedly perished:
TWO WOMEN dancers in the Midway
exhibit; seen In the building just before 1t
collapsed.
TWO MEN, seen in the center of the build
ing during the fire by tiremen.
HOWARD GEYSER, Wilmington. Del,
decorator.
JOSEPH BYRNES, Hoboken, N. J., deco
rator.
Geyser and Byrnes were decorating one
Of the booths in the balcony when the fire
broke out. The manager of the exhibit ran
to the booth and called to the men that the
place was on fire and for them to save them
selves. They were apparently in no hurry,
and the last seen of them they were still at
work 1t is thought they were both lost.
l.. Ladenye and his son conducted sau-
sage booth in the building. Ladanye en-
tered the structure during the fire to search
for his son, who, he declared, was penned in
by the flames, and as neither was seen for
some time it was reported they were lost.
nm LOT
The injured are:
PETER FOOTS, watchman, burned about
face and hands.
HARRY PARKER. New York city, slight
ly burned.
G.. A. LYONS, New York city, slightly
burned
MRS. G. A. LYONS, severely burned.
M. J. MORLEY, lacerated by explosion of
Crookes tubes and burned about head.
WILLIAM ROBERTSON, face and hands
burned.
M. J. WHEELER, watchman, hands
burned
JAMES MAHER, fireman. burned while
cutting 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 DEKREKO, proprietor of the
Streets of Cairo exhibit, jumped from win
dow OF the burning building and was severe
ly bruised.
LOUIS WEISS, janitor, burned about the
face and hands
FRANK MURPHY, st. Louis, severely
burned
HAIRY HAMILTON, burned about face.
w. H. WRIGHT. burned about arms.
WILLIAM ALLABY, fireman, thrown
from nre engine in a collision with a Lake
Shore train at Cottage Grove avenue and
Forty-tirst street, bruised.
ALBERT CHAMBERLAIN burned about
face and hands.
EUGENE DUGGAN, burned about left
side.
HOW THE FIRE STARTED.
The fire originated in booth which was
used for an exhibition of X rays, the booth
being managed by M. J. Morley and Will
liam Rob rtson. The two men were examln-
ing their Roentgen machine when they were
startled by a sizzling noise behind them.
and, upon turning, saw part of their ex-
hibit ablaze. Crossed electric light wires
which were over the exhibit are thought
to have caused the flames. They at first
tried to smother the flames, but before they
secured water and cloth the fire had spread
throughout the entire booth. Morley, realiz-
ing that he and his partner would be un-
able to cope with the flames, then made
an endeavor to save some of the most val
liable of the X-ray paraphernalia. Running
to the machine he grasped two Crookes
tubes and then, with Robertson began
fighting his way out of the building. Be-
fore he reached an exit the tubes which
he held in both. hands exploded from the
heat, severely lacerating his hands. His
hair also caught fire and he was severely
burned about the head Robertson was
burned about the face
About three hundred people We're in the
building at the time of the fire, and at the
first alarm there was a rush for safety.
Fortunately the aisles were wide, and. ow-
ing to the comparatively small number of
people in the building, there was little diff
ticulty in reaching the doors. Most of those
endeavoring to escape ran to a large door
on the east side of the building, which is
wide enough to admit team of horses and
wagon. "A crowd of fully two hundred peo-
pie gathered before this door, which was
found to be locked, and as the fire was
roaring through the building with great
speed it seemed for few minutes as though
none of those would be able to escape w
]. Wheeler, d watchman, 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 difficulty in opening
it. Once it swung wide, however the crowd
was in the open air in few seconds. Dur
ing the jam at this point several people
were badly crushed, but none seriously in
jured. The remainder of the people made
their way through the other doors and sew
eral who were caught in the balcony were
compelled TO jump to the ground from the
roof. The balcony is lined with windows
that swing outward, and they had no trou-
bic in getting upon the roof and from there
the leap to the ground was not great.
The fremen were at hand before all the
people were out and before they made any