The herald., 1897-12-26
In the Fire at ChicagO'S
Coliseum
MANY HAD NARROW ESCAPES
AND FORTY WERE BURNED OR
BRUISED
The Exhibitors Carried No Insurance
and the Property Loss Nears
the Million Mark
Press Special Wire

CHICAGO, Dec. 25.-The fire which
| last evening destroyed the Coliseum at
Sixty-third street and Stony Island ave-
nue. claimed only one victim. He was
N. H. Johnson, whose charred remains
were recovered from the ruins. He
had evidently remained at his post until
the last moment. Then he rushed to-
ward an exit. Within a few feet Of the
door an immense piece of glass fell from
the roof, pinioning him to the earth,
while the flames slowly smothered him.
1t is practically certain that Johnson
was the only person killed. but thor
ough search of the ruins is being carried
out Those who were reported missing
last night returned to their homes to-
day. Most of them had narrow escapes.
Sholan Huffian, the American who was
employed in the Streets Of Cairo ex-
hibit and who was thought to have been
killed, returned to his hotel this after
noon after having wandered about the
city all night. He said that In trying
to escape from the burning building he
ran to the wrong exit. When he finally
reached the open air he had inhaled so
much smoke that delirium set In and
he wandered about the streets all night.
He finally revived and appeared at the
Coliseum this afternoon.
About forty persons were more or less
injured and burned.
According to the figures given by the
exhibitors and managers Of the various
concessions, the total loss is $702, $50. The
principal losers are: Coliseum Com
pany on building 100000, on interior
property $1OO,O00 carryalls and tobog-
gans, +. c. Bostock. 100000; big oil
paintings, DIR. Valentine, $25 900; Streets
of Cairo and Congress Of Eastern Ma
tions' stock, $4,000.
The insurance on the Coliseum aggre-
gates 100000, and is taken out in the
name of the Chicago Exhibition Com
pany, with the loss, If any. payable to
the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank, as
it's interests may appear. The exhibi-
tors were without exception uninsured.
The fire was one of the quickest ever
seen in Chicago. In twenty minutes from
the time the first spark originated by
the crossing of two electric light wires
in the X-ray booth, there was not a
girder standing. All the walls went
down except those on the ends, and all
that marked the place where the build
ing had stood was a mass Of twisted iron
and bricks. The loss of life might have
been terrible if the fire had broken out
few minutes before it did, as then
the visitors to the exhibition would have
been caught in the building. AS it was.
the spectators had just left the build
ing and exhibitors and their people were
either preparing for supper or about to
leave the building when the flames broke
- L. 49,
been able to escape without difficulty or
danger if they had not stopped and at
tempted to save their personal belong
ings.
A number ran to a large door In the
east side of the building which Is wide
enough to admit a team of horses and a
wagon. The door was found to be locked
and as the fire was roaring through tho
building with great speed, it seemed for
few minutes as If none would beable
to escape. A watchman named Wheeler
tried to open the door, but the crowd
was packed in front Of it so closely that
he had the greatest difficulty in opening
it. When it was finally opened, the
crowd was in the open air in few Sec
onds. In the jam several people were
badly crushed.
= George De Kreko, proprietor of the
Streets of Cairo exhibit, was caught on
balcony, and being unable to escape
by the stairway, was forced to jump
from the window. He was picked, up
severly bruised. In addition to these,
there were number of other narrow es-
capes. i
Shortly after the fire commenced, John
Dickinson, President of the Coliseum
Company, was seen. He said:
"The building is a total loss, and there
is little prospect that any attempt at
rebuilding will be made. There was
s120, 900 insurance on the building. which
is lust sufficient to cover the bonds. The
Coliseum Company was stocked for
5000, 900, paid up, and bonded for 500 900.
The building had proved success in
every way. The expectations Of the
promoters had been fully realized, even
surpassed.
when we started out to spend $400, 900
on an exhibition building out here in
Woodlawn we were laughed at by many,
but the result has proved that our judg-
ment was sound. However. times have
changed, even during the last two years.
and in my opinion there should be no
effort made to rebuild the Coliseum, but.
on the contrary united effort should be
made to push the erection of a splendid
exhibition on the lake front. Chicago
must have large building that can be
used for all manner of gigantic amuse-
ments. The Coliseum has been swept
: away, and the city is absolutely with
out anything that answers the purpose
of an exhibition building.
: "While the destruction Of the Colise-
; um is a great personal loss to many,
, and also a great loss to the city, be-
> lieve it will result in stirring up the
/ people in the matter of permanent
, exhibition building. Since the build-
ling was opened it has been used ITO