The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-26
MORE FIRES In CHICAGO.
TIE QUADRANGLE CLUB AT TIE
UNIVERSITY DESTROYED.

Another Downtown Binro where several Fire
mon We're InIurcd - Robbers Start n Fire
Panic In y Department store-One Wan was
Burned to Death In the Coliseum Binze.
CHICAGO, Dec. 25.-The handsome building Of
the Quadrangle Club. at Lexington avenue and
Fifty-eighth street, with It's valuable collection
OF paintings and works of art, was destroyed by
fire carly this morning. The loss Is estimated
at $45, 600.
Tho club was practically an adjunct
OF the University of Chicago. its mem.
bership being composed of university pro-
fessors. 1t was one of tho most select and
exclusive clubs In tho city. The treasures Of art
1t contained were famous. and included rare
and valuable paintings, sculpture, antiques, and
curiosities, gathered in many lands by the men
of culture and tasto who directed its affairs.
The fire did its work so quickly and thor
oughly that in little moro than IN hour after
tho blaze was discovered everything was con-
| sumcd but tho four Recovered walls standing
to mark the spot.
Six employees who slept on the premises had
narrow escapes from death, and had IL not been
for the bravery and presence OF mind Of F. II.
Wheeler, the steward of the club, they would
probably oil have persisted.
The persons who escaped so narrowly were:
| F. ii. Wheeler, steward. and his wife who slept
on the third floor; Joseph Condor and Edward
Woodruff, colored porters who slept in the base.
% %ife. who rao slsp. M N tx Sa shs SS1Gred cook and his
Wheeler was awakened from sleep by falling
china and glass ware In the burning pantry. He
awakened the others and they got out in their
Tho Fire Department was slow in getting to
failed to save anything. Tho loss was total.
s s%o0r 81 hem ah9 b Rain n ! Sv M Tere ysryr o yHiu" Rh:
furnishings. aside from the art treasures. were
valued Mt $1,000:
building would at once be replaced with one
The siN.s,ory brick building 1873 to 1877 Fifth
o'clock this morning, Ths Siiaze started on the
fourth floor of the building, occupied by the
the fre is unknown. Three fremen. John Ken.
Capt Ga pt,l Renni s, Mss WEE aSS; Engine 81; we're hnr.
cannot recover. He had a dozen broken bones.
Tho dense smoke hammered tho trcmen in their
Just where tho fire was. Finally they entered
tho building and broke out the windows. As
they did so. flames burst from the third and
Second and third alarms We're sounded and
sn,st oc enPiess a Sf fofls sSGn 4 Th Sq basem mhs s sniIf arsE
8 Co.. babies shoes; third floor, F. A. Foster s
plies; si,tih floor, ,Biio,urock & smith: hats and
BY the ruse Of starting a fire and Causing a
panic in the crowded store of NJ. Rothschild &
Co. yesterday afternoon two men tried 10 exc
cute q plan for robbing tho store bank. which
contained $4,000 at the time. The plot was
Amelia Grodzinsky, one of the employees. who
put out the fire. receiving severe burns. She
alarmed the clerks in the bank.
The robbers escaped through the dense throng
OF shoppers. One of the men started a blaze in
g mall booth occupied .nHp by a public telephone.
admission to the bank inciosure. saying he was
q fireman. He failed to get inside. After the
blaze was extinguishcd kerosene and traces of
gunpowder were found in tho telephone booth.
COLISEUM WILL NOT BIZ REBUILT.
One body, burned almost beyond recognition,
was taken from the ruins of the Coliseum to-
day. 1t was that of n. II. Johnson, a carpenter
in the employ of the Coliseum Company.
Johnson's death cannot DO accounted for. as
supposed that he was attending to some work,
or that he Went into the blazing building to
save his. tools and was caught by tho falling
roof and buried. None OF the others who were
reported missing was burned, and all were found
to havo made their way in safety out of the
building. 90
Nearly all the Chicago papers grossly cxag.
Rerated the financial losses. One estimated the
total loss at 500. O0O, which is fully three times
the actual loss. At an outside figure 100000
would cover every dollar of losses sustained by
exhibitors and occupants Of the building. which
figures were based on estimates given by eyhib.
itors themselves.
AS an instance. Frank Bostock, the Zoo man.
placed his loss on q couple of carrouscls. or
"merry.Rorounds.'' at 500 600, They proba
bly, did not cost him $4,000. Other estimates
were in like proportion. President Dickinson
Of the Coliseum Company said the Coliseum
would not be rebuilt.