The record-union., 1897-12-24
Followed by a Terrific Explosion of Nat
urdI Gas.
of the Structure Hur1-
ed in Every Direction, Falling
Among the Large Crowd About
the Scene-Dozens of People
Thrown From Their Feet, and
Twenty-Three More or Less In
jured-Big Fire at Cleveland.

CHICAGO, Dec. 23.-Fire broke out
shortly after o'clock this afternoon in
the basement of the five-story building
at 1O4 Madison street, the first floor and
basement of which 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
one dozen policemen We're busily en-
gagged in pushing back the throng, when
a terrific explosion of natural gas took
place. The building was badly wrecked
the windows, window gratings, sidewalk
lights and manhole covers We're hurled
into the air, and fell among the crowds.
Dozens of persons were thrown from
their feet, and tWenty-three were in
jured. OF these Police Captain Thomas
O'Connor 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
safety many people We're thrown down
and trampled upon. That many were
not killed and many more injured was
little short of a 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 in 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 the fire escape.
and those who We're late or who delib-
Grated 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 Sweenie, but
the fire could only be reached in front
and rear and was difficult of access.
The severe weather caused much of the
building resembled an iceberg with a
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.
The loss is estimated at $125, 900, of
which $4,000 will fall on the Tosetti
Company, $4,000 on Mussey and S15,-
600 on Morris Resented, the owner of
the building.
BIG FIRE AT CLEVELAND
CLEVELAND, Dec. 23.-Fire broke
out in the business center of the city
at ; O'Clock this afternoon. and famed
by high north wind, destroyed property
worth more than half a million dollars
The Power Block, on Frankfort street,
owned by j. b. jenkins, 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 'front.'
ing on Superior street, was burned.
The fire started by the explosion of
large can of benzine in the lithographing
establishments of Johns. & Co.
in the Power Block. Windows were
blown out. and several employees escaped
with difficulty by the fire escapes and a
bridge leading to the Wiltshire Block.
The loss of Johns & Co. is S15, 200,
covered by insurance. The other oceu-
pants of the building We're small manu-
featuring concerns. The block was
worth about $4,000. The roof of the
powerhouse of the Century building was
demolished by a falling wall
The losses will be much heavier than
al first estimated, and it is believed they
will come close to a million dollars The
principal losers are Johns Il Co.. litho-
graphers, Power Block, $22o, 900; J. l..
Hudson, clothiers. on stock, 500 900;
J. B. Perkins, on Power Block, SI0O. 600:
J. b. Perkins, on Blackstone building.
$4,000; J. 3. Perkins, on Wiltshire
building. $4,000: II. C. Rouse. on Gem
tury building, $4,000.
The losses of the scores of tenants.
especially 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 10
per cent of the losses are covered by
insurance. Lieutenant McFeelers of the
Fire Department fell through the floor
il, one of the buildings and was hadly