Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-02-04
FIRES FIERCE REVEL
VAST LOSSES OF PROPERTY AND
SEVERAL LIVES.
Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, and
Several Other Cities Visited by the
Destroying Elcment-sco-es of Men
Have Narrow Escapes from Death.
Record for One Dey.

southwest corner of Monroe street and
| Fifth avenue, Chicago, Tuesday night,
when the temperature was degrees be-
low zero. Failing walls injured twelve
fremen, one of whom, Jerry ORourke,
| will die. The damage inflicted reaches
100000. When the blaze was first dis
covered. at 6:25 o'clock. strong west
wind was blowing. Five minutes later
the city for blocks around was lighted by
| the glare of fast increasing conhagra-
ton, and crowded by putting fire engines,
ladder trucks, stand pipes and hose carts.
| The firemen worked greatly hampered by
the elevated railroad structure, electric
| wires and the cold. From the roofs OF ad-
| joining buildings powerful streams were
| thrown. apparently without effect, upon
| the flames The freboats Yosemite and
| Fire Queen were also summoned from
| their station in the river when Marshal
| Campion turned in a general alarm. All
the fire fighting force not engaged upon
the burning buildings was needed to
! guard surrounding property from storm
of glowing Goals and blazing debris car
| ried broadcast by the wind.
| The first streams broke the windows
and gave air to the blaze. A portion of
the first building afire had burned Jan. =,
and the charred surface caught quickly.
| No efforts could save this structure or
contents, so attention was turned to 9TH
ers.
| Miraculous Escape
| Thirty-fve insurance patrolmen, under
| Capt. Shepherd, had entered 1868 Mon
roe street to cover stock with tarpaulins.
| Marshal Campion sent this warning:
"This building was burned ten years ago,
and three huge cracks were made between
| ii and the building burning. Flames Will
come through. You are not safe. Get
out" No heed was given the warming,
| and in short time a torrent of flame en-
/ tered so quickly and fercely that all
| egress from the lower floor was cut of.
| The men were driven from floor to floor,
until at the fifth they were stopped by
| flames from above. Apparently they were
| In death trap, when ut the last moment
| that man could live in the blistering heat
and sitting smoke Capt. Shepherd discov-
| cred fire escape at a rear window. All
scrambled down this to safety, but their
escape was miraculous. for before all
| reached the ground the roof and top floors
| fell in.
| Close Call for a Company.
/ Ten extra engines were called. Capt.
| Barker had been notified of the cracks in
the fire wall, and warned not to enter.
1 But with five men he started up fire
/ escape with two leads of hose, hoping by
! fighting from above to prevent the spread
1 of flames through the cracks. When all
had passed the third floor, flames burst
/ from windows below. Nothing remained
| but to Chamber TO the roof; and over its
1 edge they all disappeared, the captain
| last, with his clothing ablaZe from sheet
| of fame that burst from the cornice. His
men had waited for him, and smothering
the burning clothing, they made n dash
4 across the roof to another fire escape,
and descended safely.
Falling Walls Barry Firemen.
Meanwhile the fire in the building at 200
and 202 Monroe street burned fiercer and
l fercer The entire interior was burned,
| 30 that the walls had nothing to sustain
| them in place. Across the narrow alley
/ from the burning building upon a roof
were stationed engine companies 81, 3, q
| and Z, under the command of Marshals
4 Seyferlich and Swenie, son of Chief Swe-
| ME- The wall of the burning building
| was one story higher than the roof where
| the fire companies were at work. No dan
/ ger to them was apprehended, even in
| case of falling wall as it was thought
| that the alley was wide enough to afford
| them protection. In this the fremen were
mistaken. The upper structure tottered.
| "If's coming this way" shouted Fireman
| Quinlan, and dropping his hose, he ran.
The mems clothing was coated with ice.
| Their utmost haste therefore was slow
| speed, and before any had taken three
steps the upper portion of the wall of the
| burning building fell with crash. Tons
| of mortar and brick were hurled upon
| and about the fleeing firemen. Engine
companies Nos. 8 and O were caught be-
| meath the body of the mass. The heaviest
portion fell upon Jeremiah O'Rourke and
| carried him PROSTATE to the roof with it.
| The catastrophe was seen from the street,
and aid quickly reached the injured men.
| by way of the elevators from adjoining
buildings.
Ice Hinders Work.
| BY this time the building at 200 and 202
| Monroe street, with all its contents, was
| total loss. The building at 1876 and 1913
| was blazing from the basement to roof
and the work of the firemen was concen-
| trated upon this structure. The streams
| from thirty-five engines and the two fire.
boats by 9:30 o'clock brought the flames
| in the latter building under control The
outer walls of the entire buildings were
laden with tons of ice. Huge icicles de-
pended from the fire escapes and the win
| dow sills.
The cause of the fire was not ascertain
| ed by the police or fremen.
Purcell Mailing House Burned.
Fire early Tuesday morning destroyed
the elevator and mailing house of the w.
Ii. Purcell company at 123d street and
the Belt Line tracks, causing loss of
$500, 900. Joseph Guckenheimer vice
president of the mailing company. esti-
mated the total loss at $500, 600, with in
surance aggregating $315,OOO.
Shortly before @ o'clock In the morning
| fire broke out in the one-story building
at 246 and 24S Randolph street. and with
in two hours destroyed property to the
value of $4,000. The Main Leviathan
Betting Company. l.. Furst. carpenter,
| and A, Magnus & Sons, dealers in malt
and hops and brewers supplies, occupied
the building. The betting company esti-
mated its loss at $4,000. Magnus & Sons
$4,000. and Mrs. Il. ]. Lefens, owner Of
the building. $1,000.
PHILADELPHIA'S BAPTISM.
Two M;rfiov, Efvc Huod red Tboua ,,d