Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-12-27
TWO LARGE FIRES
CHICAGO AND CLEVEIAD SUI
FER HEAVILY.
SCARED BY GAS EXPLOSION
Shock Hurls Dozens Of People Off
Their Feet and Panic Ensues-
Building Occupied by Tosetti' S
Cafe in Ruins-Big Business Blocks

Chicago, Dec. 24.-Fire broke out
shortly after o'clock Thursday after
noon in the basement Of the fve-story
building at 1O4 Madison street. The
first floor and basement were occupied
by the Tosetti cafe and restaurant
company and the second floor by the
in Cleveland Burn.
billiard parlors Of Frank Mussey. The
blaze was insignificant at first and a
crowd of people gathered ON the side
walk in front of the building to watch
the work of the firemen. About a
dozen policemen were busily engaged
in pushing back the throng when a
terrific explosion of natural gas took
place. The building was badly
wrecked, the windows, window graf
ings, sidewalk lights and manhole
covers were hurled into the air and
fell among the crowd. Dozens OF
people were thrown from their feet
and % were injured, only one Of them
being, however, seriously hurt.
Following is a list of the injured:
Captain Thomas O'Connor, burned
about the head, face and body, may
die; James Jolly, pipeman, burned
about the head and right leg injured;
James Murphy, pipeman, injured
about the head, and right arm
bruised; Policeman G. Seaman
burned about the face and head and
arm cut by falling glass; Policeman
James Larkin, hair singed and cut
over the right eye; Policeman Thorn
as Fleming, burned about the head
and right leg bruised; Policeman J.
J. Murphy, burned about the head and
right cheek cut by falling glass; Louis
Virek, cut over the right eye; Frank
McDougal, hair singed and face
burned; CARRIER, burned about the
head and face and arm cut; G.. W.
Brown, burned about the face and
head; Joseph Kepler, steward in To-
setti cafe, burned about the head and
right leg cut; Katie Amberg, dish
washer in the cafe, burned about the
head; Rosie Brandon, dish-washer in
the cafe, burned on right arm; Betha
Johnson, laundress, employed by To
setti company, burned about head;
Joseph Tennyson, waiter in cafe,
burned about the face and hands:
William Eddy, waiter, slightly
burned; w. L. Shepard, thrown
against wall by the force of the ex-
plosion and severely bruised; Police
man c.. G.. Rresnahan, face and hands
burned and bruised: e. Summers,
burned about face and head Thomas
Gray, knocked down by force of ex-
plosion and severely bruised; R. E.
Thomas, porter in Mussey's billiard
hall, stunned by the force of the ex-
plosion, taken home unconscious.
The explosion caused a wild panic
in the street and in the frantic rush
for safety which followed, many peo-
pie were thrown down and trampled
upon. That many were not killed
and many injured is little short of a
miracle. Musseys billiard parlors
were filled with players when the ex-
ploslon came, but all managed to es-
cape safely. The severe weather
caused much water to freeze and
within an hour the building resembled
an iceberg with a blazing furnace
within. The total loss is 1925, 1000.
Cleveland, Dec. 24.-The Power
block on Frankfort street, owned by
j. b. Perkins, six stories high and
made of brick, and the rear of the Will
shire block, six stories high, owned
also by Perkins, burned last evening.
The fire was started by the explosion
OF large can of benzine in the lith-
ographing establishment of Johns &
Co. in the Power block. The window
were blown out and the employees es-
capped with difficulty by fire escapes
Other occupants of the building were
manufacturing concerns. The j. l..
Hudson clothing house and offices oc-
cupied. the Wiltshire building. The
loss will come close to S1,OOO,O0O.
The principal losers are Johns & Co.,
photographers, 100000; j. L. Hudson,
clothier, $4,000; J. B. Perkins, owner
of Power building and Blackstone and
Wiltshire buildings adjoining, $16O,OOO
The loss to other tenants, including
lawyers with costly libraries, will be
very heavy. About Is per cent. of the
loss is covered by insurance.
DIT A MIEO CDTCTA