Omaha daily bee., 1897-12-25

roof was ablaze and in a very short time
after the FIRE had appeared on top of the
building one Of the large arches that spanned
the building gave way with a tremendous
report, and then another and another, each
one going down with a sound like the report
OF a cannon. The building fell very quickly.
as after the first arch went down the weight
was too great for the arches next to it, and
all collapsed. II took not over twenty min
utes to make a complete ruin OF the build
ing.
The Coliseum cost $3.50 900 and was twice
as large as the Madison Square garden build
ing of New York. 1t had a floor space OF
seven acres including the ground and gallery
floors; was $40 feet long by 300 fee; wide and
contained 2500O00 pounds OF Steel 100000
feet OF timber and 100000 bricks.
ORIGINAL COLISEUM WRECKED.
On August 81, 1895 the first coliseum then
iu the course of construction, was wrecked
entailing less of 1926, 600. The cause Of the
collapse has never been known. but 1t was
thought that the last arch was not placed in
positic1 correctly. TIE building was to hive
beea opened September of that year by the
Barnum & Bailey circus and the contractors
were rushing the work in order to have it
completed in time. Six hundred men had
been working on the building up to half an
hour before the crash came, which was IL 10
o'clock at aight. Fifty thousand feet Of
green lumber, which was to have been used
for roofing, was on the roof Of the building at
the time Ind the weight of this was supposed
to have had something to do with the acct
dent. The original Coliseum was designed by
8. s. Beman in ItlliGn renaissance style. In
the center of one side rose a campanile 240
feet high and thirty-sX feet square
After the collapse of the first building Ar
chitect Bemln at once drew plans for
new building and ii was constructed and
opened to the public June /, 1896. The de-
tails Of the massive building show compo-
sitoo of fourteen enormous arches seventy
feet at the apex above the ground sud with
span CT 2SO feet in the clear. The building
was encircled on the inside by a gallery
thirty-fve feet wide and thirty-ttlree feet
above the floor. The arena was only equalled
in extent by that of the Roman coliseum.
The building was Insured for s120OOO the
insurance being written h twenty-six differ
ent companies.
FIREMAN INJURED.
| While responding to the alarm Of fire from
the Coliseum. engine company No. 19 col
lided with a passenger train on the Lake
Shore road, smashing the engine badly. Only
one of the firemen, Albert Chamberlain, was
injured, however. The accident occurred a
Forty-frst street and Cottage Grove avenue
rhe hose cart of the comCany was ahead o.
the fire engine and close upon the track:
when the watchman heard a train approach
ing and closed the gates. The hose cart wa'
too close to the gate, however, and before tat
driver could stop his horses, crashed into it
carrying 1t down completely. The drive
managed to step his horses on the track, ant
the watchman, seeing that unless he opened
the gate the hose cart would certainly be rus
down, opened them, letting the cart out o
j danger.
The driver OF the engine, which was clos
behind, thought from the raising of the ia
side gates that the way was clear. urged oil
his horses and dashed on the tracks. Th
train was there before he was, however, an
he drove squarey into the side of a rapid.
moving passenger coach. All of the fremel
were thrown from their seats, but all o
them escaped injury, with the exception O
Chamberlain, whose hurts are not severe.
The total loss on the building and contents
is said to be s47S O0O OF this amount $3.50,
900 was the value of the building and SIPS,
900 the estimated cost of the exhibits ant
material in the exposition in progress in tn
building. Insurance to the amount of $120,
900 was carried on the Coliseum, but of thi
amount $4,000 will go to the holders of out
standing bonds to pay these obligations il
, full. The owners Of the building will ge
but $4,000 out of their insurance.
Colonel John T. Dickson, president of tn
Coliseum company, said tonight that no effor
will be, made to restore the building
Next to the Coliseum, the heaviest ind!
vidual loser is F. C. Bcstwick, the proprieto
n of a mechanical riding school, an elaborat
A contrivance which is said to have cos
3 $50 00O and upon which there was no insur
e ance.
1 SAN JOSE, Cal, Dec. 24.-The plant of tn
t Standard Oil company near the Souther
4 Pacific depot in this city, was totally de
e stroyed by fire this afternoon. The loss
0 about s25 900. While the fire was in progres
] a gasoline tank exploded. Jerry OBrien,
: volunteer fireman, was saturated with burn
ing oil. He fingered in terrible agony unit
r s o'clock p. m, when he died. number G
a other persons were slightly burned.
t NEW YORK, Dec. 24.-The explosion of a
: oil stove used for heating purposes in tn
S Office Of Barwise & Son, dealers in teas an
z coftees today caused fire which consume
e over $40, 900 worth OF property.
n : = = -, .,,-.,