The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-12-25
BIG COLISEUM DESTROYED
The Fire Mas Caused by Crossed
Electric Wires.
TX BELIEVED TO HAVE Persisted
While n score Of other Persons
Were More or Less InJurcd-WuI
Not lie Rebuilt.

Chicago, December 2i.--Fire tonight de
stroye1 the Coliseum building at sixty
third street and Stony Island avenue, ii
which the democratic National convention
was held last year. II burned very fast
and was not over twenty minutes burning
The building has been rented for an exhi-
bition of manufacturers exposition. anc
vas filled from end TO end with booths
all of which were destroyed with all oil
their contents. 1t is supposed that a num-
Der of people were lost In the flames. aud
| although no bodies have been recovered, The
following people are missing and have uu-
doubtedly perished
Two women. dancers in tie Midway ex-
| position seen in the building Just before
| il collapsed
| Two men seen in the center OF the huld-
ing during the tire by firemen.
Howard Greiser, Wilmington. Del, deco
| Tator.
Joseph Biernes, Hoboken. n. j.. deco
rator.
Grieser and Biernes We're decorating one
OF the booths IN the balcony when the IRE
broke out, The manager u The exhibit
ran to the booth and called TO the men
tGat the place was onsfire and for them 10
save themselves. They were apparently
in no hurry and the last seen of them
they were seen at work. 1t Is thought that
they were both lost.
he injured;
Peter Foot5. Waterman. burned about The
face aud hands.
Harry Parker New York City slightly
burned,
q. A. Lyons, New York City slightly
burned.
Mrs. G. \. lyons severely burned.
II. \. Merely. lacerated b. explosion Of
Crooks tubes and burned about head.
William Robertson. face ana hands
burned
a. j. Wheeler. Waterman, hands burned.
James Maher fireman burned ghile
cutting a live wire with pair of shears.
Robert IIarney, fireman. severely
bruised by the collapse Of the wall OF The
building.
Miss Helen Conger, shocked by i've
wires: severely burned about the right
arm
George Dekerk, proprietor OF the Streets
of Cairo exhibit, jumped from window
Of the burning building and was severely
bruised.
Louis Weiss, jauitor, burned about face
and hands
Frank Murphy, st. Louis, severely burn
ed
hurry tldlNlllONt bulHtU hluul luNc'
w. II Wright, burned about arms.
William Allaby fireman. thrown from
window bead bruised
Albert |. Chamberlain, burned about face
aud hands.
Eugene Dug.Nn. burned about left side
The fire originated in a booth which
was used for an exhibition OF N-rays, the
booth being managed by NJ. j. Morley and
William Robertson The two men were
ffp
startled by a sizzling noise behind them
and upon turning saw a part of their eX-
hibit abaze. Crossed electric light wires.
which were over the exhibit are thought
to have caused the flames. They at first
tried to smother the flames, but before
they secured water and cloth the fire had
spread throughout the entire booth. Nor
ley, realizing that he.nnd his partner would
be u1able TO cope with the flames, then
made an endeayor TO save some of the
most valuable Of their apparatus. Running
to the machine he grasped two Crookes
tubes. and then with Robertson began
fighting his way out of the building. Be
fore he reached an exit the tube he held
in both his hands exploded from the heat,
severely decorating his hands His hair
also caught fire and he was severely burn
ed about She head Robertson was burned
about the face.
About 300 people were In the building at
the time OF the fire and there was rush
for safety. Fortunately the aisles were
wide, and owing to the comparatively
small number OF people in the building
there was little difficulty In reaching the
doors
The firemen were at hand before the
people were out, and before they made an
effort to fight The flames they devoted
their attention to clearing the hall of pso-
pie.
The fire spread with such rapidity that
there was no chance whatever of saving the
building after 1t had once gotten beyond
the confines of the booth in which IT start
ed. In but a short time one of the large
arches within the building gave way with
tremendous report and then another.
eaeh one going down with n sound like the
report OF a cannon, The building fell very
quickly, MS after the first arch went down
the weight was too great for the arches
next to 1t and all collapsed. In twenty
minutes the building was completes
rum.
The Coliseum cost $3.50, 600 and was twice
as large as the Madison Square garden
building Of New York, II had a floor
SPACE OF seven acres. was 40 feet long nv
500 feet wide and contained 1000 900
pounds OF Steel, 100000 feet of timber
and 100000 bricks. The details ~ he
massive building show composition al
fourteen enormous arches seventy feet
At the apex above the ground and with j
span of 20 feet In the clear. The buildinS
was encircled by CELERY thirty-fve feel
Wide and thirty feet above the floor. TIE
arena was only equalled in extent nv thr.
CT the Roman coliseum
The total loss Oh the building and co,-
tents is said to be S4S7 900 OF this amonnt
sS9G'ooO was tho value Of the building and
$l2S'OO0 the estimated cost of Mo rxbihits
ana material in the exposition In progrsss
III the structure Insurance to the omonnt
o. Sl2o.ooo was carried on the coliseum
nut of this amount SlO0Oo0 will 90 10 tba
holders OF the outstanding dcbss Tbs
owners OF the building will get but SEQ
zoo out Of their Insurance.
Colonel John T. Dickinson. orasiao,, i,
me Coliseum company. said ton,rbt sbot
eS'''e the
While responding 20 the alarm - sro
from the coliseum engine No. IA coi,,das
WIN passenger train on the Lake SEQ
yoad smashing the fire engine badly nni,
one OF the firemen Albert cha,nbsrlain
was injured. but not seriously.