The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-12-25
h BIC CHICAGO FIRE
The Coliseum Building Was
Totally Destroyed.
LIST OF THOSE INJURED
QUICKEST FIRE EVER KNOWN
IN CHICAGO.
SEVERAL PER50NS ARE MISSING

SEVERAL PERs0NS ARE MISSING
The Building Was Rented For Manufacturers
Exhibition The Crossing Of Two Elec-
tic Light Wires the Cause
Of the Fire.
Chicago, Ill. Dec. 24.--Fire to-nigh
destroyed the Coliseum building 1T Six
" third street and Stony Island avenue
aN which the Democratic National Con
ation was held last year: The FIR
was one or rne quickest ever seen In
Chicago. From the time when the lire
was originated by the crossing OF twd
electric light wires, until the Coliseum
was a Pile of twisted iron and hot bricks
was not over twenty minutes.
The building had been rented for a
manufacturers exhibition, and was filled
from end to end with. booths, all
which were destroyed with all of their
contents.
1t is supposed that a number of people
were lost in the flames, and although
no bodies have been recovered, the follow
ing people are missing and have uii-
doubtedly perished.
Two women, dancers in the midway
exhibit; seen in the building just before
the fire.
Two men were seen in the center OF
the building during the fire by fremen.
Il. Ladany and his son, conducted 4
sausage booth in the building. Ladanyi
entered the structure during the fire TO
search for his son, whom he declared
was penned in by the flames and neither
has since been seen.
The injured are:
Peter Foots. watchman, burned about
face and hands.
Harry Parker, New York city, slight
~ burned.
G. A. Lyons, New York city, slightly
burned.
mrs. G. A. Lyons, severely burned.
Nj. j. Morley, lacerated by explosion
of Creeks tubes and burned about The
head.
Wm. Robertson, face and hands burn
ed.
NJ. ]. Wheeler, watchman, han .
burned.
James Maher, fireman, burned Will
cutting a live wire with Il pair OF
shears.
Robert Harley, fireman, severely bruis-
ed by debris during the collapse of a
wall of the building.
Miss Helen Conger, shocked by live
wire and severely burned about right
arm.
George Dekreko, proprietor of the
Streets of Cairo exhibit, jumped from
a window of the burning building aad
was severely bruised.
Louis Weiss, janitor, burned about the
face and hands.
.Erank Murphy, st. Louis, severely
burned.
Harry Hamilton, burned about face.
W. III. Wright. burned about arms.
Am. Allaby, fireman, thrown from a
fire engine in a collision with a Lake
Shore train at Cottage Grove avenue
and 41st street: head bruised.
Albert Chamberlain, burned about face
and hands.
Eugene Duggan, burned about left
side.
The fire originated in booth which
was used for an exhibition OF X rays,
the booth being managed by M. J. Nor
ley, and VIM. Robertson. The two men
We're examining their Rientgen machines
when they were startled by sizzling
noise behind them and upon turning say
a part of their exhibit ablaze. Crossed
electric wires which were over the ex-
hibit, 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. Morley, realizing thar
he and his partner would be unable 10
cope with the flames, then made an cn-
deavor to save some of the most vaiua-
BILE of the X rays paraphernalia.
Running to the machine he grasped two
Crookes tukes and then with Robertson
began fighting his way from the build
ing. Before he reached an exit the
tubes which he held in both his hands
exploded from the heat, severely lacerat-
ing his hands. His hair also caught fire
and he was severely burned ...out the
head. Robertson was burned about the
face.
About three hundred people were in the
building at the time of the fire and nj
the first alarm there was rush for
safety. Fortunately the aisles were
wide and owing to the comparatively
small number of people in the building
there was lite difficulty in reaching the
doors. Most of those endeavoring to es
cape ran to a large door on the east side
of the building which is wide enough to
admit a team of horses and wagon. A
crowd of fully 200 peor' thered be-
fore this door which wa ound to be
locked ard as the fire was roaring
through the building with great speed
it seemed for few minutes as though
none OF these would be able 70 escape
w. 7. Wheeler, watcbn'"n saw the
trouble and ron to orcn 1oor but
the crowd was rackel in f',nf of it SO
closely that qlo bad the greatest diffcul.
ty in opening it.
L-n.al.A- II -ralidn-hasIaraT and the
crowd was in the open air h few
seconds. During the jam at his no;n,
several people were badly cru sbad b,,,
none was seriously injured. Tba haI
1nce of the people made the ~ ,,.,
through the other doors and se' a-., ~ ~
were caught in the balcony wt 10 oon,
PEELED to jump to the ground .or, ~
roof. The balcony is lined VI - 80
lows that swing ontwards and ~
no trouble in getting upon thet -. I