The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-17

| Thirty, Several of Whom Will Die.
Chicago, March 16.-The worst fire tina
has occurred in Chicago since the COLI
storage warehouse holocaust at tn
Worlds Fair. in 1898. broke out in tb
building at the corner of Wabash ayenu
and jackson boulevard today. Tn
death list will reach from to 10 ant
may exceed that figure. The injured
number about 80.
The followingsis the list of'the known
| dead:
Miles A. Smith, salesman, 1886 Wright
wood avenue.
| Samuel A. Clark, employed by the W.
A. Olmstead Scientific company.
Edward A. Binz, cashier for Sweet
Wallace & Co.
Those reported missing and who had
not returned home or communicates
with their friends tonight and whose
bodies are thought to be in the ruins are
the following:
W. A. Olmstead, president of the e. A.
Olmstead Scientific company, rushed
through the sixth floor notifying his en-
ployes of their peril; was seen to 60 TO-
ward the rear of the building and was
not seen to leave.
" II, Aruus, sccroIafy ol biio W. "A.
Olmstead company WAS In the building
when the fire started and has not been
seen since.
Y Unknown woman, seen at window on
sixth floor shortly after Miles Smith
leaped to his death, was not seen after
6. F. Anderson, employed by Sweet,
Wallach q Co., not seen to leave the
building after fire started.
Tony last na7na UnknOyn off ca how
of Sweet, Wallach 81 Co., jumped from
sixth story in the rear, fell into the
ruins it is thought.
Fred Hamill, singer, employed by Ma
tional Music company not seen since fire.
G. A. Price, cashier for w. A. Ohm
stead
SoIoma Grillman, senior cashier for
the National Music company.
III. r. Nelson, worked for w. A. Ohm
stead, seen with Samuel A. Clark, who
was killed.
VIM. Marvin. shipping clerk for Pres
| byterian board OF publication, not at
| home.
| n VIM. Ross, GRAND boy for Presbyterian
| board.
W. J. Wilcox, partner of W. A. Ohm
stead, was in building on 9th floor, when
| fire broke out.
The injured several of whom will die
| include:
w. ]. Cunningham, employed by the
| Northern Pacific company, head and body
burned.
Mary Lapere, b7l South sangamen
street, employed by Wallace COM
psny, burned while descending the fire
escape.
Herman Overman, 1874 West Harriven
street, burned and received internal in
juries.
Colored waiter at H. H. Kohlsaat &
Co. s restaurant, leg broken.
Policeman Rogers, overcome by smoke.
Samuel Snyder, 2b5 Hudson avenue
employed by Sweet Wallace company,
burned Sc vsrely
e. A. Wise, 154 South Albany evenue,
employed by the Sweet Wallace company,
burned severely.
David Schaeffer, 295 Wentworth street,
arm broken, while trying to catch man
who had jumped from the sixth floor.
ankle broken.
Annie Raxa, $50 West 10th street, ankle
sprained and body bruised.
Unidentified man, back broken.
w. II. Murphy, engineer of Emerson
building, burned about face and should
ers.
The Conover Piano company occupied
the first, second and third stories of the
building, the other tenants including the
Presbyterian Board of Publication, and
the Sweet Wallace company, dealers in
photographers supplies, the latter firm
on the sixth floor. 1t was here that the
fire broke out The floor was stored
with chemicals and materials used In
the manufacture of Photographic sup
pies, and according to some who escaped
the entire floor was swept with flames
in five minutes after the fire broke out.
Three hundred girls were employed by
this firm and when the fire broke out a
panic ensued, many of the unfortunate
women being trampled under the feet Of
their comrades in their frantic efforts
to escape Cut of from escape by the
elevators and the stairways, people penned
in the burning building began jumping
from the windows, and though the fire
men and other held nets and canvass,
many persons were crushed on the stone
walks. According to eyswisnesses as
many as ten jumped ut once from the
top floor, while others were seen to fall
back into the flames. The flames quickly
spread to the floors below. and the floor
occupied by tho Presbyterian Board of
Publication and the Sunday School Sup
ply com pany, also contained materially
readily burned. On the lower floor the
piano supplies and instruments were
soon transformed into finder. The
iremen were handicapped by the heat.
Within radius of block the heat broke
streams of water were directed on the
buildings on both sides of the street that
far away in order to prevent them from
catching fire. Several minor blazes did
OCCUR The greatest danger was in the
rear of the Conover building, where were
located big dry goods stores
Thirty-fye minutes after the tire had
broken out, the floors had, all fallen,
and moment later the rear wall fell.
The lremen were warned barely in time
to escape being crushed. Shortly after
the front wall bulged outward and fell,
the tracks of the Union Elevator Look
being completely covered with debris,
and blocking the whole elevated system.
Nearly 200 feet of the loop will have to
be rebuilt.
Miss Kate Carsey, forewoman of the
National Music company, is thought to
have been burned to death after heroical-
ly helping to save the lives of her fellow
employees. When it was learned that the
building was Cd fire, the 40 or more girls
employed by the National Music compa-
n.y. rushed to the elevator and stairways.
Miss Carsey tried to stop the rush, but
was unable to cope with the panic strick-
en- girls. and while some rushed down the
stairways, large number went down the
elevator. Miss Carsey was left behind.