The herald., 1898-05-13
AN ARMOUR fLfvATOR
REDUCED TO A MASS OF ASHES
/. AND orHDrRs


CHICAGO May 1Z.-Gratn Elevator -.
belonging to the Chicago. Burlington and
Quincy Elevator Company was destroyed
by fire this afternoon. Losses on building
and contents Will aggregate about 8, 800 900.
The elevator contained LIS 900 bushels Of
grain. valued at $780, 900. the property Of p.
d. Armour. The grain was fully insured.
At 1:so p. m. the fire seemed to get beyond
control and was spreading rapidly into the
lumber district.
The elevator stood at Lumber and Brown
streets on the west bank Of the Chicago
River, near the Twenty-second street lum-
Der districa. It was used as a grain ware
house by P. D. Armour, and had capacity
Of 3,260.0O0 bushels. The cupoia of the ele-
vator fell within an hour after the flames
we're discovered and after that the Fire
Department rapidly lost control. Under
the influence Of a strong wind the flames
began to spread in every direction and
seized huge piles of lumber In half o dozen
lumber yards within a few squares of the
elevator. The Lord & Bushnell Lumber
Company was the first concern whose
property was set on fire from the elevator.
The lumber yard Of d. 8. Tate was next
destroyed and freight cars on their side
tracks were consumed with the contents
of finished lumber. The yard Of Arthur
Gourley & Company caught fire but quick
work of the firemen headed of the flames
in this direction. Frank Bender & COM
pany's yards adjoining the Gourdley prop
crty caught next and before the Fire De-
partment steamers on the river could
reach the Bender plant 1t was entirely de-
stroyed.
The fre was most exciting one. Rail
road employees with bravery approaching
reckelssness took switch engines from the
sidetracks leading between the blazing lum-
Der piles and coupling them to standing
freight cars dragged them blasting from the
heart of the CONGREGATIONS. The flaming
trains, as soon as they were outside of
the lumber yards were deluged by fire en-
gines. This work was prosecuted by tho
railroad men until the heat from the lun-
her yards caused the rails to curl, pulling
the spikes from the ties and rendering
the tracks useless.
The gravest apprehensions as the fire
spread were entertained for the great gas
tanks of the Peoples Gas Light and Coke
Company. The firemen realized that these
were about as dangerous as powder mag
azines and that a single spark might cause
an explosion frightful in Its consequences.
A strong patrol of firemen with two engines
and quantity Of other apparatus were
detailed for duty in the vicinity Of the gas
reservoirs.
At 1:45 pm. the fire was still burning in
the lumber yards, but the losses were con-
In Cd IN he rdc M Cd q nd ho Da-
partment officials believed they had the
flames under control. There was an ex-
plosion of grain dust in Elevator D, be-
longing to the Chicago, Burlington ana
Quincy Railroad which wrecked the in
terror before the flames had made much
progress. The grain handlers at work in
the elevators were compelled to slide down
the chutes used for loading grain into the
cars, and all of them escaped uninjured.
Elevator d, which was used by p. D.
Armour as a store house, contained /, 115, 200
bushels of grain as follows: 100000 bushels
of wheat; 625.OO0 bushels, of corn; 200 900
bushels of oats; 10000 bushels of fax, and
10000 bushels of rye.
Armour's loss on the grain will foot up
1880, 900, fully covered by insurance. The
elevator was valued at s2S5, 900, and was
also fully insured.
At PM, although the fire was said to
be practically under control, there was
four acres of lumber piles still burning.
Dennis Sweenie. the veteran Chief of the
Fire Department, was seriously injured.
His face was severely burned, his beard
being completely singed Off.
William Atherson, engineer of the ele-
vator and his fireman, Dennis O'Connor,
are missing.