The age-herald., 1898-03-17
CHICAG0'S MIGHTY
 CONFEDERATION

Continued From First Page.)
 the explosion that stanted the fire, aN es- cape of the inmates by the stairs and eoe- vators was cut off. There remained only the windows and the single fire escape, a. narrow iron ladder not over IS inches from side to side. This was quickly covered with a string of people. They scramblel down in frantic haste, they trod upon one an- others fingers, bumped into one another and progress was slow and difficult for all of them. Many of those who could not reach the fire escape made their way to the front windows and out of these hurled themselves. Clark might have escaped had he run upon the first alarm. He was first seen at one of the seventh story windows and a few minutes after showed hims.lf in a window of the sixth fioor The lire was close upon d1im, the floors and walls behind him were crashing down and 1t was certain death to remain whore he was. There was no possibility of help and he took his only chance. Three minutes Later he was dead on the pavement below.
 Miles Smith, a salesman for the Olmsted Scientific Co.,, also leaped from window on the sixth floor. He hesitated some time before taking the leap, but, like Clark, understood that 1t was his only hope. He was instantly killed, his body being hor- rbly mangled.
 Jumped to His Death
 Edward Binz, the cashier of Sweet, Wal lach & Co.,, on the sixth floor, fell a victim to his desire to save others and to protect his books from harm. He, upon hearing the alarm ran to the rear of the store to warn the employees to run for their lives.
 He then rushed back to his desk, gather ed up his books and damned them into the vault. Then he started for the stairway, but the flames were ahead of him and he turned back. There was nothing but the window and to this he went He chamber ed upon the sill and stood there in view Of the crowd below. Clark and Smith had al- ready bedaubed the pavement with their life blood and the crowd knew there was no more chance for Binz than for them. They watched him in silent horror as he stood deliberating. The building was roaring mass of flames and Binz's face and hands were badly burned before he Jumped. He pondered the matter but few sec onds, then his form shot downward through a cloud of flame and smoke, and in the drawing of breath he was as life less as the stones over which his blood and brains were spattered.
 Fireman's Daring Rescue
 One fireman distinguished himself by daring rescue. He was upon a. ladder close to the building when he heard cry ringing out above the roar of the flames. He steadied himself upon the ladder and peered into the dense smoke. Just then gust of wind cleared the scene. The fire man saw a man in window of the fifth story carrying an inanimate form.
 That the rescuer was about to throw the numerous human beings into the street in the vain hope of saving the man from a death by roasting, was evident The ire was roaring so that no voice could be heard Putting up his hands as a signal to walt until he got ready the fireman again braced himself upon the ladder and then 1le waved his arms for the rescuer to drop the unconcious man to him. With a shock that nearly knocked the heroic fire man from his position upon the ladder, the body of the man struck the fire fighter. But it did not go away from him. He held the unconscious man through all the sway and swinging of the ladder. Hastily de- scen,Nng, the fireman turned his urncon- scious burden over to the police and re- turned to his post. The man who had saved the unconscious workman had dfs- appeared. He had chance to escape had he been brave enough to dash through the smoke and flame. But if he did not inn mediately follow the fireman who bore away the man he hat1 picked up on the fifth floor his charred remains win be found in the ruins when the search for the dsad is made.
 w. A. Ofmsted president of the olmsted Scientific company ran to the rear or the seventh story of the building on 211 Wa bash avenue and has not been seen since IT is thought he has been buried in the ruins.
 The scene upon the downtown street riyalled anything seen at fire in Chicago for years The great flames which shot from the center of the burning structure rose to such a height In the air that they could be observed three blocks in any di- rection down Wabash avenue. Volumes Of black smoke rolled upward and spread over the surrounding streets, alarming the crowds Business and shopping affairs of every description were abandoned imme- diately and the vast throngs made rush for the scene.
 Saving of Lives
 George Fonters, property man at the Great Northern theater, and H. D. Cullen saved several lives. Fenters was passing through the alley in the rear of the build ing when he saw flames bursting from the roof Fenters rushed to the fire alarm box at Jackson street and Wabash avenue and turned in an alarm. He met Cullen run ming down the street with a blanket and followed him. The men stood in front or the burning building and held the blanket extended, shouting to several girls on the second floor to jump. Among those who leaped were Josie and Annie Baxa. Sev- eral others jumped into the blanket and thus escaped injury. The men stood at the spot until driven from it by the flames. The report that the Wellington hotel was damaged by the fire was without founda- tion. The hotel is half block from the burned building and no damage to the structure or panic among guests resulted
 The loss is estimated at s4so.ooO.