The Dickinson press., 1898-03-19
MANY ARE 3. MISSING
PROBABLY "A SCORE persisted IN
A FIRE At CHICAGO.

Hx Story Structure Reduced to Ashes in
Half an Hour-Thsre Were Four Han.
drsd Persons in the Building and
Panic Resulted - Fisraest Since the
: Famous Cold Storage Fire.
CHICAGO, March 17.-It required just
81 minutes for one of the most savage
fires Chicago has seen since the famous
cold storage warehouse fire on the
worlds fair grounds in 1893 to take
anywhere from 10 to 20 lives, MAIN so
people and reduce 6.story brick build
ing to pile blazing timber, redhot
bricks and twisted iron. The fire broke
out in the building at the corner Of
Wabash avenue and jackson boulevard.
The number of dead is still in doubt
and probably will not be definitely
known until the debris Of the building
Il sufficiently cooled to admit Of
search being made for the bodies Of
those who arc undoubtedly in the
ruins. The known dead are:
Samuel A. Clark, bookkeeper for the
Olmstead Scientific company; Miles A.
Smith, salesman for the Olmstead Scien-
tiflc company; Edward A. Binz, cashier
fer Sweet, Wallach & Co.
Long List Of Missing. 80
The missing, Of whom nothing can
be learned and most Of whom are with.
out question buried in the wreck Of the
building. are: 'A eLes
w. A. Olmstead, president of the Ohm
stead Scientific company: G. H, Arms.
secretary Of w. A. Olmstead Scientific
company; Mrs. NJ. E. Harris, bookkeeper
for w. A. Olmstead Scientific company;
unknown woman; c. 4. Anderson en-
ployed by Sweet, Wallach g. Co.; office
boy for Sweet, Wallach & Co., name not
known; Fred Hamill, vaudeville singer;
G. A. Price, cashier for w. A Olmstead
Scientific company; Soloman Grollman,
Jr., Western agent for Henry Holtzman
Of Columbus, O.; Solomon Grollman, ST.,
with Solomon 4rollman, Jr.; Anna
Guest, cashier for the National Music
company; II. R. Nelson, worked for w.
A. Olmstead Scientific company; William
Marvin, shipping clerk for Presbyterian
board Of publication; William Ross,
errand boy for Presbyterian board Of
publication; w. ]. Wilcox, partner of w.
A. Olmstead. 7-e,....
Four Hundred In the Building.
The building was six stories high
and reaching from the third story to
the roof was light shaft which gave
the flames every chance and it was be.
cause of this shaft that tho fire spread
with such awful rapidity. The build.
ing was occupied by number Of con.
Germs, some of them employing large
numbers Of people. It is estimated
that 400 persons were at work in the
building when the fire was discovered.
The alarm threw the inmates of the
building into panic and on several
floors wild stampede began for tho
stairways and elevators. The latter
were slow affairs and not calculated for
such an emergency. and but few es.
capped by that route. In less than 10
minutes all escape by the stairs and ell
evators was cut Of. There remained
only the windows and thu single fire
escape, a narrow iron thing not over 10
inches from side to side. This was
speedily covered with string Of people
and progress was allow and difficult in
their frantic haste. 81 =.
Cut off from escape by tho ele.
vators and stairways, people penned in
the burning building began jumping
from the windows, and though the fire.
men and others held nets and canvas,
many were crushed on the stone side.
walks. Clark, Smith and Binz were
killed in this way. -
Within radius of q block the heat
broke panes of glass and dislodged
signs, and 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.
Thirty-five minutes after tho fire
had broken out, the floors had fallen,
and moment or two later the rear
wall fell. The firemen working there
were warned, but barely in time fos
10 of them to escape being crushed.
Shortly after the front wall bulged
outward and fell, the tracks Of the
Union Elevated loop being completely
covered with debris, and blocking tho
whole elevated system. e