The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-03-16
DEATH PYRE.
Awful Fire in Chicago Destroys
Many Lives.
Fifteen Persons Are Believed
to Have PeriShed
In the Burning of a Big Music
House
ON WABASH AVENUE.
Lyon & Healy, COnOver Bros,
National Music Co.,
And Others Burned Out and
Great Property Loss.
HEAT WAS so INTENSE
That Windows For Many Blocks
Cracked and Fell Out.
Panic in Wellington Hotel OPP
pOsite the Fire.
Thirty Persons Injured by
Flames and Falling Debris.

Chicago, March 16.-The worst fire
that has occurred in Chicago since the
cold storage warehouse holocaust at
the Worlds fair in 1S93 broke out in
the building at the corner of Wabash
avenue and Jackson boulevard today.
The death list will probably reach Is,
and may exceed that figure.
The following is list of the dead so
far as known:
MILES A. SMITH, salesman, lived at
1896 WrightwOod avenue.
SAMUEL A. CLARK. jumped from
the fourth floor, employed by the w A.
Olstead Scientific company.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN taken from
215 Wabash avenue. burned beyond rec
ognition.
MISS KATE CARNEY, forewoman
of the National Music company. be-
lieved to have perished in the flames
after helping to safety the last one OF
40 girls in her charge.
SOL GROLLMAN, western agent Of
the Hoffman Tool company.
=. GROLLMAN, father of Sol Groll-
man.
CHARLES ANDERSON, employed by
Sweet. Wallach & Co, has not been
seen since the first explosion.
PHILIP FARLEY, "a EIburn avenue,
employed as piano mover by the Con-
over Piano company cannot be found.
An office boy employed by Sweet.
Wallach & Co., jumped from the sixth
floor and is thought to be buried in the
debris caused by the falling walls.
w. A. OLMSTEAD, president of the
Olmstead Scientific Co, when the ex-
plosion occurred, ran to the rear of the
seventh floor of the building and has
not been seen since.
THE INJURED.
The injured as far as known: H B.
Cunningham, employed by the North
ern Pacific Express company, head and
body burned, taken to the county hos
pital.
Mary Leeper, 571 South Sangamon
street, employed by Sweet. WalIich &
Co., burned while descending the fire
escape from the sixth floor, taken
home.
Herman Overman, 1847 West Harri-
son street. descended the fire escape
with Miss Leeper, but fell from the sec
Ond floor, burned and received internal
injuries, taken home.
Colored waiter at H. H Kohlsaat &
Co.'S restaurant, leg broken by falling
wall.
Police officer Rogers, overcome by
smoke, taken to county hospital
Samuel G. Snyder, 25O9 Hudson ave-
nue., employed by Sweet, Wallich & Co,
burned severely.
E. A Wise 154 South Albany avenue.
employed by Sweet, Wallich & Co,
burned severaly.
The ConOver Piano company occupied
the first, second and third floor of the
building. The tenants included the
Presbyterian board of publication and
the Sweet Wallace company, dealers IN
Photographic supplies, the latter firms
on the sixth floor. 1t was here that the
fire broke out. The floor was stored
with chemicals and material used IN
the manufacture of Photographic sup
plies, and, according to some who es-
| capped, the entire office was swept with
! flames in five minutes after the fire
Three hundred girls were employed
| by this firm, and when the fire broke
| out a panic ensued, many of the un-
| fortunate women being trampled under
| the feet Of their comrades in their fran
| tic efforts to escape. Cut off from eS-
| cane bv the elevators and the stairways
| people penned in the burning building
| began jumping from the windows, and
| though the firemen and others held
| nets and canvas, many were crushed on
| the stone sidewalks
According to eye witnesses, as many
! as ten jumped at once from the top
/ floor, and others were seen shortly af-
| ter to fall back in the flames. The
| flames quickly spread to the floors be-
| meath.
| The floor occupied by the Presbyter-
| ian Board of Publication and Sunday
| school Supply company, also contained
! material which readily burned.
| On the lower floors the piano supplies
! and instruments held in stock by the
! Conover Piano company, were soon
/ transformed to tinder.
| The fremen were badly handicapped