The record-union., 1898-03-17

| the LADDER ana reached out his arms for
the rescuer TO drop the unconscious
man to him. With a shock that near
! ~ knocked the heroic fireman from his
position upon the ladder, the body of
| the man struck the fire fighter. But
| it did not get away from him. He
held the unconscious man through all
/ the swaying and swinging of the lad
| der Hastily descending, the fireman
turned his unconscious burden over to
the police. and returned to his post.
The man who had saved the uncon-
scious workman had disappeared. He
| had chance to escape, had he been
brave enough to dash through the
smoke and flames. But if he did not
| immediately follow the fireman who
bore away the men he had picked up on
the fifth floor, his charred remains will
/ be found in the ruins when the search
for the dead is made.
w A. Olmstead, President of the
| Olmstead Scientific Company ran t.
| the rear of the seventh floor of the
building, 30 Wabash avenue. and has
not been seen since. It is thought he
has been buried in the ruins
A VAST THRONG AT THE FIRE.
The scene upon the downtown streets
rivaled anything seen at a fire in Chi
cago for years. The great flames
which shot from the center of the burn
| ing structure rose to such a hight in
the air that they could be observed
| three blocks III either direction down
| Wabash avenue Black volumes of
smoke rolled upward and spread over
the surrounding streets, alarming the
/
of every description were abandoned
| Immediately, and the vast throngs
made rush for the scene.
THE FIRE SPREAD RAPIDLY.
The Emerson Piano Company occu-
/ pied the first, second and third stories
of the building. Among other tenants
were the Presbyterian Board of Publi-
cation anad the Sweet Wallach Com
pany, dealers in Photographic supplies,
the latter on the sixth floor It was
here that the fire broke out The floor
was stored with chemicals and mater
ials used in the manufacture of photo
graphic supplies 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 panic ensued, many of the unfor-
! tunate women being trampled under
| the feet of their comrades in their
/ frantic efforts to escape. Cut off from
/ escape by the elevators and the stair
ways, people entrapped in the burning
/ building began jumping from the Win
| doWs and though the fiermen and
others held nets and canvas many were
crushed on the stone sidewalks. Ac-
cording to the eye witnesses as many as
ten jumped from the top floors and 9TH
ers We're seen shortly to fall back into
the flames. The flames quickly spread
| to the floors beneath.
The floors occupied by the Presbyter-
ian Board Of Publication and Sunday
schol supplies companies contained ma
terial which readily burned on the
lower floors the piano supplies and in
/ struments held in stock by the piano
company Were soon transferred into
| tinder.
/ FIREMEN BADLY HANDICAPPED.
The frenlen were badly handicapped
by the heat, which was terrific Within
a radius of block the heat broke panes
of glass and dislodged signs, and
streams of water We're directed on the
buildings on both sides of the streets
that far away in order to prevent them
from catching fire. Several minor
blazes did occur.
! The fiercest fire was in the rear of the
| COnover Company where We're located
big dry goods stores. Thirty-fve min
utes after the fire broke out the floors
had all fallen, and a moment or two
later the wall fell. Shortly after the
front wall bulged outward and fell, the
tracks of the Union Elevated Loop be-
ing completely covered with debris and
| blocking the whole elevated system.
Nearly 200 feet of the loop will have to
be rebuilt.
A HEROINE PERISHES.
Miss Kate Carney, forewoman of the
National Music Company, on the fourth
floor of the Emerson building. is
/ thought to have burned to death after
herOically helping to save many lives of
her felloW-employes Miss Carney was
a true heroine. Although at the out
set she had opportunity to escape with
/ the other women, she semeed to feel il.
her duty to stay and help the escape of
/ the girls over whom she had charge.
/ Her voice could be heard above the
shrieks of the panicstricken girls, urg-
ing them to preserve order and reassur-
ing them again and again She stood
/ near the stairway and attempted to
seize the foremost women as they
| dashed down to the next floor. but she
was thrown aside
When she saw there was no hone of
| stopping the panic, she darted to tho
elevator cage to calm the others As
! the elevator ascended Miss Carney or
dered the conductor to stop. She then
j turned and helped her frightened
charges into the cage. During all fbe
excitement she remained calm. and is-
sued orders as though directing tha
women at work. As the elevator
started to descend without Miss Carney
one of the girls cried to the conductor
to stop, but the brave woman tbo,gn
staring death in the face. shouted to
them not to mind her. that she would
| take care of herself
The girls she sent down tho a1o1,o+o,.
/ escaped unhurt. Two of those who
bolted headlong down the narrow, .te,i,.
! way. Josie ana Anna Baxa. made +ha;,
way TO the second floor, but were cut
! off by the flames and were forced :,
Jump from window. They were both
badly injured. but at the hospital their
greatest anxiety and sorrow vas 70
garding Forewoman Kate Carney
The heat was so intense apd H.
smoke so thick that the elevator man
feared to return for Miss carnev
THE FIGHT FOR LIFE
The fire seemed to spring from tbra.
.,ooi q one tiihe. The occupants OF