Willmar tribune., 1898-03-22
BURIED IN RED HOT RUINS
The Burning of a Business Building
in Chicago Proves to Be a
Frightful Disaster.
EXPLOSION OF CHEMICALS The CAUSE,
Dead and Many Others Are Misx-
tng-The List of Injured Reaches
Thirty, and the Property Loss IL
Over Half a Million Dollars.

Chicago, March lit required Just
20 minutes Wednesday for one of the
most savage fires Chicago has seen
since the famous cold-storage ware
house fire on the worlds fair grounds
III 1898 to take anywhere from five to
fifteen lives, MAIN 30 people and re-
duce six-story brick building to pile
OF blazing timber, red-hot bricks and
twisted iron. For a time the flames
threatened to consume the entire block
between Adams street and Jackson
boulevard, comprising the houses of
Lyon & Healy, the Butterick Publish
ing company, the Singer Sewing Ma
chine company, the Story Piano COM
pany and the Steger Piano company.
The fire broke out in the building at 213-
2l5 Wabash avenue at II o'clock and
within Is minutes had gained such
headWay that the course of the flames
could not be stayed, as far as that build
ing was concerned.
The Victims.
The number of dead is still in doubt,
and probably will not be definitely
known until the debris of the building
is sufficiently cooled to admit of search
being made for the bodies of those who
are undoubtedly in the ruins. This will
be two days hence at least. Three men
are known to be Dead They are:
Edward Binz. 1925 Prairie avenue: worked
for Sweet, Wallach & Co.
samuel A. Clark, was in the employ of
the w. A. Olmsted Scientific company.
Miles Smith. 1856 Wrightwood avenue.
The missing are II in number, of
whom nothing could be learned at a
late hour, and most of whom are with
out question buried in the wreck.
The Burned Building.
The building was six stories high anc
had frontage of So feet on Wabash av
enue, and extended back 16O feet to the
alley. The principal occupants of the
building were: Conover Piano COM
pany, Presbyterian Board Publication,
Sweet, Wallach d Co., Photographic
supplies; Olmsted Scientific company,
school apparatus; National Music COM
pany, Emerson Piano company, Chi
cago Cottage Organ company, Alfred
Beril, music publisher, and Alfred
elevator shafts, one in the front and
one in the rear, and reaching from the
third floor to the roof was light shaft,
which gave the flames a chance, and
it was because of this shaft that the fire
spread with such awful rapidity.
Inmates in Panic.
It is estimated that 400 persons were
at work in the building when the fire
was discovered. The origin of the fire
is in dispute. BY some it is said to have
been caused by an explosion Of collodon
in the wall paper warerooms nf Alfred
Peats, on the third floor, and by others
to have been the result of ar explosion
among some Photographic chemicals
in the Photographic supply house OF
| Sweet, Wallach & Co., on the sixth floor
The sound of the explosion threw the
inmates of the building into a panic
| and on the several floors a wild STAN
pede began for the stairvays and ele-
vators. TO add to the panic, the men
in charge of the elevators ran their cars
| up to the top of the building, shouting
"Fire!' on every floor. The elevator
| men, however, were cool-headed. and
both made several trips, carrying a
number of frightened occupants to
safety.
Escape Cut Off.
Ten minutes after the explosion all
escape for the inmates by stairs and
elevators was cut off. There remained
only the windows and single fire es-
cape, narrow iron thing not over is
| inches from side to side. This, was
speedily covered with a string of peo-
pie, some on one side, some on the other.
Many OF those who could not reach the
fire escape made their way to the front
| windows and it was out of these that
Clark, Smith and Binz hurled them
selves to death.
Leaped from the Windows.
Clark was bookkeeper for the Ohm
sted company on the top floor. He
| might have escaped had he not re-
mained to put the books in the vault.
Miles Smith, salesman for the Ohm
sted Scientific company, hesitated some
time before taking the leap, but. like
Clark, understood it was his only hope.
He was instantly killed, his BODY being
horribly mangled.
Edward Binz, cashier of Sweet, Wal.
ZACH & Co., also fell victim to his de-
sire to save others and protect his books
| from harm. AS the stairways were in
flames there was nothing left but win
| dow and to this he went. A big crowd
on the street watched him in silent hor-
ror as he stood deliberating. The build
ing was a roaring mass of flames. and
Binz' face and hands were badly burned
| before he jumped. He ponGered the
matter but a few seconds, then his
form shot downward through cloud OF
| flame and smoke and in the drawing OF
| a breath he fell as lifeless as the stones
over which his blood and brains were
| spattered.
| The Losses.
The losses by the fire amounted to
$s2o,ooo, according to the statements OF
those interested last night. The total
insurance on the three buildings, 21a
| to 223 Wabash avenue amounted tc
$4os,e5o.
Strikers Give Up.