The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-03-17
QUICK AND DISASTROUS.
From Five to Fifteen Lives Lost in a
q Fire In Chicago.

From Five TO Fifteen Lives Lost in a
O. Fire In Chicago.
Chicago. March lit required just
20 minutes wednesday, afternoon for
one OF the most savage fires Chicago
has seen since the famous cold storage
warehouse fire on the worlds fair
grounds In 1898 TO take from five to 15
lives. MAIN 80 people ard reduce a six
story brick building TO pile of blazing
timber 1red-hot bricks qnd twisted IRON.
Yhe 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
undoubtedly are In the ruins. This
will be two days hence at least. Three
men are known TO be dead. They are:
Samuel A. Clark. bookkeeper for the
Olmstead Scientific company; Miles A.
Smith. salesman for the same company.
and Edward Binz. cashier for Sweet,
Wallach q Co.
The origin Of the fire is unknown. BY
some II said to have been caused by an
explosion OF collodion in the wallpaper
warerooms OF Alfred Peate on the third
fio2A, and by others TO have been the re-
suit OF an explosion among some photo
graphic chemicals In the supply house
OF Sweet, Wallach & Co. on the sixth
floor. Employees of both concerns deny
that there was any explosion In their
vicinity. The weight of evidence seems
TO be. however, that the explosion was
In the lover part OF the building. for the
flames shot up the light shaft at once.
The sound OF the explosion thre wthe
inmates of the building into a panic,
and on several floors a wild stampede
for the stairways and elevators began
To add To the panic the men I'm charge
OF the elevators ran their cars up TO the
top OF the building, shouting fire" at
every floor. When they reached the
top both elevators took on a load OF
frightened women and started for the
bottom. The front elevator was in
charge of Henry Gleason, a boy, and that
In the rear was handled by William st.
John. young man. Both of these kept
thesr heads, showed much GOODNESS and
bravery, and were instrumental in saw
ing many lives.
In less than 10 minutes after the ex-
plosion that started the fire all escape
Tor the inmates by the stairs and eleA
Vators was cut off. There remained
only the windows and the single es-
cape. an iron structure not over Is inches
from side TO side. This was speedily
covered with a string OF people. some
on one side, some on the other. Many
OF those who could not reach the fire.
escape made their way 10 the front
windows, and 1t was out OF these that
Clark Smith and Riuz burlad thap,
selves 10 death.
Edward Bing fell a victim 10 his desire
to save others and to protect his books
from harm. Upon hearing the alarm.
he ran 10 the rear of the store TO warn
the employees to run for their lives. He
then rushed back to his desk, gathered
his books and jammed them into the
vault. Then he started for the stair
way. but the flames were ahead OF him
and he turned back There was moth
Ing but the window, and TO this he went
He clambered upon the sill and stood
there in view OF the crowd below. Clark
and Smith had already bedaubed the
pavement with their lifeblood. and the
crowd knew there was no more chance
for BinZ than for them. They watched
him in silent horror as he stood delib-
Grating. The building was a roaring
mass OF flames and Blnz's face and
hands were badly burned before he
jumped. He pondered the matter but
a few seconds. Then his form shot
downward through n cloud OF flames and
smoke and in the drawing OF breath
nc was as llfeless as the stones over
which his lifeblood and brains were