Semi-weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings Co., S.D.) 1894-1898, 1898-03-18
Number of Victims Of the Chi
cago Fire Not Yet Defi-
nitely Known.
OF the Four Hundred in the
Building Many Are Unac-
counted For.
Six-Story Structure Reduced
to Ashes in a Brief
Half Hour.


fires Chicago has seen since the famous
cold storage warehouse fire on the
worlds fair grounds in 1895 to take
anywhere from 10 to 20 lives, MAIN 30
people and reduce 6-story brick build.
ing to pile of blazing timber, redhot
bricks and twisted iron.
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 a
search being made for the bodies OF
those who are 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-
tific company; Edward A Binz, cashier
for Sweet, Wallach & Co.
| Long List of Missing.
The missing, Of whom nothing can
be learned and most of whom are with.
out question buried in the wreck Of the
building, are:
w. A. Olmstead president of the Ohm
stead Scientific company; u. IL. Arms,
secretary Of w. A. Olmstead Scientific
company; Mrs. M. E. Harris, bookkeeper
for w. A. Olmstead Scientific company;
unknown woman; c. L. Anderson, en-
ployed by Sweet, Wallach g. Co.; office
boy for Sweet, Wallach & Co., name not
known; Fred Hamill vaudeville singer;
C. A. Pricc, cashier for W. A Olmstead
Scientific company; Soloman Grollman,
|
Of Columbus, O.; Solomon Grollman Sr,
with Solomon Grollman, Jr.; Anna
Guest, cashier for the National Music
company; H. 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. j. Wilcox, partner of w.
A. Olmstead.
Four Hundred in the Building.
The building was six stories high
and reaching from the third story to
the roof was a light shaft which gave
tho flames every chance and it was be-
cause of this shaft that the fire spread
with such awful rapidity. The build.
ing was occupied by number Of con-
|
mum bers of people. 1t 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 a panic and on several
floors wild stampede began for the
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 the single fire
escape, a narrow iron thing not over Is
inches from side to side. This was
speedily covered with string Of people
and progress was slow and difficult in
their frantic haste.
Forced to Jump From Windows.
Cut off from escape by the 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 q radius of block the hea,
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 tc
, prevent them from catching fire.
Thirty.five minutes after the fire
had broken out, the floors had fallen
and a moment or two later the real
wall fell. The firemen working there
! were warned, but barely in time fol
Is of them to escape being crushed
Q Shortly after the front wall bulget
!: outward and fell, the tracks OF th'
Union Elevated loop being completely
r covered with debris, and blocking th'
-,,l>olo olayotaI STAN