Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-03-24
A CHICAGO HORROR,
From Five to Fifteen Lives Lost Ia
a Fire on Wabash Avenue.
ABOUT THIRTY PERSONS NAMED.
The Building and Contents Totally Dc.
stroyed-The Elevated Tracks Badly
Dan,agsd-A Wild Stampede
ut the Cry Of Fire

20 minutes yesterday afternoon for one
Of the most savage fires that Chicago
has seen since the famous cold storage
warehouse fire on the worlds fair
grounds in 1893 TO take anywhere from
FIVE TO Is lives, main 30 people and re.
duce a six-story brick building on Wa
bash avenue to pile Of blazing tim
bers, red.hot bricks and twisted iron.
Two men leaped six stories and were
dashed to pieces. 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.
The building was occupied by mum"
Der of concerns, some of them employ.
ing large numbers Of people. 1t is es-
timated that 400 people were at work
in the building when the fire was dis
covered. The origin Of the fire is in
dispute. BY some it Is said TO have
been caused by an explosion OF col
lodion in the wall paper rooms of AL
fred Peats on the third floor, and by
others to have been the result OF an
explosion among some Photographic
chemicals in the Photographic supply
house Of Sweet, Wallach & Co., on the
sixth floor. Employees of both con-
Germs deny that there was any explo.
sion In their vicinity.
The sound Of the explosion threw
the inmates Of the building into a
panic and on several doors a wild
stampede began for the stairways and
elevators. To add to the panic the
men in charge Of the elevators ran
their cars up to the top Of the build
ing, shouting Fire" at every floor.
When they reached the top both ele.
7ators took on load OF frightened
women and started for the bottom.
After reaching the bottom OF the shaft
with their load Of girls and about to
start up again the supports Of the ele.
,ator machinery at the top Of the
'haft caught fire and prevented them
rom going up again. Several persons
made their way to the front windows
ind jumped out and were dashed on
he pavement below.
The building and contents are a
otal loss. In less than half an hour
lfter the fire broke out the structure
vas level with the ground. 1t was Of
what Is known as "nill construction"
With front Of plate.glass and iron
columns. The occupants were the
Emerson Piano company, Conover
PIANO company, Chicago Cottage Organ
company, Decorators Wall Paper COM
,any, National Music company, Ii.
loltzeman & Co. (piano stools, Pres.
'yterian board Of publication, Alfred
,eril, sheet music publishers; Sweet
vallach & Co., Photographic supplies;
V. A. Olmstead, school supplies
The building was owned by Fred K.
Iyers, Of Lowell, Mass 1t was worth
bout $4,000, and Is said to be par.
tally insured. Insurance men Of the
ire stated that the loss on contents
,ould be In the neighborhood Of $780,.
co.
The Elevated railway tracks, which
ass the building, we're badly dam
ged, and there will be loss Of &c..
% or $4,000 from the breaking Of
late glass in the stores on the oppo-
lite side of Wabash avenue.
The six-story building adjoining on
he north, numbers S2i-s23, was badly
amaged and Its contents soaked with
'ater and partially burned. The loss
n the building and contents Is esti-
lated at $4,000, though 1t may be
lore