The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-03-18

r.
Ing the Panic-Stricken People
Chicago. March 16-It REQUIRED lust
twenty minutes this afternoon for one az
the most savage fires Chicago has seen
since the famous cold storage ware
mouse fire on the Worlds Fair grounds
IN 1893 TO take anywhere from five 10
fifteen lives, main thirty people and
reduce seven story brick building to a
pile OF blazing timber, red not bricks
and twisted iron. The number of dead
IS still in doubt and probably will not
be definitely known until the debris
is sufficiently cooled to admit OF a
search being made for the bodies of
those who are undoubtedly in the ruins.
This will require two days at least.
Three men are known TO be dead. They
are: Samuel A. Clark, book keeper
for the Olmstead Scientific Company:
Miles A. Smith, salesman for the same
company, and Edward Binz, cashier
for Sweet, Wallace & Co.
The building was seven stories high,
had frontage Of fifty eight feet on
Wabash avenue and extended back I60
feet to an alley. 1t was of what is
known as the Mill Cons truction, had
two elevator chafts, one in front, one
in the rear and reaching from the third
story to the roof was a slight shaft
which gave the flames every chance.
1t was because of this shaft that the
fire spread with such rapidity. The
building was occupied by a number of
concerns, some of them employing
large numbers of people. 1t is esti-
mated that 400 persons were at work
in the building when the fire was dis
covered. The origin of the fire is in
dispute. The weight of evidence seems
TO he that the explosion was in the
lower part of the building, for the
flames shot up the light shaft at once
The sound of the explosion threw the
inmates of the building into a panic
and on several floors a wild stampede
began. for the stairways and eleva tors.
To add to the panic the men in 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 a load of
frightened women and started for the
bottom. The front elevator was in
charge OF Harry Gleason, a boy, and
the rear one was handled by William
kept their heads, showed much cool
ness and bravery and were instrument
tai in saving many lives.
The elevator in the front of the build
ing was an elaborate affair and in good
order, but not calculated to produce
speed. Gleason made one trip to the
seventh floor, carried down a load of
women, and although the smoke was
rolling through the building i'm dense
clouds, he started up again. AT the
fourth floor he stopped to take ON q
crowd of girls from the rooms Of the
National Music Company, being assist
ed in his work by Miss Katherine
Carney, the forewoman. "A man at
tempted to force his way into the ele-
vator, but Gleason showed him back
into the hall that the women might
have the first chance.
Miss Carney was a true heroine. AL
though at the outset she had opportuni-
ty to escape with the other women she
seemed to feel it 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 panic
stricken girls, advising them to pre-
serve order and reasSuring them again
and again. She stood near the stair
way and attempted to seize the fore
most women as they dashed down 10
the next floor, but was thrown side.
When she saw there was no hope OF
stopping the panic, she darted to the
elevator cage to calm the others. As
the elevator ascended. Miss Carney or
dered the conductor to stop. She then
turned and helped her frightened
charges into the cage. During all the
excitement she remained calm and IS
sued orders as though directing the
women a work AS the elevator
started to descend without Miss Carney
one of the girls cried TO the conductor
to stop; but the brave woman, though
staring death in the face, shouted for
them not to mind her. that she would
take care of herself. The girls She sent
down the elevator escaped unharmed
Miss Carney escaped by the fire es-
cape.
After reaching the bottom with his
load of girls Gleason was, about t.
start up again when the supports OF the
elevator machinery at the top of the
shaft caught fire and seeing that they
would give way before his slow eleva-
tor could make another trip, he gave
il UP.
At the rear St. John did equally good
work, but was not able to make more
than one trip, as the fire swept through
IndI portion OF Cne DulIOlnS before IL
attacked the front. In less than ter
minutes after the explosion that start
ed the fire all escape for the inmates
by the stairs and elevators was cut off
There remained only the windows and
the single fire escape, a narrow iron
thing not over eighteen inches from
side to side. This was speedily cover
ed with a string Of people. some on one
side, some on the other. Many OF thosf
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 themselves u
death.
Clark was book-keeper for the Ohm
stead Scientific Company, ON the sew
enth foor and remained to put th'
books in the safe. He might have es
capped had he run upon the first alarm
He was first seen at one Of the seventh
story windows and a few minutes af
ter showed himself in a window OF tn
sixth floor The fire was close upol
: him, the floors and walls behind hin
were crashing down. and 1t was Ger
tain death to remain where he was
| There was no possibility of help an'
he took his only chance. Three sec