The Topeka state journal., 1899-12-30
MILLION DOLLAR FIRE.
Disastrous Blaze In Chicago
Business District.

Chicago. Dec. 3O-Ffre at an early
hour today completely burned out the
buildings extending from PIG to 222
Monroe street, bady damaged the build
ing at 212-214 Monroe street caused a
loss aggregating $3.50, 900 and resulted in
the injury of nine f1remen, two of them
seriously.
THE INJURED:
Captain Robert O'Connor, serious.
James WOlley, serious.
Vim. Padden.
Michael O'Hara.
Captain John Evans.
Captain VIM. Carry.
Captain Thomas O'Connor.
Luke Hayes
Lieutenant Oswald.
The fire is supposed to have originated
on the second floor in the work room of
Wouey and Company, wholesale wool
ems. at go and 222 Monroe street and
famed by a fierce northwest wind,
spread 50 rapidly that when the first
fire com panieS arrived on the scene the
whole south end of the building was
mass of flames A second and then
third alarm was sent in, but in spite of
the tons of water thrown into the
burning buildings by thirty-eight en-
gines, and two fire tugs, the wind and
the bitter cold so hindered the fremen
that for time the entire wholesale
district was in danger. The flames
quickly communicated to the building
al PIG and 21S Monroe street. gradually
spreading each to 212 and PA Monroe
where its progress was finally checked.
Immense brands were carried as far
as Twelfth street and the hremen were
kept busy eXtinguishing small fires on
the roofs of surrounding building. The
principal losses are:
Building at 22O-222 Monroe street, loss
1925. 600.
Edwards. Stanwood & Co.. successors
to Phelps. Dodge & Palmer, boots and
shoes. third and sixth floors, loss $780,,
600
Wolley & Co, first and second floors,
wooden goods loss S135. 900.
Schwartz & Kline, shirts, fourth floor,
loss Sc 600.
John Harper, cloak manufacturer,
fifth floor, loss $4,000.
Building at 216-218 Monroe street, oc-
cupied by J. w Butler, paper company,
loss $25, 900.
J. W. Butler. paper company, damage
on stock, $250,000 fully insured.
Henry o. Shepard company, printers,
occupying building at 212-214 Monroe
street, loss 800, 900.
damaged s., 000 Besides these there were
several minor losses caused by smoke
and water. Figures on the insurance are
that most of the losses are wen coVered-
The escape from death of Captains
O'COnnOr. Evans and Carry and Firemen
Padden. O'Hara and three others who es-
capped injury was little short of miracll-
lOuS. All OF the men were working on the
roof of the building at 216-21S Monroe
street and as the IRE crept closer to the
gradually driven toward the middle of the
roof Suddenly the east wall Of the build
ing adjoining fell with terrific crash An
immense mass of brick and timbers
crushed into the roof where Capt. O'Con-
nor and his men were at work. The roof
tore away from the sides and fell with a
crash to the floor beneath carrying Pipe
men O'Hara and Padden down in the de-
bris and leaving the others on the frail
broken edge of the roof high above the
flames. Capt OCOnnor. Lieut.. Callahan
and Pipemen Fountain and Hogan, finally
succeeded in rescUing the two unfortun-
ate pipemen and crawling along the shak-
ing walls they made their way to fire
escape and descended safely to the
ground.
hour and a half the walls began falling.
and several firemen were more or less
injured James WOOlley. so seriously that
he was taken to the hospital
The fire one of the worst the fire
department has had to contend with in
years. The cold was intense, the ther-
mometer being several degrees below zero
and number of fremen were severely
frost bitten.