The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1901-11-07
Two Hundred Persons Rendered
Homeless in Chicago.
An Entire Square Destroyed in CIoSeIu-
built Part of CM = ponic-StriCken
Residents Run Screaming Through
Smoke and Flames Many Narrow
ESCAPES.

dred persons homeless, nineteen
buildings worth, with their con
tents, 100000 destroyed, panic
and confusion is the record of a
fire that swept the district
bounded by Milwaukee avenue,
Union street, Kinzle street and
Austin avenue last night.
The terror that s;ezed the peo-
pie, mostly of the laboring class.
who lived in the neighoorhood,
was something akin to a STAN
pede. Up and down the streets
bareheaded men. women and
children ran crying as if mad.
Others hurled articles of furni-
ture from windows, and half
crazed by fear, many tainted on
the walks.
There were many narrow es-
capes from death and several
persons were injured. Two un-
known infants, left by their ter
ror-stricken mothers IN a barber
shop at 149 Milwaukee avenue,
were saved from death in the
flames by two boys, Joe Bertuc
clio and Rocco Pitter. Mrs. F.
z. Johnson, 90 years old, was
carried unconscious from an up
per room in the home of Henry
Mcbride. at 121 North Union
street She was an invalid and
had been overcome by smoke
She was carried out by her hus-
band. Both were severely
burned.
Several women and children
were trampled in the crush on
the streets when the people
sought places of safety for them
selves and their belongings.
The worst injured of these was
Mrs. Ella Eickenstock, 40 years
old, of 529 Austin avenue. She
was taken to the county hospital
Bucket and salvage brlgades
worked desperately. Every sort
of vehicle was pressed into SER
vice to remove the household
goods to places of safety. The
panic spread for blocks and was
only checked when the fire had
been brought under control.
The fire, which was started at
5:20 o'clock by an explosion in
the building of Leonard Peter
son & Co., 126-13O North Union
street, spread with fearful rapid
ity. From this building the
flames leaped to neighboring
frame houses and many buildings
were ablaze almost before the oc-
cupants knew of the danger.
A number sought shelter in
The warehouse of the Pabst
Brewing company across the
railroads on Kinzie street and
from that point watched the des-
OF their homes. Others
fled north and crowded into Steu-
ben's grocery store at Grand ave.
nue. and Union street. On Kinzle
street for half a block on either
side of Union furniture was piled
on the sidewalk and houses were
deserted, and it was long after
the fire was under control before
the frightened inhabitants began
to carry their household goods
in again.
For five hours the fire ragged
before it was finally >subdued.
Thousands of persons were at
tracted to the scene and packed
the streets in the vicinity, watch
ing the blaze. The streetc car SER
vice to the Northwest Side was
by the fire apparatus FOR
three hours before the lines of
hose were elevated and the cable
trains and trolley cars we're al
lowed to proceed. The dangerous
character of the fire was recog-
nized at once by the firemen, and
every available piece of appara-
tus on the North and West Sides
was pressed into service.
ANGRY MOB