The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-22
Men on Top Floors Had No
Chance for Life.
One Structure Was IA Stories High,
and Many Persons Were at
Work on the Seventh Floor.
Number Of Dead Vari-
ously Estimated.

Chicago. Oct. 21.-By a fire which broke
out shortly before midnight in the pant
Of the Glucose Sugar Refinery, situated
at Taylor Street and the Chicago RIVER
that factory was almost entirely destroy
ed and 1t Is reported that Twenty-Five
men lost their lives The number of dead
has not been established. but 1t Is known
that they were In the building ana an
were working on the seventh floor. the
flames spread so rapidly that man VINO
was working on the third floor had barely
time to escape with his life and 1t Is not
thought by the employees Of the concern
or by the fireman hat the men In the
upper story could have avoided death.
Az midnight two bodies have been taken
from the ruins, but the fire was burning
SO fercely that 1t was Impossible 10
make further search.
The plant Of the refining company con-
sisted of three buildings. the drying
house. seven Storie5 in height, the main
refinery fourteen stories high. and an
other structure of four stories. The fire
started in the drying house, being caused
BY an explosion
Flames Spread Rapidly.
The flames spread with almost incred.
ible rapidly and by the time the first OF
the fire department had arrived the build
ing wcs ablaze from foundation to roof
1t was impossible for the flremen to
make any effective fight against the
flames and In a short time all the walls
wsro down and the building within one
half hour of the time of the explosion
was a mass of debris. The fire was so
hot that at one time II was feared that
the Taylor Street viaduct across which
access is had to the south side OF the
city would be destroyed. but the firemen
managed to save this after hard strug-
gle.
They bent every effort toward saving
the fourteen-story building of the refin-
cry, but so intense was the fire in the
drying house that this caught fire In sew
eral places and at 1890 a. m. 1t was
evident that, even II 1t could be saved
at all 1t would be badly damaged.
The men employed IN the three lower
floors of the drying house ran for he
doors and windows as soon as they had
knowledge Of tho fire and all ofthem sue
ceeded in reaching the open air. On the
third floor there was one man at work.
He was cut off from the fire escape by
the dense clouds of smoke that poured
through the building and was compelled
to make a run for his life down the
stairs He burst through a mass of fame
and when he reached the lower doorway
was badly scorched. Two minutes later
would have made 1t utterly impossible
for him to make his escape.
Had No Chance for Life.
The men on the seventh floor
had no chance whatever for theic
lives. Several of them left the
windows and crawled along the stills In an
effort to reach place of safety, but with
the exception of two men all those who
attempted to reach safety in this way
made up their minds that 1t was certain
death and went back into the burning
building. The two men, however. deter
mined to take the chances of a leap and
climbing up on the window ledge they
sprang out into the air. One of them
came straight down for the greater part
of the way, but Just as he was within
a short distance of the pavement, his
body swung around and he struck the
stone walk at full length. The other
man turned over and over as he came
whirling down. Their bodies were hor-
Yibly crushed and mangled and It was
impossible for any OF the men who saw
them directly after their jump, to ident.
ify them ip any way. These are the two
bodies said to have been taken out OF
the ruins.
-Four other men jumped from the win
dows on the fourth floor These men
were terribly injured and were taken in
police ambulapces to the hospitals. Two
OF them who were able to give their
names to the physicians are Joseph
Butkos and Paul Kauris
One of the survivors who reached the
ground in safety after a perilous journey
down the fire escape from the fourth
story said:
Il don't believe any of the men on the
story could have escaped. The flames
drove me from my post and but for the
fact that 7 was near the fire escape
would never have reached the ground"
Fire Under Control.
The fire was under control before
o'clock and although 1t was not possible