Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-10-23
20 LIVES LOST
BY Fire in Glucose Sugar Re-
finery at Chicago.
Men Shut Of from Escape in Factory's
Upper Stories.
Impossible Now to Tell Exact Number
Of Fatalities.


broke out shortly before midnight in
the plant of the Glucose Sugar Rein
cry, situated at Taylor street and the
Chicago river, that factory was almost
entirely destroyed and 1t is said that
20 persons lost their lives. The num-
Der of dead has not been established
as yet, but it is known that they were
in the building and all were working on
the seventh floor. The flames spread
so rapidly that a man who was work.
ing on the third floor had barely time
to escape with his life. and it is not
thought by the employees OF the con-
Germ or by the firemen that the men In
the upper story could have avoided
death.
At midnight two bodies had been
taken from the ruins, but the fire was
burning so fiercely that it was impos-
sible to make further search.
The fire was under control before l
o'clock. and although it was not pos
sible at that time to form any estimate
of the loss of life, the statements of
the employees in the drying house were
so conflicting that the police declared
that in their opinion the loss of life
would not be more than 10 or II. Sew
eral of the men who made their escape
from the lower part of the building
said that there were not more than 10
men on the top floor, and it is not
thought that there will be any loss of
life among the men employed in any
other part of the building.
The plant of the refining company
consisted of three buildings, the dry
ing house, seven stories in height, the
main refinery, IA stories high and an
other structure of four stories. The
fire started in the drying house, being
caused by an explosion. The flames
spread with almost incredible rapidity
and by the time the first of the fire de-
partment had arrived the building was
ablaze from foundation to roof. 1t
was impossible for the firemen to
make any effective fight against the
flames and in a short time all the walls
were down and the building within
one-half hour from the time OF the ex-
plOsion was a mass of debris.
The fire was so hot that at one time
it was feared that Taylor street via
duct, across which access is had 10 the
south side of the city would be de-
stroyed but the firemen managed 10
save this after a hard struggle. Iney
bent every effort toward saving the
1A-story building of the refinery. but
so intense was the fire in the drying
house that this caught fire In seVerai
places and at 1890 A. NJ. it was evil
dent that. even if it could be saved at
all. it would be badly damaged.
;,, ho lower
floors of the drying house ran Tor tns
knowledge of the fire and all OF them sue
ceeded in reaching the open air. On tne
third floor there was one man at Work.
He was cut off from the fre-escape oy
the dense clouds of smoke and was COM
Delled to make a run for his life down
the stairs He burst through mass OF
fame when he reached the lower door,
wav and was badly scorcned
The men on the seventh floor had no
chance whatever for their lives. Several
of them left the windows and crawied
along the stills in an EFFORT to Teacn
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 it was certain death and went
back into the burning building Inc tWo
chances of leap, and climbing up on
the window ledge they sprang out into
the air Their bodies were horribly
crushed and it was impossible to identity
them.
(NOTE-These are the two bodies SAID
to have been taken outo
Four other men jumped from the win
dOws on the fourth floor. THESE men
were terribly injured
One of the survivors who reached the
ground in safety after a perllous Jour-
ney down the fire-escape from the fourth
story said: Il do not believe any OF the
men on the top story could have es-
CaDed. y