Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-17
MANY HURT AT FIRE
SERIOUS BLAZE IN CHICAGO
UNION STOCK YARDS.
Three Lard Tanks Explode-The Dam
age is Estimated at Near
100000

During the progress of a fire which tonight
destroyed the lard refinery of Armour &
Co. I'm the Union stock yards, twenty-nine
people were injured. five of them in man
ner which will probably cause death In
short time. The loss of the company is
estimated by its officers at between $50 600
and 500 600 with all the chances in favor
of the latter figure.
There We're a number of accidents. but
by far the larger number of those who
were hurt met their injuries by the falling
of a hog runway, upon which they were
standing to get better view of the fire.
The fatally injured:
Jennie Smith. stenographer. German
American Provision Company, both legs
broken; Ray Irwin. eleven years old, inter-
nal injuries and head badly cut; Israel Nor
ris, driver police patrol wagon, both legs
broken: Michael Maloy. driver of fire en-
CINE, internal injuries; unidentified man,
body crushed.
Others injured: John Hoffman head cut
and arm broken; William Grebling. head
cut open; Mrs. Morris Schwader. wife of
the manager of the German-American Pro-
vision Company, hands and arms badly cut:
William Mckeever, head cut; James Nc
Namara. head cut; Mabel Morse head cut
and both shoulders dislocated by falling
beam: Mrs F. H. Frazer. legs badly cut;
Mrs. F. r. Clifford, arm broken; Harry Jen-
nings. head cut and cheekbone broken;
James Duchachan, right leg and right arm
broken; Mamie Roach. head cut; Edward
Busby, internal injuries. very serious, but
recovery probable; David Fleming arms
and back cut; Frank Burns. face and arm
cut; William Mcneil. thirteen years old.
shoulder diSlOcated and cut; Leo Milto, cut
about head: Charles Lertz. face and arms
cut: William LertZ, head cut and legs
bruised: Anna Sanford. arm cut and crush
ed; William S. Kellogg. internally injured
rot fatal; Charles Bickerson, back injured:
Samuel Robinson. body bruised and fingers
mashed; John Savage. fireman. overcome by
smoke. will recover; Charles Traxel fire.
man. overcome by smoke. will recover.
The lard refinery had just been COM
pleted, and was considered by its owners
the most complete establishment of it's
Kind In the United States. 1t stood at the
intersection of ADD street and Center ave-
nue.. and was five stories high and go by
800 feet 1t was filled with new and costly
machinery. and during the day 1000 people
worked within Its walls. The night shift
numbered 700. and all of them We're in the
building when the fire broke out. 1t is
thought that all escaped in safety. although
the time allowed some of them was ex-
Ceedingly brief.
The FIRE originated with an explosion of
three lard tanks on the fifth floor of the
building. The cause of the explosion Is I'M
known. but the three tanks. which were
filed with boiling lard. went up with
roar almost IN the same second There was
score of workmen in the Immediate vi
cinity Of the tanks. and number of them
were burned by the scalding lard, but none
seriously 1t was not a minute after the
NTNf-'EiCAt D'AVAC INC t44lllt IIIlIl lOOI WAS Il
mass of flames.
All the workmen in the building made
frantic -rush for safety. and while all
reached the open air without trouble some
or those on the fifth floor lost their hats
and coats. there not being an instant of
time allowed in which to pick them up.
Despite the utmost efforts of the fire de-
Idrtment the flames spread through the
entire building, and within an hour after
the commencement of the fire all the walls,
with the exception of that on the south,
were lying on the ground.
The fire was one of the most spectacular
mat has been seen in Chicago In recent
years, and the display attracted great
mass OF people, who crowded all the mar
row streets in the stock yards and swarmed
by thousands upon the viaducts which pass
through the yards at height of twenty
1eet from the ground. That portion of the
4ith street viaduct close to the burning
building was densely packed, and suddenly
about 900 feet OF a hog runway extending
from the viaduct north to the plant of
Armour & Co. gave way, precipitating
FULLY 600 persons to the ground.
II is said by the police that the number
OF those injured by the fall of the viaduct
Is greatly In excess of the number re-
ported. as there were many who We're but
slightly hurt, and being able to go TO their
homes without assistance, no knowledge
of them was obtained by the authorities
number of fremen were slightly burned
while at work in the building and for a
time 1t was reported that several of them
had been killed
Michael Maloy, driver of engine company
~. sustained injuries which will cause his
death, while driving his engine to the fire.
The streets In the stock yards proper are
not wide. and Maloy was urging his horses
at top speed when one OF the reins broke
The horses plunged toward the crowd of
people the side of the street. Maloy.
seeing that somebody would be badly in
Jured unless his team was checked, sprang
from his seat to the back of one of the
horses. and grasping the team by the bits
turned them against q brick building. The
horses struck the wall with terrific force
and Maloy was caught between the wall
and one OF the horses. He was fearfully
crushed.
In estimating the damage to the plant
Supt. NJ. G. Conway of Armour & Co. said !:
The building had just been completed
and ii cost 100000, l cannot tell just what
the contents are worth. but il was GER
tainty rot less than somewhere between
e2J0.Ouo and $4,000