The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-10-23
CAUGHT IN A TRAP
OF RAGING FLAM[.S
Half a Score Believed to Have
Perished.
THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION
The Glucose R,fiaery was Almost Instantly
Maniled in Fire From Base 10 Roof
and Within Haf an Hour Fell
inRuins.
(By One Associated Press.l


Chicago, Oct. 22.-By fire, which broke
out shortly before midnight in the plant
of the Glucose sugar refinery, situated at
Taylor street and the Chicago river, that
factory was almost entirely destroyed,
and it is said that twenty whine men lost
their lives. The number of dead has not
been established as yet, but it is known
that the men were in the building, and
all were working on the seventh floor.
The flames spread so rapidly that a man
who was working on the third floor had
barely time to escape with his life, and
it is not thought by the employees of the
concern 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 fiereely that it was impossi
bic to make further search.
The plant of the refinery consisted of
three buildings. the drying house, sew
oral stories in height, the main refinery
fourteen stories high, and another struc-
ture of four stories. The fire started in
the drying house, being caused by an
explosion. The flames spread with al
most incredible rapidity, and by the
time the first of the fire department had
arrived the building was ablaZe from
foundation to roof. 1t was impossible
for the fremen 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 explosion was a mass of
debris.
The fire was so hot that at one time it
was feared that the Taylor street viaduct
across which access is had to the south
side of the city, would be destroyed, the
fremen ged to save this after a
hard struggle. They bent every effort to-
ward saving the building of the refinery
but so intense was the fire in the drying
house that this caught fire in several
places. and at u: 80 a. m, it was evident
that, even if it could be saved at all, it
would be badly damaged.
The men employed in the three lower
floors of the drying house ran for the
doors and windows as soon as they had
knowledge of the fire, and all of them
succeeded in reaching the open air. On
the third floor there was one man at
work. He was compelled to make a run
for his life downstairs. He burst through
Il mass of flames when he reached the
lower doorway and was badly scorched.
The men on the seventh floor had no
chance whatever for their lives. Several
of them left the windows and crawled
along the stills in an effort to reach a
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. The two
men, however, determined to take the
chances of 4 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 short distance Of the pave
ment bis 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
horribly crushed and mangled, and it was
impossible for any of the men who saw
Them directly after their jump, to identify
them in any way.
Four other men jumped from the win
dows on the fourth floor. These men
were terribly injured and were taken
in police ambulances to the county hos
p:tal
The fire was under control before /
o'clock and at that time it was impos-
sible to form any estimate OF the loss or
life. but statements of the men employed
in the driving house were so conflicting
that the notice declared that in their
oDinion the loss of life would not be more
than ten or twelve. Several of the men
who made their escape from the lower
part of the building, said that there were
not more than ten men on the top floor
and il is not thought that there will be
any loss of life among the men of any
part of the building.