The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-10-22
LIVES ARE SACRIFICED
WOrkmen Caught in strap Chicago and Either Persisted in
the Flames or Jumped to Certain Destruction
on the Pavement Below.

CHICAGO. Oct. 1.-By a 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 al
most entirely destroyed. and it is said
that Twenty-Five 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 we're working on
the seventh floor. The flames spread so
rapidly that man who was working on
the third floor had barely time to escape
with his life. and il is not thought by the
employees of the concern or by the fire
men that the men in the upper story
could have avoided death. Al midnight
ruins, but the fire was burning so flerceiy
that il was impossible TO make further
search.
Flames Spread Rapidly.
The plant of the refining company con-
sisted OF three buildings-the drying
house, seven stories 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. The flames spread with
almost incredible rapidly, 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 firemen 10 make any effective fight
against the flames. and in a short time
all the walls were down. and the build
ing, within half an 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 VIA
duct, across which access is had TO the
south side of the city, would be destroyed;
but the firemen managed TO save this
after hard struggle. They bent every
effort toward saving the fOurteen-story
building of the refinery, but so Intense
was the fire in the drying house that
this caught fire in several places, and at
1870 a. m. il was evident that, even II IL
could be saved at all, it would be badly
damaged.
Ran For Their Lives.
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 one man was at work.
He was cut off from the fire escape by
dense clouds of smoke that poured
through the building, and was compelled
10 make . run fore his life down the
stairs. He burst through a mass OF
flames when he reached the lower door
way and was badly scorched- Two min
utes later would have made IL utterly
impossible for him TO make mis- escape.
The men on the seventh floor had no
chance whatever for their lives. Several
of them left the window and crawled
along the sllls IN an effort 10 TsAch a
place OF safety, but with the exception
OF two men, all those who attempted 10
reach safety in this way made up their
minds that II was certain death, ana
went back into the burning building. The
two men, however, remained 10 take
their change of leap, and, climbing upon
the window ledge, they sprang out INTO
the air.
Horribly Mangled.
One of them came straight down for the
greater part of the way, but just as he
was within a short distance of the pave
ment his body swung around and he
struck the stone walk al full length The
other man turned over and over as ne
came Whirlihg down. Their bodies We're
horribly Inangled and it was impossible
rectly after their jump 10 identity them
in ny Wa
Four other men jumped from the win
dOWs on the fourth floor. These men
We're terribly injured and were taken IN
police ambulances 10 the county hos
pital
Two Of them. who were able 90 give
their names 10 the police, are Joseph
ButkOs and Paul kauris.
The fire was under control before !
o'clock. and il was not possible al thal
time to form any estimate of the loss OF
| life. The statements OF the men en-
| ployed in the drying house were so con-
! flicting that the police declared that in
their opinion the loss OF life would not
be more than ten or twelve. Several Of
the men who made their escape from the