The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-10-24
BIG STRUCTURE BURNS.
Portion of Glucose Plant in Chicaga
Destroyed by Fire-Many Lives
Lost-LoSs Is 100000.

|
Chicago, Oct. 22.-Fire which de-
EsStroyed the plant of the Glucose Sugar
Refining company, at Taylor street
and the river, was responsible for loss
of life and property last Tuesday
night. The fire originated III what is
known as the dry and oil room of the
concern in a building beside the main,
plant. So quick was the spread of the
flames that the workers in the lower
floors with difficulty escaped with
their lives, and the escape of the work
ers higher in the building was cut off
by the flames. Some escaped by hur-
riedly descending fire escapes.
In the small building, which is
structure of seven stories, it is de-
clared 30 men were working when the
flames broke out. Survivors of the
fire declared that but few of the men
working in the building escaped. Sew
eral dead bodies charred beyond rec
ognition were taken from the ruins Of
the building by firemen. In the race
for life which followed the alarm of
fire in the working rooms of the plant,
men rushed frantic to the windows of
the building. Regardless of the danger
! they crept along the edges of the WIN
dow stills.
The fire, from the inflamma Bile ma
ture of the contents of the dry room to
which the flames spread from the ems
CINE room, was extremely hard to com.
bat. The flames surged up the stair
7 IN ha Of
ing, and before the men in the upper
story We're aware of the danger their
only avenue of escape was cut off.
Truck company No. 5, commanded by
| Capt. Cunningham, saw the danger as
the blanched faces of the men APP
! peared at the upper window, and has
| tily spread fire net between the walls
of the big building, which lowered 16
stories above the dry feed house, in
the hope of saving the lives of some of
/ the imprisoned workers. Two men
jumped from the fifth floor to instant
death, one Frank Bothenberg, fore
man on the fifth floor, was lifted up
| an unacceptable mass, and his body
removed to the county morgue.
Workmen who escaped were unable to
recognize the other, and his body was
also removed to the county morgue.
Four more men jumped from the fifth
floor, two striking safely in the net.
the other two breaking through
bruised and bleeding against the
pavement.
Frank Moore, who was working on
the third floor. slid down water pipe
and reached the ground to tell that
none of his comrades had been able to
escape. Meanwhile in the main build
ing the 100 workers had been alarmed
by policemen and had made their es-
cape.
One of the survivors who reached
the ground in safety after perilous
journey down the fire escape from the
fourth story. said: 81 do not believe
any of the men on the top story could
have escaped. The flames drove me
from my post, and but for the fact
that [ was near the fire escape would
never have reached the ground. Ten
men are believed to have been impris-
ond on the top floor by the fire."
The fire began in the engine room Of
SiiN vi AiobSS IL tAcu pIGdI
to the starch and dry feed house,
about 100 feet distant. The main
/ building was drenched with streams
of water from engines and fireboats
and was not destroyed. The loss it is
estimated will approach 100000.
The story of the origin of the blaze
was told by Andrew Jetka and Charles
Dendello, who. with their foreman,
were working on the first floor. Ac-
cording to their story, shortly after
10 o'clock an explosion took place in
the engine room at the southwest COR
ner of the dry feed house. Almost in
IN instant the flames surged into the
first story and up the two stairways
which run almost straight to the top
of the building. There were no ele-
vators in the building, and the only
means of exit aside from the fire es-
capes We're the two stairways, which
were seething columns of flame. Short
ly after the arrival of the first de-
tachment of fire engines the east wall
of the dry feed building wavered and
with the west wall crashed into the
structure.
Gang of Horse Thieves Broken Up.