The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-10-29
PERISH IN 4 FIRE.
Over Twenty Men Are Burned to
Death in Chicago.
THEY HAD NO TIME TO ESCAPE


Rapidly.
Rv lire which broke out in Chicago
shortly before midnight on Tues
day night OF last week in the
plant OF the Glucose Sugar Re
tinery. situated at Taylor street
and the Chicago river. that fac
tory WIS almost entirely destroyed.
and it is said 20 men lost Their lives
The flames spread so rapidly that 4
man who WAS working on the third
floor hay. barely time to escape with
his life and it is not thought by the
cmpluvcS Of the concern OF by the fire
men that the men in the upper story
could have avoided death. At mid
night TWO bodies had been taken
from the ruins. but the fire was buru-
ing so rapidly that it was impossible
to make further search.
The plant Of the refining company
consisted OF three buildings. the dry
ing house. seven stories in height. the
main refinery. II stories high, and an
other structure OF four stories. The
lire 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
department had arrived the building
was ablaze from foundation to roof.
1t was impossible fer the tiremen to
make any effective fight against the
flames. and in d short time al the
walls were down and the building
within c-half hour from the time OF
the explosion was 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 de
stroyed. The tiremen managed to
save this after hard struggle. They
bent every effort toward saving the
building of the refinery, but SO in
tense was the fire in the drying house
that this caught fire in several places,
and at %. 30 a. m. it was evident that.
even if it could be saved at all, it
would he badly damaged.
Later: The fire was under control
by o'clock and although it was not
possible at that time to form any es-
innate Of the loss Of life, the state
ments of the men employed in the
drying house were soon conflicting
that the police declared that in their
opinion the loss of life would not be
more than 10 or -. Several OF the
men who made their escape from the
lower part Of the building said that
there were not more than 10 or y on
the top loor, and it is not thought
that there would be any loss Of life
among the men employed in any other
part of the building.
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 COM
PEELED to make a run for his life down
stairs. He burst through 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. Se';-
eral OF them left the windows and
crawlcd along the SillS 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 1t was GER
tain death and went back into the
burning building. TIE two men,
however, determined to take the
chances of a leap and climbing upon
the window ledge, they sprang out in-
to the air. One OF them came straight
down for the greater part of the way
but just as he was within a short dis
tance Of the pavement his body swung
around and he struck the stone walk
at full length. The other man turn
ed over and 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 "a any way.
-Four other men jumped from the
windows on the .ourth floor. These
men were terribly injured and were
taken in police ambulances to the
county hospital.