The Saint Paul globe., 1904-01-24
CHICAGO'S HIGHEST
BUILDING ABLAzE
Loss of Life in Masonic Temple
Is Prevented by an Eff
cient Fire Drill.

CHICAGO, Jan. 23.-Fire In the Ma
sonic temple today caused panic
among the 1000 occupants Of the
fixtures to the extent of $4,000. All
the occupants of the building escaped
without serious injury through the
bravery Of the elevator men, who re-
mained at their posts, operating their
cars while dense clouds of smoke fill
ed the building.
The fire broke out in the suite of five
rooms on the fifth floor occupied by
Robert Friedlander & Co., manufac-
turers of X-ray apparatus. A lighted
match carelessly thrown by an en-
ploye into a pile of excelsior lying in
a corner of the packing room is be-
lieved to have started the fire. There
was large number of X-ray vacuum
tubes stored in the company's rooms
and these exploded the moment the
heat reached them.
Robert Friedlander, senior member
of the firm, realized the danger from
these tubes, and worked until over
come by smoke throwing them out OF
the window. The fire spread rapidly
from the packing room to the other
rooms and in a few minutes the entire
suite was in flames and the light shaft
| of the building was filled with flames
The thousands of occupants Of the
building, with the memory of the Iro-
| quois theater holocaust, which occur
red but one-half square away, fresh
| in their minds, were alarmed wher
| clouds of smoke filled every floor, anc
rushed to the elevators. Many womer
| tainted in the scramble to get into the
elevators, but none was seriously In
| jured. The large building was emp
| tied within half an hour after the fire
was discovered. Hundreds of men ant
women groped their way through the
smoke and came down the stairs. The
| injured were:
| Robert Friedlander, age forty-five
overcome by smoke and slightly
| burned.
julius Ernst, hands and face burned
| John Stack, stock boy, Slightly
| burned about hands.
Henry Buehl, slightly burned abou
head.
B. Smith. sixty years old, tramplet
upon by crowd in rotunda of Masonic
| temple and made unconscious.
| Walter Daveny, hands cut by flying
! glass.
Walter S. Parker, burned about face
| Estelle Mcleod, slightly burned
about face and overcome by smoke.
William Schultz, fireman, both hand.
cut by flying glass.
Carl Tillenbach, fell down stair!
while leaving building, badly bruised
That the damage to property ant
| injury to individuals was not greater
was probably due largely to the eff.
cheney of the fire drill of the employees
When the great bell at the top of tn,
rotunda sounded the alarm of fir,
every janitor, engineer and fireman IL
| the building responded, and long be-
| fore the fire department had reached
| the scene the Temple fire brigade 1lat
attached hose to the standpipes which
| extend from the basement to the roo
of the structure and eight streams O
water were turned upon the confiagra
| ton by the volunteer firemen. TIL,
| fire department used but little of it
hose, the building equipment beint
called into use.
Since the Iroquois fire Thomas Nc
Lennon,-the special officer stationed a
the building, organized voluntee
/ fire drill among the employees, ant
they have been drilling twice eacl
| week.