Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-01-25
CHlCAGO'S DEAD.
Fire in Masonic Temple Which
Looked Threatening.
Seventeen Persons Held Responsible
by Cofoner's Jury for Theatre Fire.
Their Names Will Be Sent n Grand
Jury for Action.

Chicago. Jan. 24.-Fire vestardav
afternoon, in the Masonic temnla ! o.
story slyscraper, one so,,ore e,st of
e,'e lFoluols theatre. caused a loss Of
about $4,000. the injury of Is persons
''''t lihpefliied the more than 1000 &C.
cupahts of the building
Flremen We're summoned nv IN
alarm automatically sent in from the
rooms Oil the fourth floor, in which the
iife begun. They quickly made con-
hectlonS with the stationary standpipe
III the building. Immediately tons OF
water Hooded the floors where the
smoke and blaze were thickest.
occupants of the building, warned by
the suffCcatins clouds of smoke that
rose through the many-storied rotunda
ana penetrated every corridor, lost no
ti'ne III making efforts Tor safe exit.
Guards We're stationed ut each eie-
vator landing on every floor and the
panic stricken people We're hurried
from the building.
The origin of the fire was in an
explosion of chemicals in a doctors
office. This was a sufficient notice of
danger to the occupants of the floors
Immediately above and below, but was
unheard by hundreds of other persons
in the structure, who received their
warning when suddenly confronted
with dense smoke.
Flames followed the explosion and
quickly spread to the doors above. Men
and women rushed wildly for the stairs
and clcVatCcs. So rapidly aid the i'm
mense skyscraper fill with smoke that
the Gremen found it almost impossible
to work within the walls.
III short time the fire was raging
on three floors, containing many chem
ic:tl establishments and doctors Offices
The flames appeared ut first in the
suite of l.. Friedlander & Co., manu-
facturers Of \-ray apparatus, OH the
fifth floor. The explosion causing the
fire occurred in $4,000 worth of vac
uum tubes stored in the suite.
Thousands Of persons on the streets
were thrown into a panic by an eX-
Dlosi0n which threw a quantity OF the
acid through the window sending the
smarting fluid raining on the crowds
below. In the rush for safety an cid
| man was thrown down an areaway
bcin;: picked up unconscious.
| r. Friedlander, in whose suite the lire
originated, was found unconscious on the
floor lie was overcome by SMOKE ana
, chemical fumes. Twelve girls in MS en-
| rlov made their escape at the first alarm.
| The injured:
julius Ernest, stock clerk for Friedlan-
der. hand ard face burned
John Stack, stock boy for Friedandcr,
slightly burned.
| Henry Bushel stock boy for Fricdlan-
| der. slightly burned
| Walter Davncy. laborcr. injured by
broken glass and burned about the face.
Walter S. Parker, advertising solicitor,
] face burned.
| w c. Preston. John Sullivan. ]. r. Sui
| livan. John Long, T. Leonard, George
Mullc,t. Fred Lynch. john Stcarns. Louis
| Tromanio.
| r. Smith, co years OH. thrown down
areaway by crowd in street opposite tho
fire, taken to hospital unconscious.
| George AShmore, n barber, ard Tony,
a boctiack, climbed down the fire escape
from the 18th floor of the temple.
| lighted match carccssly thrown by
an employee into n pile of excelsior lying
| in 4 corner of the packing room is be
licvcd to have started the fire.
That the damage to property and injury
to individuals was not greater was prob
ably duo largely to the efficiency OF the
fire drill of the employees, who responded
to the alarm. and long before III" fire de-
lpartmCEt had reached the scene they had
attaohc hose to the standpipcs and Turn
| cd eight streams OF water on the flames
For the third time in the past two
weeks fIc, Saturday, attacked the Grand
Palace hotel, North Clark and Indiana
s;:c-t". Investigation is being made to
learn the source of the three fires. one
of tho strange features noted in each in
stance is that the fires occurred about the
same hour. There We're 80 persons in the
hotel at the time and all escaped. 1hC
property damage was small.