The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1909-05-05
IN BIG FIRE
TWO DIE WHEN CHICAGO BLAZE
DOES DAMAGE PLACED AT
$1,2oo,o0o.
GRAIN ELEVATOR DESTROYED
Structure ls Struck by Lightning and
Terrific Explosion Follows-FaII Of
Wall snuffs Out lives-Confiaara
ton Is Spectacular.

Chicago, Apr. 30.-Fire which lit up the
sky of the dull April morning and cast
glowing reflections on the low-hung
clouds for miles around, was started
by bolt of lightning in grain eleva.
tor B of the Illinois Central railroad
at South Water street and Lake Michi.
gan yesterday. a..
Before it had burned half an hour an
explosion from smoldering grain
drove the south wall outward with ter.
rife force and took as it's toll the lives
of two firemen. Many others were in.
jured more or less seriously. Although
the elevator was only about one-third
full, the loss will reach $1,20O,0OO, it
is estimated. This was divided as fol.
lows: Elevator, 100000; grain, $780,
900, with $4,000 insurance.
The dead:
McElligott, Patrick j., lieutenant of
truck company No. 3; lived at AGA
Webster avenue; struck by fragment
of masonry from falling wall: killed
instantly.
Cooper, Simon, truck company No.
8; lived at 81 North Franklin street;
buried under debris of falling wall;
body not recovered.
Wind Shifts; Sheds Menaced.
Shortly before eight a. m. the east.
ern gale, which had whipped long
tongues of flame over the entire sur.
face Of the huge structure within a
few minutes, shifted suddenly to the
north. Immediately glittering rain
of sparks leaped to the south, threat.
ening the freight sheds of the Illinois
Central and Michigan Central rail.
roads, and falling on the rain-damp.
ened roofs of the freight cars stand
ing in the yards. This coup of the
among the firemen.
Hitherto the only point threatened
was elevator A, the twin of the
doomed building, which stood just
across a slip of the river. In this slip
the fireboats Stewart and Swenie were
lying, sending almost futile columns
of water direct in the face of the tur.
bulent sea of flame which the wind
swept out above them.
Although the heat was nigh unen.
durable at this point, sufficient num-
Der of leads of hose was here brought
into play to keep the sides and roof
of the threatened elevator continually
wet.
When the wind shifted, the fiery
shower upon the west elevator ceased.
1t went Offering southwark over the
freight yards.
Lightning Starts Blaze.
Two streams of water which had
been playing into the burning eeva.
tor from the top of the Michigan Cen.
trail freight house, just to the south,
were bent back upon themselves by
the wind so that they looked like the
tamest of fountains. A crowd which had
gathered scurried like rats to find
shelter from the hail of sparks
Then suddenly, from the ever-deep
ening gloom of the sky, great splat-
tiers of rain began to fall. The wind,
after a few more violent puffs, began
to die down, and what had seemed for
a moment the almost certain spread of
the conflagration was averted
The bolt of lightning which is sup.
posed to have started the blaze in the
southeast corner of the big elevator
was announced to many people who
were aroused from sleep by terrific
crackle of thunder at about four a. m.
Employees in the freight yards noticed
the mounting flames darting up clear
against the morning gloom few min.
utes later. An alarm was turned in.
Difficulties of fighting the fire were
seen at once by the firemen The burn.
ing elevator stood in an isolated posi-.
ton. On the east and west are Sins