The sun., 1910-12-23
81 FIREMEN KILLED BY WALL
Z HIf tGD STOCK YARDS DIS
TRICT' ~ DANGER.
Ilrr ne, end Control After Twenty Hours
Fi<hting-sla,a,sn Dollars Damage
10 Nelson Morris 4 Co.'S Plant
Fire chief AmOug the Dead.

,HIcAoo. Dec. 22-Firs Marshal James
Horan and thirty of his comrades to-day
gave up their lives in - disaster that the
vatsran fire fighter had feared for years
Twelve hours after the fire chief had
varned the Council committee on build
ngs thai better fire fighting appliances
urre needed in the stock yards at once
~ had been trapped and two entire com
nsnl.s 81 firemen had been wiped out in
just such a Are as he had predicted.
The flames destroyed the new beef
house Of the Morris a Co. plant at the
wards. spread to several smaller structures
and tor hours threatened to sweep tn.
vardr In addition to the loss Of life the
rames ds-troyed property worth 81 .oNo.
NH
shortly before midnight word was sent
from the yards that the fire had burned
through the big wall protecting all the
warehouses OF Morris a Co. and the flames
were expected to jump to these structures
rnomentanly
\ strong sout wind il tanning the
flames and every available fire company
N the city has been sent to the yards in
a. endeavor TO prevent the spread Of the
pame-
I, was due only TO the stubborn fight
~aSed by the firemen from every section
~ Chicago rather than the fire appliances
and water pressure at their command
that they kept the flames from the Ar
mour and Swift plants close about the
site Of he ruined be house
Out Of the mass Of conflicting reasons
advanced during the day for the trapping
~ the men one fact stood out sharply
that the men. with Chief Horan in their
midst had been killed without moments
warning while endeavoring to reach the
seat of the fire in the basement of the
blazing structure.
There was an explosion but 1t was not Of
an ammonia taES as AT first was supposed
The explosion was declared 10 have been
due only 10 the expansion Of the atmos-
phere in the Airtight cold storage house
The fire marshal and members OF
Engine Companies ~ and SO were the first
Co arrive AT the fire. which was discovered
shortly after clock in the morning
chief Horan at once took charge of the
men and directed the streams of water
{ lat were played into the basement
few minutes later he ordered the men
who were handling the hose into the
bcxlike canopy that covered the freight
T rlatfor'n- and freight tracks
Get the water into the basement or the
Vr hal bal
yeIled. Then the chief -prang upon the
platform and seized an axe to break down
the locked doors 10 the basement
moment later there was a violent
~renching and creaking. and for frac-
tlon Of a second the roof lifted up into the
.ky and permitted the furnace OF flames
Ioining buildings.
Look out. men. WE'RE II was
Marshal Horan's voice that was heard
N his last warning TO his men Before
he completed the sentence the wall upon
w hich they had been playing the water
had lifted up and toppled down upon
the canopy. which in turn sank down
upon the fremen below
BY a combination Of circumstances
n nat il looked upon by the firemen az
almost providential Assist ant Fire Mar
shal Seyferlich arrived and was crossing
ne tracks to reach the blazing building
~ this moment He was only a few feet
beyond the range OF falling walls and
tirnberr. and a. a consequence
escaped unscathed.
Without a word the now acting fire
marshal took up the command OF the
men where the dead chief had left OF
fireman who had been stunned by "A
fving timber fell into his arms and was
ragged back to the tracks and beyond
danger Then Marshal Seyferlich ran
hack tn the ruins. and for the first time
realized the extent of the catastrophe.
The struggle to find Marshal Horan's
hody was participated in at times by
Niavor Busse. Coroner Hoffman and vari-
"rs Aldermen. every one a personal friend
Il the dead man. who from time To time
sem orders or lent a hand in digging into
he d"bris in an effort to uncover the
/ odie- % the tiremen
The one hope that buoyed the iirem.n
m IN renewed efforts during the day was
nat men still might he alive In the ruins.
ono. when Marshal Seyferlich was
,~r'sin. he had heard "A zroan from be
meath the ruins Mayor Bu~-e. followed by |
! ogden Armour. clambered over III"
rIle NJ -teaming wreckage and with their
own hands endeavored TO pull away the
nEavv timhers and torn bits n! freight
rars
Tre work the freman was hindered
- long string of freight carS that wer"
standing on the side track in front ~ the
platform switch engine was hurried
- he -rot and in .pi-e of the danger Of
falling walls and 'imbers pushed into the
NarH~~ and attached to the cars.
~ The cars were started moving |
'n'ns'hIng unexpected happened. The
Anopy had been resting on them. and
10 ooIlap-..d j,Irt as fact A. the cars we're
.raUu from beneath II.
~" removal ~ this timber revealed n |
''~i' thai brought tears 10 the eyes of
r0u-snds of the spectators who were
r"rr '"d on buildings and csrs and IN"
t.sr Tood"n runaway just oppoait" 10 !
~" .rning building
wing on tn" tracks between two
10 90. e"d cars was found the bodv ~
-'"rrsn Lane. 10 years old a hoy switch |