Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-09-15
AmPH|THEATRE and
CONCESSION STANDS
LEvELLED IN Night
Ottawa's fire bug last night made his master
stroke.
$4,000 worth of pyrotechncs supplied by the


sociation and a score or
more of concessionaires,
gave the torch wielder an exhibition
which must have given his fiendlsh
mind much to eloat over. His lust
for terror and havoc certainly must
have been satisfied, at least for
while.
In the very midst of the biggest ex-
position In the history of the associa-
tion, and on the eve of what gave
promise Of being the record turn out
OF fair-bound people, the fire bug. af-
ter stealthily laying out his campaign
Of arson and frightfulness, struck r
blow which will always be remem-
bered as one of the most tragic in
Ottawa's annals.
Besides applying the match In such
a manner as to level the mammoth
amphitheatre to a smouldering mass
| of charred ruins, the torch fiend
wrought endless havoc to large num-
bers Of concessions and exhibits.
| Concessionaries, besides being strip
ped of all their money, were left
about while the roaring flames des-
troyed their shelters clad only in what
garments they could snatch from
hooks in their wild flight to safety.
Some in racing terrorized to safety,
escaped only in their underwear.
Others, more fortunate as far as bodi-
! ly concealment is concerned, had on
nothing but night clothes under large
aprons. Men fed in their pajamas or
whatever else they wore when driven
from their tents by the roaring caldron
overhead Besides destroying all their
wares, savings receipts for the day
! jewelry were left behind while con-
cession people dashed wildly out Of
the danger zone
The thing struck with the unexpect-
edness of lightning from clear sky,
altho for ten or fifteen minutes fire.
men searched the amphitheatre for
| fire they could smell but were unable
to trace down. With binding flash
the huge building broke into flame.
The structure, attacked with such
ferocity no chance was given to move
anything from the path of the flames,
in a seconds time was enveloped and
in minute after the first blast, which
sent embers high into the heavens
and scattered them over all the near
by tents and buildings, it was seen
fight to save 1t was useless.
Swept All Before It.
The flames originated in the south
end of the seating gallery worked
their way against the wind and made
a clean sweep of everything nearby,
That the floral hall race horse
stables. the dance hall and several
other nearby buildings escaped is on
ly due to the heroic work OF the fire
men, who despite the great handicap
made wonderful fight to save what
ever property they could
Three Autos Destroyed.
Three Ford automobiles, two Of
which were trucks, owed by concess-
toner's, we're engulfed in the huge
mass OF flames and today are nothing
more than a mass of scrap iron, while
several popcorn and peanut wagons,
valued at several hundred dollars
EACH were also burned,
Trained Monkeys Die.
One particular loss, although moth
ing great was that of seven trained
monkeys, owned by the concessioners.
He just purchased the monks last
Saturday in Chicago especially for the
La Sale county fair. and paid $3.50
dollars for them. Every one of the
little animals which were in the cages
over the night were victims of the
flames which spread fastly over the
grounds and could not be saved be-
cause of the intense heat which glow
ed from the grand stand
Crowds Jam Park.
The fair grounds was nothing but a
mass of human beings who jammed
into the park shortly after the alarm
had been spread about the amphithea-
ter and other buildings were burned.
COncessioners who had planned to
make a good go of the fair and who
lost everything they owned were hur.
rying about the grounds scantily clad,
without money or clothes, digging in
to the ruins for their destroyed pro
perty in hopes of finding some piece
or pieces which mnight not have been
burned.
Fireman Badly Burned.
me blaze was hrSt discovered Dy
James Quilter. who was detailed as
a special fireman at the grounds, and
who during the great fight to save the
building was severely burned on both
hands and arms. The ordor of smoke
was first detected by him and the
special night watchmen probably ten
minutes before flames burst forth
from underneath the building.
Discovered at ~: 80.
At the time. about 1890 O'Clock
this morning, the entire south end of