The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-03-15
Fire Loss Estimated
Around $4,000, ,OOO-
Fire Started From Un-
known Origin, Strong
Win Is Carrying 1t
North, Burning Rail
road Offices, B a n k
Buildings Stop pin G
Blaze Before Reaching
Van Buren, street

Chicago, March ia spectacularly
morning fire today destroyed a full
square of business buildings just out
side Chicago's loop" or downtown dis
trict, with a loss estimated at from
$10000,000 to $15,000,000 The fire
started in the center of the block
bounded by Van Buren,, Canal and
Clinton streets, and West Jackson
Boulevard of unknown origin, burned
every structure in that area, leaped
north across jackson and, wrecked the
twenty-one-story Chicago, Burlington
and Quincy railroads general Office
building which also the Mercantile
Trust and Savings Bank, and, under
burden of a strong wind dipped over
Van Buren, street southwark and
burned nearly through to Harrison
street.
The fire was not brought under con-
troll until nearly o'clock and even
then firemen were fighting a dozen
different fires and others broke out
internationally as the wind waited
sparks about
One fireman was killed, another Sc
riously injured, ten or more slightly
hurt, and an unknown number of the
hundred thousand spectators who
thronged the burning district slightly
hurt by falling bricks, burning timbers
or sparks.
The fire for a time threatened to
assume very unlimited proportions
and every piece of fire fighting appar-
atus within five miles was called out
in a series of ten alarms.
THE rapidity with which the fire
spread was astounding" Marshall
Buckley, assistant fire chief said, ''the
fire actually seemed to run from U.S."
That the original blaze from which
the confiagration grew possible was
of incendiary origin, was the state
ment of Shirley P. High, city fire at
torney, who early today announced
the arrest of an unnamed man on in
formation supplied by H. T. Schiff,
president of the confectionery special
ty company at 521 West Jackson Boui-
evard, where the fire started.
Mr. High refused to divulge the name
of the man arrested but said that he
was being questioned regarding threat
ening letters. Mr.. Schiff said the man,
a former employee, had been sent
to him. Mr.. Schiff told Mr.. High the
man was discharged when he became
incensed over refusal to permit him
to purchase stock in the company and
within the past two months had made
a series of threats. Mr.. Schiff placed
his personal loss at $4,000.
Mr.. High summoned several of his
aides while the fire was at its height
and said an investigation would be
begun Immediately. He placed the to-
tai loss at from $1O,0OO,OOO to $15,-
100000. Traversing the main burned
area, the Metropolitan West Side Ele-
waited line today was seriously handi-
capped in delivering its thousands of
patrons to the downtown district as
was the Aurora and Elgin Electric In
terurban line which also used the four
track structure which was caught in
the midst of the fire.
The hugh Burlington office building.
called fire proof structure, held the
fire from spreading northward. ex-
tending the full block on West Jack
son boulevard between Canal and
Clinton streets, while progress of the
flames toward the south was ended by
the access the firemen had to the
smaller buildings-two to six stories
which begin south of Van Buren,
street. The Chicago river runs a
block east Of the burned district but
would have afforded but little protec-
ton had the wind veered the sweep
of the flames toward the main bust.
ness section.
Chicago, March 15.-Heat from the
burning buildings across the street
cracked out the windows of the. Mer-
camille Trust and Savings Bank be-
fore the Burlington building itself was
afire. A heavy police guard was
thrown about the bank but was driven
away quickly when the building
caught fire. Cash and securities val
ued at approximately $6,0O0,O0O, are
said to be in the banks vaults, and
1t may be several days before they
can be examined.
The Burlington building caught fire
at about the eighth story and burned
up and down. No stream of water was
powerful enough to fight the fire in
the upper stories.
So intense was the heat in the
burning district that the steel sup
ports OF the elevated structure could
be seen at white heat.
Despite the calling out of extra DO
licemen, automobiles of spectators
quickly jatnmed the streets about the
burning district The flames leaping
nigh and Rntfed By the gusts of wind
we're visible Tor more than 20 miles.
The Van Hdt6n 1fEbet tunnal OF the
NnicaHQ ellfi1ce ||Itz under The Chi.