Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1922-03-15
FIRE Loss
RUNS into
MILLIONS
Full Square of Chicago
Office Buildings Is
Destroyed by Early
Morning Blaze

IL o. & /
ular early morning fire today de-
stroyed 3 full square of business
buildings just outside Chicago's
loop" district, with a loss esri-
mated at from s10,099,0G0 tol
SIS, 900, 900. The fire started in
the center Of the block bounded
By Van Buren,. Canal and Clinton
streets and West Jackson boule-
ward, burned every structure inf
that area, leaped north across
Jackson and wrecked the zl-stoTy
Chicago, Burlington L Quincy
railroads general office building
which also houses the Mercantile
Savings bank and famed by q
strong wind dipped ovsr Van
Burne street southwark and
burned nearly through another
bolck TO Harrison street.
The flames were not brought
under control until nearly 81
o'clock and even then firemen
were fighting dozen different
fires and others broke out inter
mittently as the wind waited
sparks about.
One Fireman Killed.
One fireman was killed, another
seriously injured. ten or more
slightly hurt and an unknown
number OF the hundred thousand
spectators who thronged the burn
ing district were slightly hurt by
falling bricks, burning timhers or
sparks.
The fire for a time threatened
to assume virtually unlimited pro-
portions and every piece Of fire
fighting apparatus within five
miles was called out in series of
ten alarms.
+'The rapidity with which the
fire spread was astounding" Mar
shall Buckley, assistant fire chief.
said THE fire actually seemed to
run from us"
That the original blaze from
which the conflagration grew
possibly was OF incendiary origin
was the statement Of Shirley High.
city fire attorney. who early to-
day announced the arrest of an
named man on information sup
piled by H. T. schiff, president of
the Confectionery Speciality com
pany at 251 West Jackson boule-
ward, where the fire started.
Suspect Arrested.
Mfr. High refused to diyulge the
name Of the man arrested, but said
he was being questioned regard
ing threatening letters Mr.. Sehiff
said the man, a former empioye
had sent to him. Mr.. Schiff told
Mr.. High the man was discharged
when he became incensed over re-
fusal 10 permit him TO purchase
stock in the company and within
the past two months had made a
series Of threats.
Mr.. High summoned several Of
aides while the fire was at it's
height and said an investigation
would be begun Immediately. He
placed the total loss at from sl0.-
10000 to SIS, 100000.
Traversing the main burned
area, the Metropolitan West Side
elevated line today was seriously
handicapped in diyerting its
thousands Of patrons to the down
town district, as was the Aurora
and Elgin electric interurban line,
which also used the four track
structure which was caught in the
midst of the fire.
Flames Are Checked.
The huge Burlington office
building. called a fire proof struc-
ture, held the fire from spreading
estward. Progress of the
flames to the south was arrested
by the facilities foremen were able
to muster by flocking to the tops
OF the smaller puuding there
two to six stories Highland thus
increasing a range Of their water
streams.
A vacant lot, the site OF the pro-
posed new union station. kept the
fire from spreading northward.
The Chicago river runs a block
east of the burned district, but
would have afforded but little
protection had the wind veered the
sweep Of the flames toward the
retail business section to the east.