The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-03-16
INVESTIGATION OF
 CHICAGO FIRE BY
 STATE UNDER WAY
Everything Points to lncendi- arismy Says Fire Attorney, of $500, 900 Blaze in
 Office Area
By Associated Press

chlcaBo, March 15.-tnvestigatfoH of the cause of the fire which de- stroyed block of thickly tenanted office buildings, caused loss of more than $5,000. 900, resulted in the death of one man and rendered 10000 others idle was begun tonight by state, city and insurance officials
 The manner in which the flames flared out in several places at the same moment, the almost incredible rapidity with which they spread un- til nothing but smoldering ruins was left of the block bounded by South Canal, West Van Buren and South Clinton streets and West Jackson boulevard caused Shirley T. High. fire attorney. to announce that everything pointed to incendiarism.'
 The first "still' alarm was turned in at l2;50 a, m. This was followed by other alarms at and { minute in- tervals until nearly every piece Of Chicago fire fighting apparatus was at the scene. But even with 52 en- zine companies playing more than a hundred lines of hose on the flames. it was not until four hours after the receipt of the first alarm that the fire was brought under control.
 "Fiyeproof, Hut Burns
 JuSl hCTOSS ine blTtel from lGS charred landscape of tottering walls and twisted, smoking steel on which firemen expected to be working for the next three days, lowered the mas sive skeleton of the fire proof Bur linston building tonight. The walls still stood intact. but it's Is stories of windows stared like sightless eyes over the scene of desolation for the contents had been destroyed by heat so intense that glass from the windows had melted. and according to the hremcn, ran like water" The structure housed the headouarters of the Chicago. Burlington and Quincy railroad and all of the records of the operating. engineering. legal and ex- ecutive departments were destroyed.
 Officials of the board of under writers declared that the fire. the most disastrous since the great fire of 1871 revealed many problems which would have to De met by fire men before they could hope to cope successfully with fires in great mod ern skyscrapers. The effect of the fire on the Burlington building was declared to show that no skyscraper is free from fire danger and that the modern fire department is practically helpless against blaze that gets full headway In the upper fioors or taii building.
 More Water Needed
 Insurance men, underwriters and fremen declared that methods would have to be devised 70 enable fire fighters to get more water to, the top of high buildings The use Of water towers such as are said to have proven effective in New York by means of which streams of water car be poured into the upper floors O ia building also was advocated by the insurance men who pointed out that tho Chicago department lacked such apparatus.
 In an effort to fix responsibility for today's fire. former police de- partment emp1oye was questioned. after w. T. Schiff vice president Schaffener and company. whose plant was destroyed. said that the man had written him threatening let ters. The flames were first observed in the vicinity of the Schaffner plant
 After being questioned the man was released and sHr. Schiff was called and questioned.