The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1922-03-22
FORCE OF FLAMES
FELT BY CHICAGO
Loss Of More Than Five Million Dol.
lars. Inquiry Into Cause.

A"ho' A"IuhS hhtU SduoCs
Chicago, March DEMONSTRATION of
the cause of the fire which destroyed
a block OF thickly tenanted orllce
buildings caused q loss of more than
$5,000,000, 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
flarcd out in several places at the
same moment, the almost incredible
rapidity with which they spread until
nothing but smouldering ruins were
left OF the block bounded by South
Canal, West Van Buren, and South
Clinton streets and West Jackson
boulevard caused Shirley r. High, fire
attorney, to announce that everything
pointed to inccndiarism.'
The first alarm was turned in at
1880 a. m. This was followed by
other alarms at three and four minute
intervals until nearly every piece Of
Chicago fire fighting apparatus was
at the scene. But even with 62 en-
gine companies playing more than 100
lines Of hose on the flames it was not
until four hours after the first alarm
that the fire was brought under con-
troll Just across the street from the
charrcd 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 "freproof' Bur-
lington building tonight. The walls
still stood intact but it's 15 stories Of
windows stared like sghtless eyes
over the scene Of desolation, for the
contents had been destroyed by g
heat so intense that glass from the
windows had melted, and, according to
the firemen "ran like water" The
structure house the headquarters of
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
and all Of the records OF the operat-
ing, engineering, legal and executive
departments were destroyed.
officials of the board Of underwrit-
ers declared that the fire, the most
disastrous since the great fire Of 1871,
revealed many problems which would
have TO be met by fircmen before they
could hope to cope successfully with
fires in great modern skyscrapers."
The effect of the fire on the Burling-
ton building was declared, to show that
no sliyscraper is free from fire dam
age and that the modern fire depart
ment is practically helpless against a
blaze that gets a full headway in the
upper stories OF tall building. IN.
surance men, underwriters and fire.
men declared that methods would have
to be devised to enable fire fighters
to get more water to the top Of high
buildings.
In an effort toy fix responsibility for
today's fire, a former police depart
ment employee was questioned after
w. r. Schiff, vice president Of Schaf-
fer &c Co., whose plant was destroyed,
said that the man had written him
threatening letters. The flames were
first observed in the vicinity OF the
Schaffer plant. After being question
cd the man was released, and Mr..
Schaffer was questioned.
First estimates put he property
loss as high as $15,OO0,000, but after
inspecting the ruins. Thomas O'Con-
nor, fire marshal, and Edward Buck
ley, assistant fire marshal, expressed
the belief that the loss would not ex-
cecd $4,000 coo.
business men, however,. pointed to
the fact that the flames had driven
out $50 firms and declared that the
fire experts estimate OF the loss was
too low. They said 1t would total be-
tween $1O,O0O,O00 and $15,000,O00.
A woman who was seated in an au-
tomobile in front Of the Burlington
building just before the fire started
across the street, told the police to-
night OF having seen several men run
ming from the shadow Of the building
{. few minutes before the fire alarm
was turned IN.