The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1922-03-16
FIVE MILLION
CHICAGO FIRE
F|REBUG'S WORK
100 LINES OF HOSE
PLAYED ON FLAMES
Massive "Fiire-proof' Burling-
ton Buildin gSuccumbs
to Intense Heat.

Chicago. March Decentralization OF
tho cause Of the fire which destroyed a
block Of tlIckly tennanted ONCE build
.ngs and raused a loss q more than
S., 900. .NOU resulting In the death OF one
man and rendering 10000 others idle.
was begun tonight by state, city and In
surance company officials.
The manner in which the flames hAred
out in severa! places at tho same
moment. the almost incredible rapidly
with which they spread until nothing
but smouIdering ruins vas left OF the
block bounded by South Canal. West
Van Burcn and South Clinton streets
and West Jackson boulevard caused
. Shirley #. High. fire attorney. to an
nounce that "everything pointed to In
cendIarism." AZ
The frs, still alarm was turned IN At
1880 A NJ. This was followed By otnee
alarms at three and four minute inter
walls until nearly every piece Of Chiear
90 fire fighting apparatus was 1t the
scene. But even With hfty-two engine
companies playing more than hundred
lines Of hose on the flames, Il was NOT
until four hours after the receipt OF the
first alarm that the FIRE Was orougnt
under control.
lust across the street from the
| charred Landscape o. totterinE walls ana
twisted smoking s:e:l on which hremen
expected to be working for the next
three DAYS, toward the massive skeleton
Of the Arc proof Burlington building
tonight. The walls still stood intact.
hut A.. fftecu stories Of windows stared
! like s!ghtless eyes over tho sceno oS''
desolation, for the contents had oeen
DESTROYED by a heat so intense thae
alass from the windows had melted ano
according 10 the fremen ran nm
water" Tho structure house tho neAo
quarters of the Chicago, Burlington
Quincy railroad. and all the recoros Oh
the operating, engineering. leBal ano O.
ecutive department were oestroyeo-
New Problems xaosd
o,1cis,s r. the board Of underwriters
declared that the FIRE, the most dlsas-
trous since the great fire OF 1871. re-
vcoled many problems which Woulo nave
N hc met by tiremen before they could
hone 70 cope successfully with nres IN
Urea, modern skyscrapers. The enect OF
~ Nra on the Rurlin gton building was
declared to show that no skyscraper -
free from flre danger and that tne moo
ern fire department Is practically neip.
Ies. against a blaze that gets run
/ headvay in the upper hoors or = 2ii
building.
Insurance men. underwriters and hre-
men declared that methods would hAvs
70 be devised TO enable fire fighters 70
qet more water to the top OF high
buildings. The use Of water towers
such as are said to have proved enectivs
In New York, by means OF "nlcn
streams OF water can be poured into the
upper floors Of building also was al
yocated by the insurance men. who point
.d out that the Chicago department
lacked such apparatus
In an effort to nx responsibility ior'
today's fre. a former police department
empioye was questioned after W. 7.
schafrer. vice president OF tho schaner
counanv whose plant was destroyed.
said that the man had written him
threatening letters The Games were
orst observed In the vicinity OF the
Schatfer plant.
After being questioned the man waA'
released and Mr.. Schatfer was called
and questioned