The Washington times., 1922-03-15
ID MILLION
bLAzE IS
BELIEVED.
.|NCEND|ARY
Discharged EmpIoye Accused
of Starting confIagration
That Costs Fireman's Life.
BY international News Service.

CHICAGO, March 15.-Evidence
of incendiarism was found today
by the authorities investigating the
disastrous fire which wiped out an
entire block Of buildings in the
Union Depot business district this
morning, reducing great structures
to grim, gaunt skeletons and csus-
ing a property damage vzriously
estimated from s5,o00,0 900 TO slo.-
000, 900, killing one man, and in
juring scores of others it was tht
greatest Chicago fire since the
historic conflagraiion Of 1871.
Man Is Arrested.
Frank Costello. alias Frank Car.
sey, a former employe of a confcc-
tionery concern in the building where
the fire started. was placed under
arrest and the authorities indicated
that startling disclosures would
follow.
When the fire was placed under
| control, shortly before 10 o'clock this
morning. after burning fiercely since
midnight, investigation was started
to learn the cause. Carsey was taken
into custody by Fire Attorney Shir.
ley II. High after Harry P. Schiff.
president of Schaefer & Co.. where
the fire started, told that the man
had threatened him.
Carsey was held incommunicado.
81 have evidence which shows
conclusively that the fire was of
incendiary origin" said tho fire
attorney.
Thousands OF persons circled the
devastated district all forenoon.
watching the firemen battle with
the smouldering ruins. Many were
the miraculous escapes at the
scene Of the fire. The cornice and
facings of the sixteen-story Burling-
ton building. housing the main Of
fices Of the Chicago. Burlington and
Quincy Railroad, which was gut
ted from the sixth floor up, were
continually dropping and imperil-
ing the firemen and police.
Portions OF the Austin and At
lantic buildings. among the manv
in ruins, swayed and fell with heavy
crashes.
Traffic Is Suspended.
Street car lines in the distric.
were out Of commission all morning.
! Thousands of persons were late
reporting to work as consequence,
being forced to take devious routes.
Elevated traffic was suspended half
mile from the scene.
The injured were being treated
at the Iroquois Hospital. The dead
victim was James G. McGovern.
fireman. who was killed when
struck on the head by a falling
sign.
The fire occurred in the district
just west of the Chicago river, near
the Union depot. one OF Chicago's
most famous railway stations. II
centered in the block bounded by
Jackson, Clinton, Canal and Van
Buren streets, but swept over ad.
joining squares.
From a spectacular standpoint the
blaze was one OF the most thrilling
the city has known. Starting
about midnight, the flames spread
rapidly and shot sykward to great
heights. reddening the skies for
miles and driving fear into the
hearts Of thousands who visioned
a repetition OF the great contlagra-
ton OF more than fifty years ago.
1t Is estimated that more than
100. 900 persons thronged the streets
leading to the fire area, most OF
them on bridges spanning the river.
Fire Defies Control.
For several hours the fire defied
control and more than half Of all
Chicago's fire fighting forces and
equipment was called out to aid In
the fight.
At 2 o'clock it was feared by fire
authorities that the flames might
leap across intervening streets and
perhaps the river. nenacing thereby
the so-called loop" district, which
is the heart OF Chicago. At
o'clock, however. after game and
stubborn fight. the spread OF the
conflagration had been checked and
the blaze brought under control.
The biggest building destroyed was
the sixteen-story Chicago, BurlinR.
Ton and Quincy In South Clint6A