People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1893 — DUTY BRINGS DEATH. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

DUTY BRINGS DEATH.

Brave Firemen Lose Their Lives at Jackson Park. The Cold-Storage Warehouse Destroyed by Flames. Thirty Men Entrapped in the Tower —Escape Cut Off. Seventeen of Them Leap to the Roof Below and Are Killed—Many Others Receive Severe Injuries. FATAL FLAMES AT THE FAIR. Chicago, July 11. —The world’s fair received a baptism of fire and blood Monday afternoon, the Cold-Storage building proving a funeral pyre for thirteen firemen and four Columbian guards, twenty-four persons receiving •erious injuries. R. A. Drummond, Boilermaker Bernard Murphy and Henry Ceduldid are missing and are supposed to have been burned to death. The fire broke out in the tall chimney, the defective condition of which caused the insurance men to cancel the risks on the building one month ago. While trying to fight a blaze 30 leet above them the firemen were wrapped in flames that burst out without warning 70 feet below. Every man jumped, some into a pit of fire, others onto the roof, from which, maimed and bruised, they were taken to the hospitals. The Dead. The following were killed: William Denning, truck company No. 8; Philip B. Breen, truck company No. 8; Capt. James Garvey, engine company No. 1; John H. Freeman, lieutenant engine company No. 1; James Fitzpatrick, 51 years old, captain engine emnpany No. 2, compound fracture of arm, erushed shoulder, burns and internal injuries, died at Emergency hospital at 9 o'clock: John Mcßride, 5727 Sherman street, compound fracture of the right leg and burns on arms, head and body, died at lhe Emergency hospital at 8 o’clock; John Cahill, truck company No. 8; Burton E. Page, captain truck company No. 3; Lieut Moul ter, truck company Na 18, died in the Emergency hospital; Charles

Purvis, lieutenant of engine company No. 4; John A Smith, driver engine company No. 2; Columbian Guard Pohr and three other guards, names not yet determined. First Seen on the Cupola. Just exactly how the fire started will probably never be known, but the flames first appeared on the top •f the wooden cupola which surmounted the smokestack. The stack, 191 feet high, was built of steel or iron pipe incased in wood. It was just a trifling blaze at first, but the little tongues of flame, fanned by a stiff breeze from the northeast, circled around and around, gradually eating their way downward until the wooden pillars were on fire. By this time the firemen had reached the main roof of the building, and under orders from Acting Chief Murphy commenced to climb to the first platform, 70 feet from the roof. They ascended by means of wooden cleats nailed to the side of the toweij taking no ladders with them and but ttft-ee or four coils of rope. The first effort to get a line of hose up was from the southeast corner of the building, an extension ladder being run up

there. Then the men on the tower let down two of their ropes, which were attached to the hose, and the work of drawing up commenced. All this time the flames were slowlyconsuming the crown of the tower, and pieces of blazing wood droppping down inside and between the stack and its covering of pine started the flames which soon wrapped the men in an embrace of death. Ten minutes had elapsed before even a thought of danger struck the firemen, I but a little puff of white smoke that came from near their feet told them that they were standing on dangerous ground. The men on the roof began to feel a heat that did not come from above, and simultaneously with their shouts of warning came a cry of horror from the crowd. The eyes of 25,000 people caught sight of a tongue of flame broking out just below the platform on which the firemen were standing, still pulling up the hose. Instantaneously from between every pillar and seemingly from out the very walls swept sheets of flame, which curled upward, wrapping the tower in their embrace. Men who had shouted a warning the moment before stood dumb before the awful sight, the women in the multitude alone found voice. Their shrieks rose above the roaring and crackling of the flames, and as they died away a vast moan swept over the crowd—a pitiful cry from strong men who knew that death in its most awful form had claimed those whose forms were just visible through the smoke. Leaps for the Line. The moan changed to a groan of “O God!” as the wind blew the flames higher and higher, but in a moment all was silence as one of the firemen made a leap for the line of hose. He caught it with one hand and shot downward into the sea of flame, reappearing a moment later with clothes on fire, but still retaining bis hold. When be reached the roof he ran to the north side of the building and was soon lowered to the ground. He was John Park, of the Midway Plaisance company, Had his companions followed his example the loss of life would not have been so appalling, but

for some reason they hesitated for a minute and that minute cut off their escape in that direction, as the wind swept the flames around the hose and speedily burned it in two. An Awful Scene. Through the smoke and the flames the tall figure of Capt Fitzpatrick was plainly visible, and by his gestures it was evident that he was issuing orders to his men. Slowly one by one they turned and commenced to creep around the balcony to the north side, the flames almost touching their hands and feet There was no hurrying, no panic. Every man awaited his turn, and in some instances insisted on another taking precedence. The heart of the onlooking multitude stood still as the perilous journey was being made, and a cheer marked its completion. But the men were no better off there. The flames had worked their way upward all around the tower and they could not escape them much longer. A rope was thrown out and fell almost to the roof, but before a man could grasp it it was burnt in two.

Then a shriek of horror went up from the spectators. Strong men turned their heads away and women fainted by the score. The crowd was so dense that escape was impossible. Bld Good-by on the Ledge. Closer and closer together huddled the men on that narrow wooden ledge that stood between them and death. They knew that there was little chance of escape and with the courage of true heroes they resolved to meet it like brave men. One poor fellow forced his way through the little band of comrades, but his was no selfish object. He grasped one of them by the hand, threw his arms around his neck, and there they said good-by to one another. The example was infectious, farewells were said, and messages to be delivered if one or the other escaped were given. The Doomed Men Jumped. Suddenly a figure shot out from the ledge and descended through flame and smoke to the roof. But that wooden affair proved no barrier to the poor fellow’s progress, and through it he went into the pit of fire below. Jumping or roasting to death was the only alternative now, and a second man took the latter chance. He did not fall as the first, feet downward, but commenced to turn and turn, striking on his head and being killed immediately. The fate of the two who jumped was so "awful that the survivors hesitated, and the next man seized the piece of rope that was burning shorter and shorter every minute. He slid down, let go as he reached the burning end and dropped. He fell into a pit of fire, and his comrades on the roof, who had taken off coats, vests and even trousers to form nets to break the falls, were driven away by the rapidly encroaching flames. Went Down with the Tower. Down the doomed men jumped one by one, and soon there were only two men left on that fire-encircled plat-

form. Capt. Fitzpatrick, who had directed the movements of the men, sought to induce his companion to go down first, but he would not. Every second was precious, and a moment’s delay meant certain death. The captain seized the rope, which by this time was only 20 feet long, and shot downward. As he released his hold he gave a spring to the north and managed to throw himself beyond the flames. The last man sought to follow his example, but just as his hands left the burning cord the entire tower wavered in the wind and fell with a crash, carrying him downward with the fall. Rush to Fitzpatrick's Rescue. Chief Murphy had been standing on the roof doing all he could, but was driven back by the flames and had just reached the ground when Capt. Fitzpatrick fell. He shouted to R. J. Kennedy, captain of company 5, and Hans Rehfeldt, of the hook and ladder company, and together the three started up the ladder. The firemen on the ground played a stream of water around the men as they went up, nearing the flame. Murphy was the first to clamber on the roof, closely followed by Kennedy and Rehfeldt. The chief took a small piece of rope, with which he securely fastened the ladder to the roof. Then, in company with his men, he ran to where Fitzpatrick lay. Raising the wounded man to his feet they tied a line securely around his body just under his arms and carefully and slowly lowered him to the ground, where willing hands were in waiting for the unfortunate. Fitzpatrick was placed in an ambulance and driven with all speed to the Emergency hospital. The three brave men then came down the ladder and it seemed as if they were completely engulfed in flame. Hard Fire to Fight. With the collapse of the tower the flames burst forth from every part of the building with a fury that baffled the efforts of the firemen. The men worked with tears streaming down their faces

and yet worked well. They had no time to atop and think of the awful fate of their comrades, for the strong wind carried the flames to the sheds adjoining on the south and threatened the structures outside of the grounds on Stony Island avenue. It was 4 o’clock before the flames were under control and by that time the building had been reduced to a heap of charred timbers. The large building north of the Storage building used as a stable was wholly destroyed. It required hard work of the firemen to save the Color building and paint shop. The loss on the stable is >4,000. The buildings across the street outside the fair grounds were scorched, but the fire did not make any great headway among them and the damage was trifling. Many Wild Rumors. Rumors of scores of lives being lost flew thick and fast and gained in numbers as they left the . fair and traveled to the city. One statement was that a party of thirty or forty had been eating lunches in the observatory of the building, all members of which were incinerated. There was no truth in this, neither in the statement that half a dozen young women had been burned. Searching the Ruins. The work of- recovering the bodies was begun at 4:30 o’clock. The ruins were yet smouldering and the steaming heat prevented the firemen from prosecuting their work long at a time. The first body was taken out at 5:30 o’clock, a charred stump bearing no resemblance to a human form. Another was found fifteen minutes later and at frequent intervals until eight had been recovered. At the approach of night the work was discontinued on account of the dangerous condition of the ruins and lack of light.

Fully Twenty Thousand Witnesses. The awful sight was witnessed by fully 20,000 horror-stricken visitors to the fair. The crowd shuddered, and as the men jumped or fell on the roof, some killed outright and others maimed and mangled for life, cries of “0! O! Isn’t that awful!” were heard on every 'side. A good many women evinced their emotion by crying outright, for it was one of the most pitiful sights ever witnessed. There were a good many men in that crowd who cried like little children and some were so overcome by their emotion that they almost went frantic, the sight was so heart-rending. It seemed as if the bodies of the men would rebound from th! roof when they struck it, sometimes going 6or 8 feet up in the air. It was a sorrowful sight as viewed from the crowd in the vicinity of the burning building. Called on the Troops. The crowd, horror-stricken as it was, was beyond the control of the Columbian guards, and although 800 of them tried to keep the people back and to open lines through which the ambulances and fire apparatus could come their efforts were utterly futile. Forty-five United States soldiers appeared on the scene at double trot in the nick of time, and with their bayonets forced the crowd back and did what the 800 guards could not do, kept it in order and at a safe distance from the burning building.

Tho Burned Warehouse. The cold .storage warehouse was situated south of the Transportation building annex, close to the Stony Island boundary and not far from the Sixtyfourth street entrance. It covers a ground space of 130 by 255 feet, and its exterior was severely plain, having less ornamentation than any of the other exposition buildings. The warehouse was fitted out with a complete apparatus for the manufacture of ice and for cold storage. It contained restaurants and cases and the roof was arranged for a promenade, while the big tower which, cost the life of the firemen was used for an observatory. It is probable that the entire building will be totally destroyed. It cost $250,000 and is stored with meats, fruits and wines. The whole loss will probably reach half a million. It was built and occupied by the Hercules Iron Works company, manufacturers of refrigerating machinery. The Low *200,000. W. N. Donaldson, superintendent of the burned building, said: “The loss on building and machinery will run up toward $200,000. Some of the machinery may be saved. Building and machinery are covered by insurance, I understand.”

The loss is by no means confined to building and machinery and company property. Every government on the globe and every state in the union represented at the exposition is a loser to. some extent, as they all had goods in the cold-storage. These goods consisted principally of wines, beer, ale and last year’s fruits that were to be put in competitive exhibition when the jury of awards commences its work. It is estimated that the Spanish government sustains a loss of $20,000 on fine wines and liquors, and Lowney, of Boston, loses SIO,OOO worth of choclate candies. The other quantities of wine, beer and ale destroyed were worth probably from $25,000 to $35,000. No estimate can be placed on the value of last years fruits that were stored in the building. All the states and Canada were represented. Tn the Hospital. The service at the hospital was quick and efficient. There was no noise, no unnecessary stir or bustle in the ball. Only the physicians, nurses and officers of the institution were allowed in the building, and as soon as the suffering could be lifted from the ambulances they were taken into the wards, where their wounds were quickly dressed. On the first alarm of fire the three ambulances belonging to the Emergency hospital, supplemented by three police patrol ambulances, rushed to the fire. These returned quickly after the tower with the firemen fell bearing two patients, in almost every case, in each wagon. These were the extreme cases. A second run resulted in bringing to the hospital several more wounded men, but these were, for the most part, only slightly hurt, and after their wounds were dressed they left for their homes.

COLD STORAGE WAREHOUSE.

THE BURNING TOWER.