People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 July 1893 — THE WORLD’S FAIR CITY. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE WORLD’S FAIR CITY.

Notes on Current Events at the Columbian Exposition. The Horrible Cold Storage Fire—Arrival the Cara vela and the Viking Ship —The Swedish Building; and Its Future Purpose. 1 Jf 1 (Special Chicago Oorrespondgnca ] All Chicago, Including guests and. world's fair visitors, is yet in the throes of horror produced by the lamentable fate of the victims of the recent fire*bt the cold storage budding at Jackson park, and subscriptions are sfiDl pouring in for the benefit of the 'famines and dependents of the poor souls who met with such an awful death. The exact number of lives lost in the flames has not as yet been ascertained, but according to the latest information twenty-three charred and dismembered bodies were found in the ruins of the ill-fated building. The unfortunates were nearly all firemen, and the sad fate of their comrades has caused the deepest sorrow among the members of the department throughout the city. Most of the bodies taken from the ruins were so thoroughly incinerated and disfigured that they were beyond recognition, and the mourning relatives and friends of those who were known to have been lost in the flames wire more deeply plunged in giief by inability to identify their dead, and the sad search' among the blackened and broken corpses for even the faintest traces of husbands, fathers and brothers was pitiful in the extreme. The building burned was not the property of the fair, as was quite generally supposed, but belonged to the Hercules Iron company of Aurora, HL The loss occasioned by the fire was nearly a quarter of a million dollars, and has caused the company to make an assignment. The bpiidmg whs put up for the purpose of preserving perishable supplies for the fair during the summer season, and was well stored with provisions for hungry'and thirsty visitors. It also contained an ice-man-ufacturing plant capable of freezing one hundred and twenty tons of ice per day, and an ice skating rink one hun-

dred and eighty feet long by eighty feet wide. Can ice—so called from the system employed in making it —was to be the principal production. Condensed steam, thoroughly filtered, was to be used exclusively, making the ice positively pure. The plant was to supply only'ten tons daily by a series of submerged pipes filled with pure water. For the safe keeping of eggs,* butter and meat used in the restaurants sixty thousand cubic feet of space were used This was divided into a great many sections, with ingenious ventilating devices which were automatic and "kept the rooms each at the desired temperature. All the processes of overcoming the natural heat of summer were to be shown, including the direct expansion, the brine circulation and the indirect Circulation, where the air is cooled on the top floor and then distributed by means of fans. It required fifty thousand pounds of ammonia to operate the system, this product being used over and over again, and at the

close of the exposition the fifty thousand pounds would have been without loss in bulk. Great; expeptations.-had been based on the popularity of the skating- rink. It was in the room next the roof. The ice was to-beH five inches thick, frozen by pipes of circulating brine placed close together; ; Balconies about the sides were erected for spectators and a band. The Hercules Iron company built all the labyrinth of pipes and tanks, and a German firm put in the boilers, said to consume the smoke, thus being capable of burning the very poorest Coal. The loss of .thi? building will be severely felt by the concessionaires at the fair who depended, upon it for supplies during the heated term, and it is highly probable that the destruction of the.supplies stored in it will occasion much inconvenience and some loss in various quarters.

There is in this calamity a sugges, tion which the fair authorities will doubtless heed, and that Is the urgent need of fire escapes on the large building throughout the grounds and especially those which have elevators for carrying people to the roofs and higher stories. It is hardly probable that such another catastrophe will be visited upon the fair, in fact no such o&er ||pngerous .building exists, but, ohtside meanstof fceseent are quite as 'neicesßary on world's fair on any others in ‘which human beings are carried to great heights. Disding the public JBiterestfe with the foregoing calamity is th© late arrival of the Columbus fleet and the Vikigg shift A few days ago Marfa, the Nina and "the Pinta cast i/ IWaWI / “11 Ira a ” ip / *4 THE VlklNb anchor in ths, basin before the White city, and following quickly in their wake came the Gokstab-find with her 1 crew of hardy Norsemen. Such naval P&mp and ceremony as was witnessed upon their reception was soever before seen inflblcago, and possiblynever before in the new world. . The bosom of old Lake Michigan has been heaving considerably of late, and it might well heavfe with pride at such gorgeous displays as have been made upon it since the gjeat fair was opened. From the time of their landing At New York these strange vessels, which have been produced, in the lifeehetses of the his to rib craft of Ericksqnhnd Columbus, have been accorded the warmest receptions and have b een feted aud honored; and now thlt they have found safe' iforlfor Jbftej| their perilous voyages in the waters of Jackson park they will be held as precious mementoes of the great navigators who dared the anger of the

elements 'to found a new civilisation upon the shores of an unexplored world. The history of the caravels has been published broadcast during the last few months and has become familiar to all. The history of the modem V|king ship is of more recent date and will prove somewhat more interesting reading at this time. The ship Gokstabfind was built about six months ago after the design of the original ship which was unearthed some time previous from a Norwegian mound. It sailed some six or seven weeks ago from Christiania under the command of Magnus Anderson, a splendid specimen of Norse manhood, who had a crew of twelve of his countrymen equal in physique and daring to himself. In this ship, which was open to the elements and rigged in the most primitive fashion, these hardy mariners crossed the raging main and after many hardships came safely to land, completing one of the most notable voyages ever made to this country. Here these worthy descendents of the ancient “creek-men” find many countrymen to welcome them and join with them in the general rejoicing over their safo arrival. When the world’s fair is over the immense temples dedicated to art, tlyi sciences and commerce will be despoiled of their entrancing beauties, and the buildings themselves will be sold tc some shrewd contractor, who will care fully pull them apart board for board and utilize the pile he accumulates in constructing other buildings—not sc handsome but more useful. The Swedish building will not suffer this com mon fate. Though it will be taken down it will again be reared in its present form. It will change its rest 4 mg place, but will stall remain in Ch? cago. < It has been bought by the Martin Luther college of Chicago, and whe.i , the grounds and airy bowers of Jack son park are deserted, and the placi. that was the center of the world for six months is only a memory, the building i will be taken apart and removed to a pretty site in Martin Luther college . (fc dition in the northwestern part of Chii cago. seven miles from the courthouse. , The building is a unique one, inasmuch as it can be taken apart and put together again as often as is desired with- - out injury to the« building. It was ■ made in Sweden, inspected by all who , cared to see it. gently taken to pieces, each part marked and shipped to the world’s fair, where in a few days it stood: forth as substantial a building as • any. It may appear that the structure i is something of an architectural toy, ! but tnis is not the case. * Its dimensions are by no means small i and the main tower is something over ob« hundred feet high.

THE COLD STORAGE BUILDING.

THE SWEDISH BUILDING.