Devoured By Fire

Chicago, Jan. 9. - The world's fair Pompeii carne Monday night. A rushing volcano of flaine, a huge Gothie architecture tumbling into chaos, bewildered inobs of people - all were there, under a great starry sky of1 Italian clearness, with Lake Michigan's broad expanse, a second Mediterraneau. The fire started in the casino just east of the agricultura! building and south of the peristyle. The casino was quickly devonred and the flaines surged ] north on the top of the peristyle and, dropping, made a second line of -tire i along the base of the columns. The flames then sprang through the mueic i hall, which corresponds at the uorth ! end of the peristvle to the casino at the i eouth. While the fire was b.urnins there was one of the most singular and fascinating sights of tlie night. Along the top of the peristyle were scores of statues. The spectaüe for those peopie j fortúnate enough to be on the nioving ! sidewalk just east of the peristyle was that of a succession of gigantic human '. beings plmiging, one after another, ; heaülong iiito the waters of the hike below. Origin of tlie Fire. The origin of the fire is said to be ! venge on the part. of a coupleof train ps. The solitary gaard in the music hall ; says that just bef ore the flames broke ! out he kicked two vngabonds out of the ' music hall and told them to find quarters elsewhere. They left in the j tion of the casino and soon after the i fire broke out and soon everything on the grounds was terror and confusión. The spectators, partly to guard their lives and prevent wholesale robbery of ] the exhibits, had been largcly driven by the poli;e westward over the bridges ! froni the lake and linëd np in a solid mass against the eleetricity building. ' Here they could see, beilowiug out ! giant handfuls of the roof, and great i blazing fragmenta dropping down upon ! the exhibits below. Through the glass roof and buildings could be seen the : piet-es falling like boulders in an avalanche, crushing and burniug the ] quisite French section and threatening ' to destroy tlie Russian and British i tions. The fire boats and engines on the lake side had by this time subdued the , flames in the ashes of the periatylë and in the lower collonada of t)ip southeast side of the liberal arts building and j hopes were raised that the fire had been : eubdued but shortly after li:l." p. m. i the flames got bevond control away up j on the top promenade of the liberal arts i building and the niain aisle of the building was a mass of flames, arising from the blazing brand.s which came ' frorn above. Kxhibits Destroyed. About 11:43 a great iron arch gave way directly above the French wares and, falling heavily. buried then beneath the burning pile and they were abandoned. Back of the French was the Japanese exhibit, and about it ■ clustered a crowd of scared and frantic Japanese. This. like inany exhibits. bas not been released from bond, and j the goods could not be taken from the building. Under the direction of some Japanese officials the wares were carted ! to the doors, and there they stood guarded by natives of the Flowery Kingdom, who sorrowfully awaited the ! strnction that seenied inevitable. All I of the American exhibits had long ago ' been removed, but the formalities of I the custom house had detained the ! goods of the foreigners. Superintendent Graham of the manufactures building said it would be weeks before a schedule of the damages conld be irepared. The fire department fought with energy and skill, but the conditions ; were all against succesa. A fierce wind came oyer t e lake flinging fiery embers everywhere md fanning the flames into fierce life wih every moment. The fire wae gorten under control shortly after midnight, and at 2 a. m. it was practically -extingnished. AooidfUita t I''ii'4iiueii. The great fire was not without its I work of de;ith and injury. Por the j second time within the history of the exposition firenien risked life and limb j to save the property of otters and saddened homes are the resnlr. William Mackey. pipeman. engine ' company No, 01, feil rrom ladder on ■ peristyle; internally injured and died at Mercy hospita!. Captain Frederick Getz, trnck company No. 16: feil from roof of : factures building; leftleg breken, chest : badly injured and internally hurt. Eugene Durand, watuhnian in the i French section of the manufactures : building; strnck on head by plank: badly cut and bruised; removed to j Emergency hospital. Shortly aft-er 11 o'clock four fireman j were caught beneatb a crush of falling embers just outside the manufactures ! building. Streams of water were mstantly poured upon the mass and soon the injured men were removed. Their names could not be ascertained by rlie chief, but it was said that all of the men were unconscious wheii rescued and that two of them were fatally injured.