DISASTROUS FIRE IN CHICAGO

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19804, 21 May 1934, Page 9

DISASTROUS FIRE IN CHICAGO

FIERCEST FOR MANY YEARS ENORMOUS PROPERTY DAMAGE United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received May 20, 7.30 p.m.) CHICAGO, May 19. Starting late this afternoon, a fire swept the stockyards section on the South Side for five hours. Before the fire officials announced it was under control, it had razed an area of about a mile square. For a time it was . feared the flames were out of control and would spread to other sections. The property damage is estimated at 8,000,000 dollars, making the city’s greatest fire since the conflagration in 1871, which all but destroyed the city. One fireman was killed by a falling wall and a dozen injured, some seriously. Scores were overcome by the smoke and heat. Every available man and piece of equipment was pressed into service. The brigades used water at the rate of 20,000,000 gallons an hour, seriously curtailing the service in other sections. The fire presented an awful sight as thousands of dwellers and shopkeepers evacuated the area, carrying such belongings as they could. Clouds of acrid smoke beat over the downtown business section, and even into the exclusive North Side or residential district. The flames were visible for a hundred miles, according to aviators. A score or more of large buildings, including several meat packing plants, were burned to the ground. To control the fire it was necessary to dynamite many buildings. There is no estimate of the number of animals that perished, but it was probably high, as the fire started in a sheep pen and immediately spread to other buildings housing stock waiting to be put through the establishment.