Explanation:
“In a funeral pyre … imprisoned by flames,” read the headline of a front-page story of the Chicago Daily Tribune on July 11, 1893. A day earlier, 16 people, including 12 firefighters, had died in a blaze at one of the buildings in Jackson Park during the World’s Columbian Exposition. It was the fair’s first tragedy, and it was witnessed by thousands of fairgoers. The story dominated the news pages for days and led to charges of criminal negligence against four people, including fair architect Daniel Burnham.
July 10, 1893, dawned as a typical day at the World’s Fair. Tribune headlines about the exposition that day included stories about a severe storm that damaged a hot-air balloon on the Midway and Midwestern farmers who were foregoing the fair because of high rail costs. Just over two months into the 6-month event, the World’s Fair had hit its stride. The Ferris wheel had finally been erected about three weeks earlier, and thousands of visitors were still showing up each day.
