Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "World's Columbian Exposition" in English language version.
It was known as the "Greatest Refrigerator on Earth," and was estimated to be 130 by 255 feet. The lower level provided cold storage for the thousands of pounds of food served every day at the fair; while the upper story featured an ice skating rink for fair patrons.
"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.