The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-12-18
PERISHED TN A TRAP.
The Office of the Minneapolis
"Tribune' Burned.
Ia Number of Persons Meet a Sud-
den and Terrible Death.

Inc once OIL tne -hlnneapOilS iFtOuhe las
been burned. The fire was started in law
Office on the third floor of the building about
1880 P. N. The flames did their work with
appalling speed. When this report was writ
ten the bodies of seven men had been identl-
fed, and it was the belief that from twenty to
twenty-five persons had lost their lives. The
names of those known TO be dead are as fol-
lows:
Igoe, James F.. night operator for the AS
sociated Press. He was killed by e fall in
attempting to escape from the building; Jen-
kinson, Jerry a printer, fell with lgoe,
E., night agent of the Associated Press was
killed by fall; Millman, W. H., the COM
mercial editor of the Minneapolis Tribune,
fell from the seventh story, and was instant
]y killed; McCutcheon, Robert, a printer,
Jumped to a ladder. but missed his hold; o.
sen, Edward, President of the University of
South Dakota, was knocked off the fire escape.
He died soon afterward; Pickett, Milton, the
assistant city editor of the st. Paul Pioneer
Press fell and was killed.
The elevator man noticed the smell of
smoke and called the attention of some of the
persons in the building toit The cry OF fire
was raised, and several persons went down
stairs from the seventh story to investigate
the matter and then returned to work. Be
fore long smoke began to fill the narrow
stairway, the only one in the building, and
everybody began to make leisurely prepara-
tions to depart. No immediate danger was
feared, although the only exits from the
building, which was supposed to be fireproof,
were narrow staircase wide enough for two
psrsons to come down abreast, the
elevator and a single escape at the
horth end of the structure. Several
persons had made their escape in the
-. &Dr ,,,IY, hn
FLAMES reached the elevator shaft, and blazed
J up to the top story, and the editorial rooms
on the same side Of the building where the
fire originated were soon mass OF flames.
In few minutes the fire invaded the other
side, where the composing room was Stu
ated.
A general alarm was turned in. and all the
engines in the city responded to the call. The
imprisoned printers gathered at the windows
in the south end and shr;eked wildly and de-
spairingly for aid. The long ladder seemed
to move up at snairs pace, but was finally
in position, and the terrified men began to
descend, the flames making steady encroach-
ments upon the corner into which they had
been driven. Life-nets were brought into
use, and some were saved by this means.
The fremen were badly hampered by the
network of telephone wires.
The fire was fierce one whileit lasted, and
it was due to the effective work of the Fire
Department that the flames were kept from
spreading to the frame buildings near by.
Several times there have been small fires in
the building. but they were quickly extin-
guished, 50 that less heed was paid to the
alarm than would have been usually the case,
The sight of the sufferings of the burning,
struggling men brought tears to the eyes of
= the bravest, and women prayed and strong
men breathlessly watched James +. lgoe's
brave attempt to escape. He had got clear
of the building and was gradually working
his way along the wires TO safety, while tbs
people below anxiously and helplessly
watched his brave attempt to save
to bis wife and four little ones
their bread-winner. But the wires
cut and his strength failed, and a groar
went up from the upturned faces far below
him when he was seen to slip from his slight
support and fall to the roof of the boiler
house, where he received fatal injuries. Mer
lifted him gently and started with him to
drug store; but on the way, after, a last
word of loving care for his family, h'
breathed his last
The last man of the Tribune editorial staff
to leave the building was Charles Ali
SVliams, the managing editor, and
although himself badly burned about the
4 head and hands, he gave the following
statement of how each of those above
reported met with his death, having been an
Walter E. Miles and W. H. Millman, with q
number of printers, started down the fire
escape. A blast of hot smoke and fame
struck Millman as he was starting, and he
lost his hold, and in falling knocked Miles
of, both falling from the seventh floor to the
ground. and at the six floor knocked off Mil
ton, Pickett and Professor Edward Olsen,
who had reached the fire escape from that
door. The four men in falling struck against
the lowest platform and bounded away from
the building, and were dead when they struck
the ground. When Williams started down the
ladder the fire was burning his hair and
meek, and he narrowly escaped the fate of
those who had preceded him, the heat and
smoke Being overpowering The printers on
the ladder escaped with slight burns. James
F. Igoe and Jerry" Jenkinson sought to es-
cape by the wires but had been weakened by
the smoke and fame SO that both soon fell
off, striking on the roof of the Tribune
boiler-room. Jenkinson was dead when
picked up. Robert McCutcheon jumped from
the window-ledge for the extension-ladder,
but his hands slipped, and he fell to the pave
ment. A net had been stretched to catch
him. but he was too heavy for it. and. strik
ing the ground, was so seriously injured that
he died soon after. Pickett, Igoe, Miles and
McCutcheon were married men, and Jenkin-
son was to have been married in O short
time. Millman lost his wife by aSphyxiation
a couple Of weeks ago, and had just returned
to work.
No attempt to recover any of the bodies
was made that night, but in the morning,
when the ruins had cooled off, work was be-
gun and pushed vigorously.