The climax. [volume] (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1887-1897, 1889-12-04
Horrible Holocaust.
Seven Human Lives Sacrificed
in the Flames.
A NUMBER OF OTHERS INJURED.


Tribune Building at Minneapolis, Min
nesota-Fuu "Details of the Terrible
Calamity.
MINNEAPOIIs, Mimi, Dec. 2.-Seven
human lives and $500, 600 worth of
property was sacrificed Saturday night
by fire that originated in the rooms of
the Union League, on the third floor of
The Minneapolis Tribune building. The
fire was discovered shortly after 10
o'clock by district messenger, and al
most before an alarm could be turned in
every door and window of the immense
seven-stOry building was belching fire
and smoke. There were upward of
eighty men, including the editorial staff
and force of compOsitors, at work on
the seventh floor, and these were penned
in like sheep by the sheets of flame that
separated them from the elevator and
stairway.
Then began frenzied stampede for
the window and roof. Meanwhile the
fire department had got a ladder up to
the sixth floor, and from there thirty or
| forty men were taken out of the build
ing and landed on terra firma. Those
who were on the roof dared not descend,
and several jumped to the roofs of adj
joining buildings and escaped with
few bruises.
DR.. Olson, president of the University
of Dakota, at Vermillion, was among
! these on the roof, and seeing all means
of escape cut off, he essayed to Jump to
an adjoining building. He slipped and
/ fell to the ledge of the window on the
sixth story, and from there to the
! ground. He fell head foremost and was
instantly killed, every bone in his body
/ being broken.
J. +. Igoe, night operator for the As
! ISOLATED Press, stuck to his post until it
was too late to escape. He was fright
! fully burned about the head. and in his
agony he too jumped from the burning
building and was killed.
Agent Miles, of the Associated Press,
whose home is in Detroit. Mich, attempt
ed to follow Igoe, but fell back into the
| crater of flame and was burned to a
crisp.
Milton A. Pickett, reporter for The
PiOneer-Press. whose Office was in The
Tribune building, was caught, with a
companion named Pierce, on the stair
way, and there they were roasted to
death and subsequently. crushed to a
pulp by falling timbers.
While the fire was at its height J. Nc
Cutcheon appeared in one of the win
dOws of the composing room and jumped
into net held by the firemen below.
The weight of his body carried the net
to the stone pavement, and he died in
few moments after being picked up.
A few minutes after he jumped an
other printer appeared at a window on
the opposite side of the rooms. He was
told to wait a moment and a ladder
would be sent up to him. He appeared
crazed by fright. however, and instead
of waiting pulled a revolver, and, placing
the muzzle to his head, fired. The re-
port was heard in the street, and the man
was seen to drop to the floor. His name
could not be learned.
1t was rumored that another man had
also shot himself, but this report could
not be verified.
There are doubtless several people in
the ruins, but Just how many will not be
known until the debris is rem we'd.
The following is a complete list Of the
dead and injured so far as can be ascer-
tanned:
The dead are: Milton Pickett, assist
ant city editor of The Pioneer Press.
|
orator.
Edward Olsen. president of the Uni
versity of South Dakota, at VermilliOn.
Jerry Jenkinson, printer.
Robert McCutcheon, printer.
w. H. Millman, commercial editor of
The Tribune.
Walter E. Miles, operator and agent of
the Associated Press.
The injured are: William Lawn, a
printer; burned on hands and face.
Z. c. Andrews, printer; burned hands
and face.
George E. Worden, printer; burned
hands and face.
Frank Gerber, a deaf mute. printer;
hands and face burned.
Adam Weishemire, printer; hurt about
hips.
Charles A. Williams, managing editor
Of The Tribune; badly burned about
head and face.
W. Williams, foreman composing
room; badly burned about face and
hands.
S. H. Jones, Pioneer Press reporter;
hands and face slightly burned.
Frank Hoover, printer; burned about
the neck.
All night long the steamers threw wa
ter on the burning and smoking ruins
without cessation. The force that was
on duty during the night was relieved by
another and the good work went on un-
ceasingly. A few spectators stood
around during the entire night and as
soon as light began to dawn in the east
others came, so that as early as s o'clock,
there was a considerable crowd on hand.
As the day advanced and the light
became more distinct the completeness
of the wreck became more and more
evident. The upper floors had given
way and their weight, together with the
Job presses and heavy iron safes had
carried all before it, into a confused
mass in the basement. Here and there
an iron girder remained in position, but
80 insecurity fixed that it appeared that
but a slight Jar would be required to
send it crashing to the bottom. A few
of these girders were bent and twisted
out of shape by the heat and the heavy
masses that fell upon them from above.
II had been hoped that the solidity of
the first floor, supported as it was by
heavy iron posts and girders would sup
port the everything mass and thus pro
tect the presses in the basement But
an examination Of the ruins proved the
probable delusiveness of this hope.
Everything had given way before the
stupendous weight and the basement
was piled full of the heavy debris.
| The vaults in the newspaper offices ap-
/ peared to be in good condition, and un.
, less the heat was too intense the con-
! tents will be found to be in a good state
1 of preservation. The walls are cracked
/ but little, and in the opinion of Chief
: Stetson there is no danger of their fall.
> ing. The ruins probably drew a much
larger crowd Sunday than did the
churches. It looked as though every
body had turned out TO witness the terri
bic work of the fire fend. This was es
pecially the case IN the afternoon, wher
, The sidewalks were lined with spectator
for some distance from the building, anC
the overflow found standing room IN tn,
middle of the streets. The day wa
, warm enough for spring, and the melteC
/ SNOW, together with the water throw
: about By the fire engines, made mix
I ture about the consistency Of mortar OF
the sidewalks and in the streets.
It was a generally accepted fact tina
bodies were buried beneath that hertero
, genius mass, but how many no on
, could tell Chief Stetson and the Othe
1 members. of the FIRE department. appear
ed to doubt whether all the inmates o
the building had escaped. Chief o
Police Bracket, who has handled man,
,, fires in the past thought there could no
be more than two or three bodies burie'
in the ruins. Careful inquiry failed {
show that anxious friends had made IN
quiries for lost ones. But one report 0
I a missing man could be traced to a relia
bic source, that came from Burk