, 1889-12-05
AN AWFUL FIRE.
The Minneapolis Tribune
Building
IN RUINS IN SIXTY MINUTES.
One Hundred Men Were at
Their Posts.
FIFTEEN WERE BURNED TO DEATH
Operator James Igoe Stands by
His Instrument Until Too
Late for Escape.
FIFTEEN WERE BURNED TO DEATH.

une building about t0:45 tonight and
soon the entire building was wrapped
In flames.
On the seventh floor were situated
many offices and tho immense room OF
the Tribune staff, editors and compost
tors. A number of employees In at
tempting to escape jumped from the
windows and many lives were lost, and
at midnight seven bodies we're taken out
of the ruins.
The only one identified is that of Prof.
Olson of Vcrmillion, Dakota, university,
who had gone to see friend. He
jumped from the top floor and was IN
stantly killed.
At A, NJ. the number Of lives lost Is
over half dozen, and possibly ten or
more. The building was eight stories
high. on the corner of First avenue and
Fourth street. II was occupied by the
Tribune-Star, an evening edition of the
Tribune Minneapolis office of the Pho
ncer Press and Evening Journal, besides
large number of other offices. The
Tribune editorial force was OH the sew
enth floor, and their composing rooms
above 1t.
C' ehVSC WV topis tncAt WtIC hcoiiS
100 persons employed when the fire broke
out. Access to the building was by way
of an elevator around which narrow
and dark stairway wound. Atnight this
stairway was the only means of ingress
or egrcss.
FIRE TRAP
The building might be called a verita-
bio fire trap, and the danger to those
located there has been commented upon.
The fire broke out on the third floor
and soon the upper floors were cut Off
from the street. The building was on a
corner and the adjoining buildings were
one one story in height, so that no
means of escape were afforded in that
direction. The flames cut off escape of
the Pioneer Press force on the sixth
floor, as we'll as the Tribune folks on the
seventh and eighth. Reporter Barnes
of the Pioneer Press had a narrow escape
from the building, and left behind hin,
Milton Pickett, assistant city editor, and
the oldest in the service of the paper.
Pickett was lost in the burning building.
The Tribune force suffered most, they
being located higher up and had less
warning of their danger.
James Figoe, night operator Of the
associated press, met with a sad death.
He was at work on the seventh floor,
when the report of fire was received and
Immediately opened the key, stating the
fact 10 the head office at Chicago and
asking for few minutes time TO inves-
tigate. Soon he returned to the
instrument, apparently thinking he
was safe, and told, the
operator to continue. In a moment he
said he would have to skip, and found
too late that escape was cut off. He
jumped from the scventhstory window
and was so badly injured that he died
before reaching the hospital. He leaves
a family.
Old man Pierce, printer was also
killed. One report says ten have been
killed, but up to midnight only six
bodies have been taken from the ruins,
which were then falling in.
THE DEATH LIST.
Those known to have died are As
Miles, agent Associated Press;
James Igoe as press operator;
John Olson, president Vermillion, Oak.
college Quarry, Caldwell, McCutcheon
and Pierce, printers. Another, whose
name could not be learned, appeared at
the window and not seeing tho ladder
the firemen were raising apparently lost
his senses and drawing n revolver from
his pocket placed it to, his
into the flames. W. II. Hoover aud W.
II. Williams, the latter foreman of the
composing-room, were taken of just in
time to escape cloud OF flames that
swept the window In which they we're
standing. Williams was badly burned.
Jimmy Kohl, messenger boy on the
Tribune, is said to be missing The
building burned with such rapidly that
the occupants were enveloped in flames
and smoke almost before they were
aware of 1t.
The sixty-five men working on the
seventh floor made a dash in body for
the stairway, and forty made the run
safely and got out. The rest made
frantic effort to get through the binding
smoke, and five of these Were cut OIL Mt
the fourth floor and jumped to tho pave
ment. Three OF them were badly hurt
and the other two killed.
j. Blethen. proprietor of the Tribune,
says lie heard the cry of fire aud started
down to investigate. On tho third floor
he found flames bursting out of the
Union league rooms and some men try
ing unsuccessiully to subdue them. He
jumped into tho elevator to get a fire ex-
tinguisher which he supposed was OIL
the fourth floor, and started up after It.
Before reaching the supposed location
of the extinguisher he was half sufiocated
by dense smoke and compelled to leave
the building, which speedily burned
down. Blethen is Of the opinion that
eleven lives have been lost.
IN RUINS WITHIN AN HOUR.
The entire building at this writing less
than an hour, Is mass OF ruins. Sparks
are flying in all directions and adjoining
buildings, occupied by ros-
saloon and tailor store,
are doomed. The Tribune building
was five-year.old brick structure and
was valued at 100000. The loss will
probably reach II, ,0o0, 900; insurance not
At the morgue lay five bodies and
that of Prof. Olsen enclosed in plain
pine coffin. On the floor are the bodies
of Jerry Jenkinson, a compositor on the
Tribune, a young man who
Beside him are two bodies
so bloatcd una burned, with blood still
oozing from terrible wounds, that thus
far have not been recognized.
On two tables are the corpses Of Rob
srt McCutchcon, composition, and Mil
Press. Jenkinson underworld to make |
his escape ON the heavy telegraph wires. |
lie clsmbered down short way, but |
was unable to retain his hold |