St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-03
GRAPHIC DE ~CRIPTION.
A. j. Biethen Tells How the Fire
Was Fought,

Alden J. Blethen-I am the proprie-
tor of the Minneapolis Tribune, and l
was in the building on Saturday night
when the fire broke out. 1t was about
10 O'Clock when l was passing to the
composing room. when l heard the cry
of fire coming from below. ran down
to my editorial rooms on the sixth floor,
and called to DIR. Shaw, who was i'll the
room, to accompany me to Investigate
the cause Of the alarm. Discovering
that the gas had been extinguished on
all the floors below the sixth, l walked
down and lighted it. because / knew
the necessity of having the staircase
well-lighted in case of stampede from
the upper floors. and the boys were al
ready filling the elevator and getting
down as rapidly as possible. When !
arrived on the third floor saw bright
file in the room between the room be-
tween the hallway and the fire
escape, and man fighting
it with piece of furniture.
The fire at that time covered space of
three or four feet in circumference, and
did not lock formidable. | kept on
down, having in mind that there was a
Babcock extinguisher in the Office, which
| thought would be sufficient to eX-
tinguiSh the fire at that time. Some one
suggested the eXtinguiSherS were on the
upper floors, and L stepped in with the
intention of getting off at the fourth
floor to get an eXtinguisher, but on ar
irving where could look down on the
fire | saw it was too large for an eXtin-
guisher. and l had the elevator reversed
and went to the first floor and said |
would get the fire department to bring
I'D hose. When got outside the de-
partment was there. but they were slow
in getting the water on. In running
around for the tiremen some one said to
me that a man had been killed, and l
saw him lying in the alley. Al
most Immediately saw the flames
had reached the sixth floor. and
| turned my attention to hurrying
up the hook and ladder, which had just
turned into Fourth street. The boys in
the composing room were standing at
the windows at the First avenue siie.
shouting for help. l made every per-
sOnai effort to have the ladders put up
in the right positions, but the man in
charge seemed to be extraordinarily
slow in getting the ladders. l have no
interest in the building. but | have
rented from the Minnesota Tribune
the men were present on the seventh
floor, there would be from sixty to sew
enty, ana on Saturday night about ten
more. During the daytime and a pOr-
ton of the time at night number of
men were employed on the eighth floor.
When the window was broken open
great draft was created. do not con-
slider one fire escape sufficient. I never
made any personal request. The reason
| don't think one fire escape sufficient
was that the building was As feet wide
by l28 feet long, with an elevator shaft
and staircase dividing about it one
third of the distance from Nicollet.
In case of fire like we
had going up staircase people in the
composing room would be cut off from
the escape. While there was COM
municatiOn through the proof room,
men would never seek such a round
about way in time of excitement. There
certainly should have been an escape on
the First avenue end. have no IT c,l
lection that the escape described 10y
Gen. Nettleton was ever erected. If it
was never saw ig.
Mr.. Blethen's attention being called
to the statement made by the elevator
man, to the effect that he had ordered
him not to run above the third floor. Mr..
Blethen said: THAT is certainly mis-
take. never issued any such orders to
any one. When left the elevator at
the first floor said | was going to get
the firemen to bring up hose. because
the fire had got beyond the control of
the men who were fighting it. l closed
the elevator after me, and the elevator
Immediately went up towards the top"