New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-12-04
The Minneapolis Tribune is
Burned Out and Several
Lives Lost.
The Financial Loss Will Ag-
gregate $4,000, Insur-
ance $195,000.

G}ur at least, and possibly more lives. AC
I'll o'clock, one hour later, two bodies We're
identified as Milton Pickett, assistant city
:. editor of the PIONEER PRESS, and DR.. Ed
ward Olson, president of the Dakota uni
versity, and a prominent Scandinavian.
Other lives were reported lost, some six in
:all, but the reports were very conflicting,
and can only be verified later.
The fire began in the rooms of the state
league of Republican clubs on the north
mest corner of the third floor directly up
against the only fire escape the eight-story
building had. It was discovered by
the elevator boy, who gave an alarm upon
the seventh floor, where the composing
room and the reportorial Offices are stu
lated.
NOT ALARMED IN TIME.
Not much attention was paid to it at first
and the flames burned slowly in among the
pamphlets, while a number of printers and
others ran about the Railways and rooms
searching for water. "A. T.. Blethen, the pro-
prieter of the Tribune, was one of the first
aupou the ground, with his associate, DR..
Albert Shaw. The latter, in common
with the others, did not consider
&she situation dangerous, and so quietly
went back to his work upstairs Before he
had set foot across the threshold of his
office the flames had shot out of the door in
Che hallway and were fast making the place
"a yeritable fiery furnace. Joseph Mannix
police reporter of the PIONEER Press. had
been trying to crush out the fire by means
of table. That proved useless and three
hand grenades in the elevator were next
used. They fell with hollow, sickening
+,o Hoo I1,t Il = ,Nf
Then 4he little crowd and all those who
could on the floors above fled for their lives
down the little elevator. There We're still
sseft in the composing room some twenty or
sfwenty-ive compositors, who were entirely
xanable to get out. All they could do was
ito Eaas3a TO the end of the building farthest
ansm the flames and from there out onto
Che roof In .'r1
THE PIONEER PRESS EDITORIAL ROOMS 49,.
On the sixth floor were City Editor H. c..
Chaplin, Assistant City Editor Milton Pick
EFT and Reporters s. ?. Jones and +. B.
Barnes The last named had been down
stairs watching the fire and, approaching
Che danger, ran back to give the alarm to
his associates. Here, by request of the Pro
SEER PRESS, Mr.. Barnes will give the situa-
Zion as he and his associates faced it:
"When ran into the office and shouted to
the boys to get out as fast as they could, for
&hey were in danger OF losing their lives,
fhey would not believe me. 'Oh, pshaw'
said Chaplin. The fire will all be out in a
few minutes just then gust of fright
fully hot air shot into the DOM, and we
made for the windows. We all got out
upon the ledge of the roof, Pickett with u.s.
The flames were then coming out Of the
corner Of the editorial rooms at the North
west, and we stood seven stories above the
En,mense crowd on the street almost par
alyzcd with fear. Before we were conscious
sof it Pickett had slipped back into the
room. turned round and said where's
Piczett?' The room was then like perfect
:. death to have gone into it. Chaplin replied
fife must have gone back This is what
q he ;probably did.
PICKETrs HORRIBLE FATE.
Terrified with fright he thought risking
his life in the flames was not as bad as risk
Ing it from a sixth story window. My the
gEy is that he rushed through the flames up
into the composing room, and there was
one of the number who met their death by
falling to the ground below or being sufTo-
Gated. When I saw his body stretched out
ON the floor of the drug store later there did
not appear to be drop of blood upon his
face. His hair and beard were singed and
only slightly at that. The expression on
sssis face was as one who had met his death
i aV suffocation. Poor fellow! l hope
Mis- soul has found a resting place
ut last. After Pickett had left
WE STOOD UPON THE LEDGE
of The building, and shouted ourselves
hoarse for the fire escape to be sent up to
us It seemed an hour to me before they
raised the long, gladstone ladder. Even
Ahen it was doubtful fit would reach us.
We thought of taking to the telegraph wires
shat ran from the building to the poles be-
low. Finally we saw the ladder coming
higher and higher, and we fairly ran along
Che ledge to the other side of the building
60 meet it. The poor compositors
in the story above We're unable to
reach the ladder, and for at least ten min
,ssltes, perhaps fifteen, their appeals for help
we're the most pititul 1 have ever heard.
I They crowded to the windows and yelled
like crazy men, the vast crowd below them
at times as silent tiff not breathing, and
again shouting encouraging words. As the
ladder went higher inch by inch the crowd
fairly shrieked with delight. Finally il
touched the southwest corner Of
the seventh floor, and the happy
nrinters ran down its blessed rungs
Some of the more venturesome and less
+ x,atient ones slid down the telegraph wires
8. before the ladder reached the floor anc
x,Bere badly bruised.
HORRIBLE AND sICKENING.
,.sThen occurred a most horrible sight. The
nre1nen, in order to protect their ladder, nc
/. doubt, and thinking that everybody hae
been rescued, pulled it away and lowered
IL Just then the crowd in thu
street gave a shout that sent thu
/. blood whirling quickly through every one
.ge;ns. There was man left still in the toI
.aoor. His face showed itself at the thu
window on the First avenue side OF tn
street He crawled out of the window, and
losing either his hold upon the ledge o