St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-03

the center of the building lengthwlse
from end to end, with offices OPEN
ing from the hall on either side.
Above that there were open Railways
made To accommodate the tenants, and
hence not extending through the build
ing. The fifth, sixth, seventh and
eighth floors had no Railways extending
the length of the building. but Oh all
those upper floors there were frequent
doorways furnishing access from one
room TO another. ana from such rooms
TO the hallway. | should say on the
fifth floor there were four. possibly five
rooms, and four or five more on the sixth
floor. On the seventh was the modern
composing room of the Tribune, Occu-
plying one large space, perhaps two
thirds of The floor, and the remainderOf
that floor was cut up into small rooms
for editorial use with wooden partitions,
put in by the Tribune Newspaper COM
pany. There was erected on the
outside OF the west or NicOllet
avenue end of the building modern
iron stand. pipe fire escape, at the time
the building was constructed, extending
from the roof to the first story, and
directly IN front of the windows OPEN
ing from the hallway on each floor.
The fire escape had an iron landing at
the level of each window sill with an
opening through ii to enable persons to
get from the windows safely OF the es-
cape. This platform reaches to the sill.
The rungs of the ladder are two feet, or
possibly twenty-eight inches, out from
the window. Persons escaping are sup
posed to pass down through these OPEN
ings between the ladder and the walls
of the building. The stairway. which
was built of oak. extended from, The veSti-
bule on the ground floor to the
top floor by the side of the
elevator shaft, but not surrounding
the shaft. The building is still owned
by the Tribune Building company. the
same corporation which originally
owned it. | think that E. A. Harmon
is the president, but do not know who
the secretary is. Mr.. Clifford was until
he went to Arkansas. 1t was the belief
when the building was erected that one
fire escape. together with the other pre-
cautions mentioned, was sufficient.
When the Tribune building stood as it
was last Saturday it was the eXpecta-
ton to finish the entire block, 155 feet
OH First avenue, at an early day, when
additional equipment in the way of tle-
vators and fire escapes would have been
necessary. About three yeals ago a
committee of three men came to me,
whose names do not recall, and stated
that they came as a committee from the
trades and labor union, and that they
wished to confer with me as president
of the Tribune company at that time in
regard to fire escape facilities of the
building. l spent some time explaining
to them fully the qualities of the build
ing and the various guards which had
been provided againsta fire starting and
getting a Roadway, the iron fire-escape
on the west end, the fact that hand
grenades were furnished throughout the
building and that four large iron pals
of water were kept constantly filled and
i'm plain sight i'll the Railways of each
floor from the top to the bottom Of the
building. l expressed the opinion that
built as the structure was, and judging
from the experience we already had had
with two or three incipient fires, it Was
next to impossible for a fire to get be-
yond the room in which it should start.
l mentioned the fact that fire had
started in room on the third floor and
had evidently burned for four or five
hours at night before it was discovered,
and then it was eXtinguiShed with one
pail of water. having burned nothing
but some books and the wooden finish
of the room. / mentioned the addition
al fact that the night elevator man
was the best sort of a night
Waterman, passing from the bottom to
the top of the building many times each
hour, with plain sight of each floor,
and strict orders to lookout for the
sight and smell of fire; also that the
building was occupied virtually for
twenty-four hours each day by at least
two or three able-bodied men. 1t is my
recollection that in addition to these
guards and precautions, i also mentioned
that had decided to put in newly in
vented folding iron ladder escape, and
that it had already been put in; that
additional escape was placed in the
building about that time, which con-
sisted of two sections of folding iron,
ladders, which was so jOlnted that it
would occupy very small space when
folded. and by having one end fastened
to the floor just inside the window, or to
the window sill, would be ready for use
by picking up the folded ladder and
throwing the mass out of the window.
The superintendent of the building wdS
ordered to place one section i'll the
Tribune composing room on the sew
enth floor. This first section, when
let out of the window, would
extend to the lower sill of The fourth
story windows. and the other section
was to be fastened i'm suitable way in
the corresponding window OIL the fourth
floor. and when dropped down would
extend to the ground. After this con-
verSation with the committee l asked
them to go through the building from
cellar to roof with the superintendent
and examine the building for them
selves. This they did, and so far as
remember l saw or heard nothing
further from them. There have been
no changes of any material Importance
in the building since its erection. Chief
StetsOn, of the fire department. not far
from the time this committee saw me,
mailed to me printed copy of the Min
Desota statute relating to fire escapes.
and. following the receipt of this, one
or two interviews took place between
Chief SLetSon and myself. More than
two years ago l ceased to have any own
ership in the building whatever or any
control of the management. The fire
escape was at the windows of small
rooms on the second, third and fourth
floors. the doors of these rOomS opening
off the hall and opening inward.
want to say that during my connection
with the Tribune Building company no
tenant of the building, and no person
employed by any tenant, ever asked me
or suggested the putting in additional
fire escape facilities"