Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-01

HORRIBLE HOLOCAUST.
Printers Jump From a Seventh Story
Window to Escape the Flames.
MINNEAPOLIS (Minn.), November 30th.-
| The Tribune building caught fire tonight,
and in few minutes the entire building
was ablaze. Fifty editors, printers and
others employed on the top floor were APP
parently shut OFT from all avenues OF escape.
! The widest excitement prevailed.
! The fire started about 1880 in pile OF
paper on the third floor. The flames I'M
mediately enveloped the elevator shaft and
closed all means of egress for the men EN-
ployed on the seventh floor.
| The flames lit up the entire surrounding
| territory, and revealed at everv window in
the upper story men cinging to windows,
| fire escapes and every projecting wall.
| Their cries for help were horrible to hear.
| The fire department responded nobly and
did all they could, but their efforts were of
little avail, as the building is a tinder-b box.
Men jumped from high windows and
were seriously injured, many fatally, but
how many is not yet known.
The building is eight stories high, stand
ing on Fourth street. between Nicolet and
First avenue, and had but one stairway,
winding affair, and one elevator. which
proved splendid pathway for the flames.
The Tribune employed fifty printers, and
eighteen men in the editorial department.
| The st. Paul Pioneer Press had a branch
office, employing five men, in the sixth
story.
There were about 100 men employed on
! the top floor OF these eight are known to
| have been killed. Several tried crossing to
another building on the telegraph wires,
but their strength failed. They managed
to get distance of perhaps twenty feet
and then dropped to the ground to meet
instant death.
Others jumped or fell from the window
lodges One man ssaid to have shot him.
self when all hope had fed
| Several miraculous escapes are reported,
some jumping from one window-ledge to
another until places were reached where
they could get to stairway.
A few escaped by a fre-escape. There
was only one 6re-escape, and it was in a
remote part Of the building.
| The elevator burned early, cutting off all
means of escape. The building is total
| loss, Among the dead is j. F. Igoe, the
Associated Press operator.
/ Only one body has yet been identified.
| 1t is that of Professor Olsen, of the Yer
million (Dakota) University, who had gone
to see friend. He jumped from the top
floor, and was instantly killed.
| DIED AT HIS POST.
! James F. Igoe the night operator of the
Associated Press met with sad death.
| He was at work on the seventh floor when
the report of the fire was received and i'm
mediately opened the key, stating the fact
to the head office at Chicago, and asking a
minutes time to investigate.
| He soon returned to the instrument, ap
| parently thinking he was safe, and told the
| sending operator to continue.
! In moment be said he would have to
skip and found il too late-that his escape
| was cut off.
| He Jumped from the seventh story win
dow 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 that ten have been
killed, but up 10 II NJ only six bodies had
been taken from the ruins, which were
| then falling in.
Those known to be dead are assistant city
editor Ed Pickett, w. w. E. Miles, agent
| of the Associated Press; James T. Igoe, As
| ISOLATED Press operator; John Olson, Presi-
| dent of the Vermillion (Dakota) College;
Harry Colwell, McCutcheon and Pierce,
| printers.
GENERAL ALARM.
MINNEAPOLIS, November 30th.-A general
alarm was turned in, and all the engines
! in the city responded to the call. The i'm
prisoned printers gathered at the windows
| in the south end and shrieked wildly,
despairingly for aid Hurry ladders, for
Gods sake" was shrieked with all the
vehemence and power that the anguished
dozens in peril of their lives could muster.
The vast crowd from the opposite side
viewed the fire wreak its work, and shouted
nd cd tritO
to them in the strenuous endeavors to
buoy them up.
THE LONG LADDER
Seemed to move up at snail's pace but
it was finally rested in position and the
crowd begand to descend, the flames max
ing steady encroachments in the corner
where the frightened men had huddled.
Life nets were brought and some were
saved by this means.
The entire building at this writing, less
than an hour, is a mass of ruins. Sparks
are flying in all directions and the adJoln-
ing buildings, occupied by restaurant, sa-
loon and tailor store, are doomed.
The Tribune building was five years old.
BRICK STRUCTURE
And valued at 100000.
The loss will probably reach 81 ,0OOO00
The insurance has not been ascertained.
AT the Morgue lay five bodies. That OF
Professor Olsen was lnclosed IN a plain
pine coffin. On the floor is the body of
Jerry .Jenkinson, a compositor on the Iri-
b,p,e. a Young man who was shortly to
have been married. Beside him are two
bodies, so
BLoATED AND BURNED,
With the blood still oozing from their ter
rible wounds, that thus far they have not
been recognized.
ON two tables are the corpses of Robert
McCrutcheon, composltor, and Milton
Pickett reporter on the Pioneer Press.
Jenkinson endeavored to make his escape
on the heavy telegraph wires. He clam
bered down short way and was unable to
retain his hold, and was obliged to drop to
the ground. When picked up he was
dead McCrutcheon jumped and was in
stantly killed.
james F. Igoe, the Associated Press tele-
grapher, made vain endeavor to escape by
COMING DOWN THE WIRES.
He had descended till within fifty feet of
the ground, when he was compelled to
loosen his hold.
Another whose name could not be learned
appeared at the window and not seeing the
ladder the firemen were raising, apparently
lost his senses, and drawing revolver from
his pocket, placed IL 70 MS heao anu snet
himself.
w. 81. Hoover and W. II. Williams, the
latter the foreman OF the composing-room,
were taken off just in timeto escape cloud
| of fame that swept the window in which
they were standing. Williams was badly
| burned.
Jimmy Kohl, the messenger boy on the
| Tribune, is said to be missing. The build
| ing burned with such rapidity that the oc-
cupants were enveloped in flames and
smoke almost before they were aware of it.
The sixty-6ve men working on the
seventh floor made a dash in body for
and cot out. The rest made frantic efforts
to get through
! THE BLINDING SMOKE.
Five of these were cut off at the fourth
| floor and jumped to the pavement. Three
OF them were badly hurt and the other
two were killed.
| A. ]. Blethen, proprietor of the Tribune,
saws he heard the CRY, fire and started