Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1889-12-13
Persisted IN 4 TRAP.
The Office IF the Minneapolis
"'Tribuna" Burned.
A Number Of Persons Meet q Sud-
den and Terrible Death.

The Office OF the Minneapolis IT1Orne mas
been burned. The fire was started in a law
office on the third floor Of the building about
1890 P. " The flames did their work with
appalling speed. When this report was writ
ten the bodies of seven men had been identi-
fed. and it was the belief that from twenty to
twenty-five persons had lost their lives The
names OF those known to be dead are as fol-
lows:
Igoe, James F., night operator for the As
ISOLATED Press. He was killed by a fall III
attempting to escape from the building: Jen-
kinsOn, Jerry" a printer, fell with Igoe,
and dead when picked up; Miles, Walter
E. night agent of the Associated Press, was
KILLED by fall, Millman, w. H, the COM
mercial editor Of the Minneapolis Tribune
fell from the seventh story, and was instant
ly killed; McCutcheOn, Robert, a printer,
Jumped to ladder. but missed his hold: OF.
sen, Edward. President of the University Of
South Dakota was knocked off the fire-escape
he died soon afterwards Pickett, Milton, the
assistant city editor of the st. Paul Pioneer
Press, fell and was killed.
The elevator man noticed the smell Of
smoke and called the attention Of some Of the
persons in the building to it. The cry of fire
was raised, aud several persons went down
stairs from the seventh story to investigate
the matter, and then returned to work. Be-
fore long smoke began 10 fill the narrow
stairway, the only one in the building and
everybody began to make leisurely prepare
tiOns to depart. No immediate danger was
feared, although the only exits from the
building, which was supposed to be fireproot,
were a narrow staircase wide enough for two
persons to come down abreast, the
elevator and q single escape at the
north end of the structure. Several
persons had made their escape in the
meantime, but in less than ten minutes the
flames reached the elevator shaft, and blaZed
up to the top story, and the editorial rooms
on the same side Of the building where the
fire originated were soon mass Of flames
in few minutes the fire invaded the other
side, where the composing room was stu
ated
A general alarm was turned in, ana all the
engines in the city responded to the call The
imprisoned printers gathered at the windows
in the south end and shrieled wildly and de
spairingly for aid. The long ladder seemed
10 move up at q Snai1S pace. but was finally
in position, and the terrified men began to
descend, the flames making steady encroach-
lnentS upon the cOrnec into which they had
been driven. Life-n4ts we're brought into
use, and some were saved by this means
The firemen were badly hamDered by the
network OF telephone wires.
The fire was a fierce one while il lasted, and
it was due to the effective work of the Fire
Department that the flames We're kept from
spreading to the frame buildings near by.
Several times there have been small fires in
the building but they were quickly extin-
gulshed so that less heed was paid to the
alarm than would have been usually the case
The sight OF the sufferings Of the burning
struggling A1en brought tears to the eyes OF
the braves, and women prayed and strong
men breathlessly watched James F. Igoe's
brave attempt to escape He had got clear
of the binding and was gradually working
his way along the wires to safety, while the
people below anxiously and helplessly
to his wife and four little ones
their bread-Winner. But the wires
cut and his strength failed, and a groan
went up from the upturned faces far below
him when he was seen to slip from his slight
support and fall to the roof of the boiler
house, where he received fatal injuries. Men
lifted him gently and started with him TO a
drug store; but the way, after last
word of loving care for his family, he
breathed his last.
The last man OF the Tribune editorial staff
to leave the building was Charles ALT
Williams, the managing editor, and
although himself badly burned about the
head and hands he gave the following
statement of how each of those above
reported met with his death, having been an
eyewitness of the deaths Of all save one.
Walter &. Miles and w. Il. Millman, with a
number of printers, started down the fire
escape. A blast of hot smoke and flame
struck Eillman as he was starting, and he
3ost his hold, and in falling knocked Miles
off, both falling from the seventh floor to the
ground, and at the six floor Knocked off Mil
ton, Pickett and Professor Edward Olsen,
who had reached the fire escape from that
door The four men in falling struck against
the lowest platform and bounded away from
the building, and we're dead when they struck
the ground. When Williams started down the
ladder the fire was burning his hair and
neck, and he narrowly escaped the fate OF
those who had preceded HIM, the heat and
smoke being overpowering. The printers on
the ladder escaped with slight burns. James
T. Igoe ard Jerry" JenkinsOn sought to es-
cape by the wires but had been weakened by
the smoke and flame so that both soon fell
Off, striking on the roof Of the Tribune
.boiler-room. Jenkin5on was dead when
picked no. Robert McCutcheon Jumped from
the window-ledge for the extension-ladder,
but his hands slipped and he fell 10 the pave
ment A net had been stretched to catch
him, but he was too heavy for it. ard strik-
ing the ground, was so seriously injured that
he died SOON after. Pickett, Igoe, Miles and
McCutcheOn were married men aud JenIxin-
son was to have been married in a short
time. MiIlman lost his wife by asphyxiatiop
a couple Of weeks ago, and had just Teturne.
to work.
No attempt to recover any of the bodies
was made tha5 night, but in the morning.
when the ruins had cooled off, work was be
gun and pushed vigorously.