St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-05

already got on to the fire escape, and
the Other one was on the window sill
ready To get on when got TO the win
dow. My room WAS now furnace. l
was gaSping for breath, and the man at
the window seemed 10 be suffering from
the same cause. Just as | got TO the
window he evidently couldn't stand IL
any longer and made jump or fell for
ward towards the fire escape. Both
hands grabbed the round of the ladder,
but his hands wouldn't hold and he
fell. He turned over and over, ana
when he had gone five or six feet he
cullided with the man who had just pre-
ceded him. who lost his hold, and the
two fell together. AS they went down
they seemed to collide with two others,
and saw two fall to the ground and
heard four thudS in the alley. While L
was standing on the escape L was
burned about the head and hands. This
all took place within a very few sec
Onds | tried to climb out on the eS-
cape. but found | was too weak and fell
forward on the window sill and dropped
my head below the current of hot air.
That saved me, for the fresh air revived
me and drew myself out on the small
platform and rested perhaps second,
and then started down on the inside of
the escape, next to the building. | had
some trouble getting through with my
Overcoat. which had failed to button,
and got into a current of hot air again.
By a desperate effort / crowded through
and finally got down between the sec
ond and third or third and fourth stories,
when the escape was blocked, and l
called out to know what was the matter,
and some one said there was no way to
get off. noticed that there was no one
on the outside of the escape. The
men standing on the platforms, or
next to the building, two or three below
me, seemed to notice this at the same
time and swung around on The outside,
and | did the same thing. Some man
at the bottom discovered that pipe ran
from the escape tn the wall. and he slid
down, followed by the others as fast as
they came. did the same thing and
jumped to the ground. By the time L
got down, the men who had fallen had
been taken into the restaurant. All
were dead except one, who was gasp
ing. | didn't know who he was, but |
have since learned that it was Prof.
Olson. The only one / recognized of
the four was Miles, the Associated Press
agent, and remembered that he was the
one who had been knocked off the es
cape when the man fell from the win
dow. From what | have learned since
l believe the man who fell first was Mr..
Millman. If there had been d fire es-
cape on the First avenue side every
body could have got ont. The only es-
cape of any kind was at the end of the
building. and only those who had rooms
opening out ON the escape would Ordl-
narily know it was there. There never
was any patent fire escape in the COM
posing room to my knowledge. The
building was supposed to have been
fire-prOOf. The elevator man describes
a woman whom he took up to the sixth
floor. That woman was DIR. Hutchin-
son. and [ saw her get on the elevator
and go down. She has since called on
me-. The elevator man was not there
when she went down. half an hour re-
fore the fire was discovered, and some
one else was running it.. l cannot re-
member ever having seen any water
buckets about the building.