St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-19
BURNED LIKE TIN \
Offices of the Omaha Flame
Swept and Valuable Rec
ords Destroyed.
Imprisoned Employees Seek
Safety by Leaping From
Windows to Ladders.
Old Papers in the Basement
Probably Caused the Con-
flagration.
Plueky Officials Save Their
Effects, and Women Become
Fearless and Heroic.

The immunity from serious loss by
fire, with which st. Paul has been ia
vored for upwards of year, was
broken yesterday afternoon by confia-
grafton in the business section of the
city, which. at one time promised the
total destruction of the general offices
of the Omaha, at the corner OF Fourth
and Rosabel streets. 1t was about half
past three, when a clerk. passing
down the hallway on the second fiOor,
observed dense smoke pouring up the
stairway from below and telephoned a
"Still" alarm to fire alarm headquar-
tiers. Three minutes later the regular
alarm was sent in by Officer John Cass-
erly from box %, which was followed
almost instantly by the arrival of en-
gines Nos. 2. and 8 and truck No. 2.
The serious nature of the fire was at
once apparent to the commanding en-
gineer, who ordered the general alarm,
s.4-l1," which was turned in at $3.50,
summoning all the available apparatus
of the department.
The fire originated in the basement of
the building just beneath the stairs
leading from the RoSabel street en-
trance, which affords the only means of
exit from the upper stories of the build
ing. Before an alarm could be given to
the occupants of the second, third and
fourth floors the flames
HAD EATEN THEIR WAY
through the ground floor, and were
climbing rapidly up stairs, cutting off
all avenues of escape for the imprisoned
employees of the upper stories. When
the department arrived dense cloudSOf
black smoke poured from every open
ing of the building, and fierce tongues
of flame dashed the woodwork of the
stairway leading upward from the Ros-
abel street entrance. All the apparatus
and hremen on the ground were needed
the perilous condition of the $50 men
women and boys who were inn
prlsoned by the flames appealed so
strongly to the Sympathies of the chief
engineer that but two engines of the
four pieces of apparatus first arriving
were set to work, the firemen of Engine
No. and Truck No. 2 being spared to
rescue the imperiled employees of the
company. The sitting smoke which
penetrated every nook and corner of
the building, or We its occupants TO the
windows to escape SutfocatiOn, and
from every window of the upper sec
ton of the great building from one to
half dozen heads protruded for
air. The scene presented was
one long to be remembered-sturdy
men fearing for their own safety en-
deavored to calm frightened women
who screamed for help; less self-pos-
sesSed men and boys rushing about from
window to window. in hope of diScov-
ering means of escape, the outcries of
nl Atr nt frnStG
around. Ladders were soon at the win
dows, however, and through the efforts
OF faithful tiremen the imprisoned
WERE SPEEDILY RESCUED.
but not until several hazardous escapes
had been effected.
From third-story window W. G.
Jones, claim clerk of the auditing de-
partment, and telegraph operator At
tempted escape by means of a water
pipe extending up the side of the build
ing, the operator preceding. The pipe
was insufficient for the strain, however,
and parted as the men were descending
between the second and third stories,
precipitating them to the ground be-.
meath. The operator escaped uphurt,
but Mr.. Jones was severely bruised
about the body, and the patrol wagon
was called to remove him to his resi-
Another telegraph operator, Fred Peter
son, residing at Fourteenth and Canada
streets. received bad scalp wound
from falling down flight of stairs lead
ing from the fourth floor. He was also
taken home in the patrol wagon.
! Despite the fact that most of the lady
employees were badly scared and that
some of them could with difficulty be
dissuaded from leapfng from the win
dows before assistance arrived, several
of them displayed remarkable courage.
Among others who showed unusual
grit was Miss Kennedy, an employee in
the office of the auditor of tickets, on
the third floor. A ladder which was
placed in position on the side of the
building to rescue her lacked about
twelve feet of reaching the window,
and fireman Immediately ran up with
a ten-foot ''pompier'' ladder with
hooks, which was hung from the WIN
dow in which the young lady rested.
The descent was risky one even for
person of experience, but she did not
hesitate moment in coming out of the
window, feet first, and keeping her
back to the wall until upon the perpen-
dicular ladder, when she turned about
with the agility of
AN OLD TRUCKM4AN
and descended to the other ladder and
thence to the ground. Another. young
lady who deserves especial credit is
Miss Jennie Baker, Of the general SUI
perintendant's Office. A ladder was
placed for her at second-story window,
but instead of climbing down and secur-
ing safety, as many of her male CON-
panons did, she passed down number
of valuable books of record, the loss of
which would greatly inconvenience the
department, and effected her escape
afterwards.
No sooner were the employees of the
company rescued than the entire force
of the department set about fighting the
flames. which had gained great head
way. The fire in the basement
and stairway had been : extin-
guShed and the blaze confined TO
the fourth story where it ragged furious
ly, the blaze being obScured to the vast
crowd of spectators who had gathered
by the dense volume of smoke which
arose. A fierce sheet of flame, however,
finally broke through the roof on the
east side, and it was but few moments
before the entire roof was enyeloped in
flames. For a time it was uncertain
whether the whole building would go,
or the flames be confined to the upper
story. but with sixteen powerful hose
streams and deluge from the water
tower the blaze was subdued. and at 5
O'Clock was practically under control.
AT 10 o'clock last night firemen were
still fighting fire in the fourth story.
A large amount of office furniture
was removed by the firemen and en-
ployes of the company when the build
ing was thought to be doomed, and the
scene presented was a decidedly inter-
esting one. Desks were removed, large
books of record were thrown from
upper story windows, and many EN-
ployes were seen lowering down by
ropes favorite office chairs. type-writers
and other Office fixtures. One sedate-