Bismarck weekly tribune., 1889-12-06
Some Jumped to the Ground and
We're Instantly Killed, Others
Fell Back in the Fire.
Prof. Olson, President Of the Dakota
College, at Vermillion, One
ot the Victims.
A Yeriiable Fire Tran.

a dozen and possibly ten or more. This
building is an eight-story building at the
corner Of First avenue south and Fourth
street. It was occupied by the Tribune,
the Tribune-Star (evening edition of the
Tribune), the Minneapolis Office of the
Pioneer Press, and the Evening Journal,
besides large number of officef. The
Tribune editorial force was on the fourth
floor and their composing rooms above it.
Access to the building was by way Of an
elevator, around which narrow and dark
stairway wound. at night this stairway
was the only means of ingress or egress.
The building might be called veritable
fire trap, and the danger to those located
there has been often commented upon.
The fire broke out in the third floor and
soon after the upper stoIies were cut off
from the street. The building was OH a
corner, and the only adjoining buildings
were only one story in height, so that no
means of escape was offered in that direc-
ton. The flames
CUT OFF THE ESCAPE
OF the Pioneer Press force on the sixth
floor, as well as the Tribune folks on the
seventh and eighth. Reporter Barnes of
the Pioneer Press had narrow escape
from the building, and left behind Milton
Pickett, assistant city editor, and one of
the Oldest men in the service Of the paper.
Pickett was lost in the burning building.
Ihere are alSO-as yet uncOnfirmed-re-
ports of the death of others connected with
the Pioneer Press, but the Tribune force
suffered the most. They were located
Ing of danger.
JOHN OLSON,
President Of the Dakota college, was in
the composing rooms at the time the flames
broke out looking after an advertisement
to be inserted in the morning paper. He
jumped from one OF the windows to escape
the flames and met with an even more
horrible death from shattered limbs and
body. IN :
JAMES IGOE, h
Night operator of the Associated Press, met
with sad death as a result of his faith
fulness to his employers. He was at work
on the seventh floor when the report Of the
fire was first received and Immediately
opened his Keys stating the fact to the head
office at Chicago and asking for a minutes
time to investigate. Soon he returned to
his instrument, apparently thinking he
was safe, and told the sending operator to
continue. In moment he said he would
have to skip and found too late that
se sseape Was gut e s5ov he vndp% a%dpsd from
was so badly injured that he
died before reaching the hospital. He
leaves a family. An old man named Pierce.
q printer, was also killed. One report SAYS
that ten have been killed, but up to mid
night only six bodies have been taken from
the ruins, which were then falling in.
BLETHEN's EXPERIENCE.
Mr.. A. j. Blethen, proprietor Of the
Tribune, says he heard the cry Of fire and
started down stairs to investigate. On the
third floor he found the flames bursting out
and some man was trying unsuccessfully
to subdue them. He jumped into the ele-
vator to get the fire extinguisher, which he
supposed was on the fourth floor, and
started up after it. Before reaching the
supposed location Of the extinguisher he
was suffocated by the dense smoke and
speedily burned. The flames were to the
north of the elevator, and shot up the ele.
vator shaft and stairway with terrible
rapidity. Those on the upper floors who
mad not previously got out were penned in
by the fire, which cut off the way
i'll most Instances to the fire escapes
on the north side Of the building. Blethen
been lost, but only five as yet have been
identified. These were John Olson, Milton
Pickett, James Igoe, w. T.. Miles and q
man named Pierce. Miles was the day