The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1889-12-06
AWFUL HOLOCAUST.
The Minneapolis Tribune is
Burned Out and Several
Lives Lost.
The Financial Loss Will Ag-
gregate $4,000, Insur-
ance $4,000.

"A nrc broke out on the IOuTtu HOoT VI Tile
Tribune building in Minneapolis at 10
o'clock Saturday night, causing the death of
four at least, and possibly more, lives. At
IL o'clock, one hour later, two bodies were
identified as Milton Pickett, assistant city
editor of the PIONEER PRESS, and DR.. Ed
ward Olson, president of the Dakota uni
versity, and prominent Scandinavian.
Other lives were reported lost, some six in
all, but the reports were very conflicting,
and can only be verified later.
The fire began in the rooms of the state
league of Republican clubs on the north
west corner of the third floor, directly up
against the only fire escape the eight-story
building had. 1t was discovered by
the elevator boy, who gave an alarm upon
the seventh floor, where the composing
room and the reportoria Offices are stu
ated.
NOT ALARMED II TIME.
Not much attention was paid to it at first,
and the flames burned slowly in among the
pamphlets, while a number of printers and
others ran about the Railways and rooms
searching for water. A. ]. Blethen, the pro-
prieter of the Tribune, was one of the first
upon the ground. with his associate, DR..
Albert Shaw. The latter, in common
with the others, did not consider
the situation dangerous, and so quietly
went back to his work upstairs. Before he
had set foot across the threshold of his
office the flames had shot out of the door in
the hallway and were fast making the place
a veritable fiery furnace. Joseph Mannix,
police reporter OF the PIONEER PRESS. had
been trying to crush out the fire by means
of table. That proved useless and three
hand grenades in the elevator were next
used. They fell with a hollow, sickening
sound upon the floor, but did not break.
Then the little crowd and all those who
could on the floors above fled for their lives
down the little elevator. There were still
left in the composing room some twenty or
twenty-fiv compositors, who were entirely
unable to get out. All they could do was
to rush to the end of the building farthest
from the flames and from there out onto
the roof. In
THE PIONEER PRESS EDITORIAL ROOMS
on the sixth floor were City Editor H. G.
Chaplin, Assistant City Editor Milton Pick
EFT and Reporters S. P. Jones and E. B.
Barnes. The last named had been down
stairs watching the fire and, approaching
the danger, ran back to give the alarm to
his associates. Here. by request of the P1o-
NEER PRESS, Mr.. Barnes will give the situa-
ton as he and his associates faced it,
"When ran into the office and shouted to
the boys to get out as fast as they could, for
they were in danger OF losing their lives,
they would not believe me. oh, pshaw'
said Chaplin. The fire will all be out in q
few minutes Just then gust of fright
fully hot air shot into the DOM. and we
made for the windows. We all got out
upon the ledge of the roof, Pickett with us.
The flames were then coming out of the
corner of the editorial rooms at the north
west, and we stood seven stories above the
immense crowd on the street almost par
alyzed with fear. Before we were conscious
Of it Pickett had slipped back into the
room. turned round and said Where's
Pickett?' The room was then like perfect
hell-fire and it would have been instant
death to have gone into it. Chaplin replied
He must have gone back This is what
he probably did.
PICKETTS HORRIBLE FATE.
Terrified with fright he thought risking
his life in the flames was not as bad as risk
ing it from sixth story window. My the
Dry is that he rushed through the flames up
into the composing room, and there was
one of the number who met their death by
falling to the ground below or being suffo-
Gated. When saw his body stretched out
ON the floor of the drug store later there did
not appear to be drop of blood upon his
face His hair and beard were singed, and
only slightly at that. The expression on
his face was as one who had met his death
by suffocation. Poor fellow! I hope
his soul has found a resting place
1t last. After Pickett had left
WE STOOD UPON THE LEDGE
Of the building, and shouted ourselves
hoarse for the fire escape to be sent up to
us. It seemed an hour to me before they
raised the long, gladstone ladder. Even
then it was doubtful if it would reach us.
We thought of taking to the telegraph wires
low. Finally we saw the ladder coming
higher and higher, and we fairly ran along
the ledge to the other side of the building
10 meet it. The poor compositors
in the story above were unable to
reach the ladder, and for at least ten min
utes, perhaps fifteen, their appeals for help
we're the most pititul I have ever heard.
They crowded to the windows and yelled
like crazy men, the vast crowd below them
at times as silent at if not breathing, and
again shouting encouraging words. AS the
ladder went higher inch by inch the crowd
fairly shrieked with delight. Finally it
touched the southwest corner of
The seventh floor, and the happy
printers ran down its blessed rungs.
Some of the more venturesome and less
patient ones slid down the telegraph wires
before the ladder reached the floor and
were badly bruised.
HORRIBLE AND sICKENING.
Then occurred most horrible sight. The
6remen, in order to protect their ladder, no
doubt, and thinking that everybody had
been rescued, pulled it away and 10 wered
1t. just then the crowd in the
street gave shout that sent the
blood whirling quickly through every ones
veins n 1oc C<r11 Ia -,