The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-12-05

| editorial, when told of the fire below.
He had seen a similar fire once start in the
| building, and it had been readily extln-
| guished, so he did not give it serious
thought. He was very glad to escape with
his life, however, few minutes later.
THE ORIGIN UNKNOWN.
No one knows how the blaze originated.
The rooms of the Republican league had
| not been occupied for long time, and the
| only theory to account for the fire is that 1t
was due to spontaneous combustion. Inc
blaze when first seen was in among the
campaign literature in the room just at the
end of the hallway. There was no fire in
the other two rooms adjoining, also used by
the league. There are two large tanks OF
water in the attic, but these only ted the
ravenous flames, which licked and devoured
everything, human or inhuman, in their
pathway. The fire naturally spread to the
| top floors first and then worked its way to
the bottom. The building was gutted as
well below by the falling of heavy ma
| chinery through the burning floors. Por-
tons of the walls also
FELL INTO THE STREET WITH A ROAR
that could be heard blocks away, endan-
gering the lives of tiTemen and spectators
The spectacle of the mighty fire tiend would
have been grand One had not the presence
of death cast deepening shadows over it.
Mr.. Blethen, proprietor of the Tribune,
took the late night train for st. Paul, going
directly to the Globe office. He will use
the Globes presses and the first
page of that papers edition. He
estimates his loss at $40, 600, calculating that
the presses and all the other fixtures to be a
total loss. The insurance will not exceed
$4,000. Mr.. Blethen will get out paper
as soon as he possibly can.
According to another estimate, the loss
on the building is about $4,000, with
100000 insurance. This will have to be
borne by the Tribune Building company.
The Journal will lose about $35, 900, with
about $35, 900 insurance. The Tribune
is insured for $4,000, and its loss
will be fully covered by insurance. The
Tribune Job Printing company will lose
about $25, 900, with $4,000 insurance.
George f. Hitchcock, court stenogranher,
occupied an office on the fourth floor.
| He will loose all the evidence taken
in cases in the district court for number
| of years. Hart & Brewer and Cross and
Carleton, lawyers, lose valuable law libra
| rieS. The Tribune and Tribune-Star, the
evening enition of the Tribune, lose all
their files. The loss Of life is
not accurately known, but it will
number at least fifteen persons, as many
were seen to fall back into the fire. Mill
man, the commercial editor who lost his
wife few weeks ago by asphyxiation, lost
his life. The Tribune Job Printing COM
pany are probably the heaviest losers. as it
loses a number of valuable presses, its full
completent of type and its bindery.
ANOTHER PORTRAYAL.
The associated press gives the following
version of the calamity: "One of the most
horrible holocausts which ever happened in
this city took place last evening at 1920.
An alarm of fire was turned in, and it was
soon known that the Tribune
building was on fire. This is a
tall eight-story building occupied almost
wholly by printing offices. In an incredi-
BILE short time the flames were bursting
through the roof and the windows of the
upper stories. The fire department was
promptly On the ground but were pow
erless to seay the flames How came
a scene that stout men turned from in hor-
ror, one that froze the blood of the thou
sands who looked but were powerless to
save. Fac, white with terror were seen at
he upper windows, piteous cries for help
and shrieks of agony filled the air. The larg-
est ladders hardly reached to the fifth-story
windows. The flames at the very first
seized on the elevator and the only stair
way, and all the means of exit from the
upper stories were cut off excepting the fire
escape at one corner of the building. This
afforded a means of escape to a number
but many were cut off from this by the
flames. Some men were seen to leave the
building by means of telephone wires
They went fifteen or twenty feet
HAND OVER HAND,
and then dropped and were crusled out o.
all semblance to humanity. Three Others
jumped from windows near the same place
and were instantly killed. One poor wretch
in the upper window was seen in his desper
alton to place a revolver to his head
and fall backward into the flames
The fremen did everything possible, but
, most Of the doomed men being in the sixth
and seventh stories, were out Of reach, anC
little could be done for them. One mar
jumped from the seventh story on the Firs
, avenue side and was crushed to pulp. 1t il
, now thought that at least tiftee1
or twenty perished in the flames
The printers held meeting at ! o'clocI
, this morning and appointed a committee
of five to meet various local unions anC
take some action. There is intense indig
nation felt at the owners of the building
There are doubtless several people il
the ruins who were working in other part
, of the building, but just how man,
will not be known until the debris is re
moved. Jimmy Kohl, the messenger boy
has turned up without scratch severa
! persons suffered injuries from burns bu
none will result fatally. One printer rathe
! than to be burned to death deliberately sho
. himself w. H. Williams. foreman of tn
Tribune, saved himself by dropping out O
the window of the seventh story, he thel
+ went down q ladder. Frank Hoover,
:, printer, followed him, Both were badl
,, burned about the face and hands. At
3 o'clock the fire was under control, but tn
9 entire building is gutted. All of the paper
\ burned out will resume publication With
a week, or as soon as material can b
secured.
THE TRIBUNE ROOMS.
y About 10:15 p. IN. some one in the Tribun
a | Btllb0Flal T9OHlS SnOuJeu 'flfe!' AT Jne
! time the members Of the fofoe i
a the editorial rooms were Charlie
q Alf Williams, managing editor; Georg
: Caven, night editor; John H. Leonard, te
egraph editor; w. H. Millman, commel
q s cial editor; II. B. Hudson, city editor; "
w. Jermane, assistant city editor; A N
! Welles, reporter; ]. #, Igoe, telegraph OPT
r rator. Mr. Welles tells the foillloYing stor
!, of his escape: when l heard fhe cry {
:, fire rushed opt into the ha
= and looked oyer the stairs. Smoke wa
: coming up In snail auantities ffbm helo,
3 . and the smell of burning paper was di'
J tinctly noticeable At the same time that
: rushed into the hall, Mr.. Hudson came OF
!. of his room and ran down the stairs. Som
!, twenty-five printers came out of the con
!, posing room at the same time that ra
: into the hall. Most of them had their Goa
. on their arms and their faces were
BLANcHED WITH FEAR.
Just about the time Hudson ran down tl