St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-26
BURNED LIKE TlN0ER.
A Midnight Fire Entirely
Wipes Out Two Mime
apolis Buildings.
One OF Them the Property Of
Sol Smith Russell, the
Actor.
The Flames Also Spread to
The Flames Also Spread to
the Twelve-Story Lum-
ber Exchange.
This Great Building, Valued
at Half a Million, Also Ap-
parently Doomed.

the Russell block, IA and IL South Fifth
street, Minneapolis. Before Its progress
was stopped that block and the adjoin-
ing one, is and 20 South Fifth, were al
most completely destroyed, aud
the Lumber exchange was threat
ened. The Russell block was a
fiye-story brick structure. 1t was
completely ruined, nothing being saved,
and ouly portions of the walls remain
ing standing. The building at is and
20 was only four stories nigh. 1t was
almost completely destroyed. When
first discovered by boarders at the
Brunswick the fire was blazing
brightly in the rear of the
Russell block. and seemingly on the
third and fourth floors. Before the de-
partment arrived the whole structure
was mass OF flames that leaped and
roared away above the Lumber EX-
change, towering seven more stories
above. The Russell block was owned by
Sol Smith Russell. 1t has been built
but few years. 1t was intended for
wholesale building and had been empty
for long time. A few davs ago, how
ever, one-half of 1t was taken up. The
Clare-Speaker company, dealers in
Paints and Oils.
had been doing business at Is South
Fifth street, almost directly across the
street from the Russell block, but their
quarters were too small. Besides deal
ing in paints and oils. they wanted to
engage in the manufacturing business.
They rented the south half of the
Russell building and moved in there
only a few days ago. 1t was In their
halt of the building that the tire started
on the third floor. Its origin is mys-
terry, and can only be explained Oh the
theory of spontaneous combustion.
The infiammable character of the
contents rendered the fire one
with which the department found
it utterly impossible to cope. Within
fifteen minutes from the time the alarm
was turned In at least half dozen
streams were playing upon the roaring
pile of flame. They might as well have
been turned into the crater OF
Vesuvius. Huge clouds of steam
flOated upward whenever they struck the
flame and still the fiery billows rolled
on. When all were concentrated upon
one spot more effect seemed appreciable,
but the spreading flame would strike
another assortment of paints, oils and
combinations thereof, the windows
would be
Burst Asunder
and heavy clouds of black smoke would
well-nigh hide the glare Of the devOur-
ing element. Every few minutes dem
onstrated that all attempts to save the
Russell block were efforts wasted. At
tentiOn was turned TO the adjoining
buildings. The store at Is and 20
Fifth street was occupied OH the
ground floor by Herbert b. Gardner's
hardware store. The three upper sto-
ries were fitted up as furnished rooms.
Nearly all were occupied. Luckily the
tenants saw their danger in the Begin
ming and began TO move out. They sue
ceeded IN saving all their wearing ap-
parel and personal effects. Most of the
furniture belonging to the mistress of
the rooms remained TO feed the flames.
This block caught at about l o'clock
when tue Russell block was nearly con-
Sumed, and the two upper stories were
soon blazing up like tinder At al
most the same time it was dis
covered that the flames from
the Russell building had leaped the
alley and caught on the seventh floor of
the twelve-story Lumber Exchange.
The flames soon spread to the sixth and
eighth floors, but were checRed from
sweeping through the building for
time The hose would not throw a
stream higher than the fifth story, and
the tiremeH were
Almost Helpless
By some oversight, no preparations
had been made for possible fire there.
While the ladder truck was OH the
ground no one had thought enough of
lifting it. Several minutes were
wasted In running it mp to the
building. 1t fact it was 1:30 before
it had been, and several more
minutes passed before a stream was
turned on the blaZes. Meanwhile the
floors over Gardner's. hardware store
were being rapidly eaten away. and
looked at o'clock as If not Ouly the
two smaller buildings, but the Lumber
Exchange as well, would be totally de-
strOyed. No accurate estimate OF the
Losses can be given. The Russell build
ing was worth at least Sl00,OOO. 1t is
believed to have been well insured. The
Clare-Speaker company carried a large
stock, which had been increased re-
Gently, when the new quarters
were occupied. Neither OF the
partners in the concern could be
found last night. Judging from the
amount of business done bV the com
pany, their total loss will approximate
$50. 600, The Gardner block was worth
about $4,000. ii. B. Gardner, the
owner, carried hardware stock
on the lower floor OF fully
$4,000, and his loss is almost total; COW
cred by insurance. Besides these losses
there are the smaller losses of the
roomers. At O'clock the fire had al
ready done nearly S2OO.000 worth
OF damage and was still burn
ing. The worst OF the fire
was vet to come. and what had seemed
an Insignificant blaze when first dIscov-
cred on the seventh floor of the Lumber
Exchange, had within twenty minutes
assumed the proportions of
Second Serious Con1agration.
Before ? o'clock arrived the whole of
the upper five floors OF the old part or
the building facing Fifth street were
blazing fully one-half the way across
the building to Hennepin avenue. The
old part of the Lumber eX-
change was valued at nearly
half million. 1t was owned by ). e.
Cook & Co., and was supposed to be alb
solutely fireprOOf. But II didn't stand
last nights ire. Most OF the offices