The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1892-02-13
AHoRBlBLE DEATH.

AHoRBlBLE DEATH.
Tho NIoorhead Clay Jail IL Destroyed by
Fire, an Inmate Is Roasted to Death In
the Flamcs.
Tho Fargo Firo of Tuesday Morning Proves
| to be n Most DISASTROUS One.
At 2:05 this morning the fire alarm
was sounded in Moorhead. The fire
proved to be in the old city Jail which is
situated just north of the Jsy Cooke
house. Before the fire department ar
rived the fire had
GAINED SUCH HEADwAY
that it could not be controlled.
There was known to ne an inmate in
the Jail and the firemen exerted them
selves TO their utmost to release him.
The door was battered down and a
stream was turned into the interior of
the building, but before any effective
work could be done the flames were
bursting out of every window and it
was evident
THAT THE MAN WAS DOOMED.
The tiremen then made a heroic
effort to rescue the poor wretch, but
without avail. They were checkmated
by not having sufficient hose to allow
them to attack the flames from either
side, all their efforts having to be di-
rected through the door in front. At
2:30 o'clock the roof of the building
fell in.
The man who was roasted to death
WIS arrested and incarcerated in the
Jail at 8 O'Clock last night. He was
drunk and had been fighting. Officer
Curran arrested him at the corner near
the Key City hotel He was taken to
the jail, being almost
TOO DRUNK TO WALK
and was looked in cell No. 2.
At the Jail he gave the name of George
Darlington. The officer went away and
left him alone. The Jail was not visited
again until about 1890 O'Clock, when
Officer Alexander Williamson went to
look after the welfare of the prisoner.
Williamson found that the cell was
too cold for the comfort of the
man, and removed him to the ''hole, !"
an open space between the cells. There
was stove in this space, but the fire
was burning low. At about 2 O'Clock a
passer by saw smoke
ISSUING FROM rHE BUILDING
and hastily summoned the depart
ment.
Darlington was supposed to be a
stranger in the city. and the officers
could find no one who could throw any
light upon his identity.
OFFICER WILLIAMSON s STATEMENT.
II went over to the Jail about 1890
O'Clock. Darlington was locked up in
cell No. 2. thought this was too cold
for him, so I removed him to the
"hole," the open space between the
cells. When I left him he was
sitting in chair sound asleep. The
fire was burning quite low. but it would
have lasted until morning. hink the
fire was caused by the
EXPLOSION OF LANTERN
which had been hung up against the
bars of the cell. The stove was all
right, and the man was.too stupid with
drink to cause any trouble. Officer
Tom Curran said that when be locked
him up he was so drunk he could hardly
utter his name, but he took it to be Oar
rington. Alter fixing the man for the
night went over to the depot to the
train from the west was just starting
back when someone shouted
FIRE AT THE JAIL.
I ron over there but when got there
the flames were already bursting from
the building on all sides.
"The man probably died painless
denth, as be must have been suffooated
while asleep in the CHAIR
At a 80 a. m. the building had burned
II IN %1,n Tbo
throwing a stream on the ruins, and
were working energetically to recover
the body of the unfortunate man.
THE JAIL
was an old two. story frame structure,
probably not worth more than $4O0 1t
contained nothing of value except few
old cots, several chairs and an old stove.
THE FARGO FIRE.
1t was few minutes after / O'Clock
when the ringing peal of the FIRE
alarm bell warned the members of the
fire department that their services were
needed. The alarm was turned in from
the police station by E. O. McElroy of
the Yerxa Hose company. A man pass
ing Lawrence's cigar store en- Broadway
had noticed the room filled with smoke,
and had hastened to the Central station
where he called up the men. Within
three minutes aftsr the first peal of the
bell the Yerxa hose cart was at the scene
of the fire and had string of hose laid
from the nearest bydrant. The flames
had gained good headway, however, and
were already pouring out of the front
end Of the building Several minutes
later the Continentols made their ap-
pearance, closely followed by the Rescue
hooks. A little delay was oocasioned at
the bydrants. they having to be thawed
out, but soOD two streams were pouring
into the building. Two more lines Of
hose were laid through the alley back of
the store, and the fremen did some
| effective work from that quarter.
The building was an old one and the
fire had gained such headway that it
was apparent that it could not be saved,
so the firemen were ordered to direct
their efforts towards saving the adjacent
stores. North of Lawrence's was large
two.stcry brick veneered structure, and
this was considered impervious to the
attack of the flames. Those to the south
were all old frame buildings, aud it was
in thit quarter that the danger was sup
posed to lie. The fremen fought val
iantly to save the China store, on the
south. and their efforts were eventually
successful, the building escaping with
comparatively no damage.
The firemen had apparently gotten
the blaze under control and it was
thought that the loss would be confined
to the cigar store, but break in the
hose caused another delay, and the wa
ter had to be turned off while the dam
aged hose was being replaced with a
new length. Before they were again
pouring the effective streams into the
building the flames he'd communicated
to the brick veneered structure on the
north. The fremeD, whose clothes were
frozen to their bodice, did not lose cour-
age when the new danger presented
itself, but renewed their exertions in the
hope of saving the structure. The lines
| of hose were BROUGHT around from the