The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1895-07-04
.FIREMEN ARE KILLED.
MINNEAPOLIS THE SCENE or A ia.
TAI AND DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.
Fire Destroys u Four Story Brick
Building Occupied by Mcdonald.
brothers, and Heavily Stocked.
With ,CrOckery and Glass-ware.

Minneapolis. June 29.-!The most dis
,.astrous fire which. has ever visited
Minneapolis accomplished it's work of
destruction and death last night, and.
within: an hour after the fire broke out
six brave t:remen paid the penalty Of
their lives for their faithfulHess in,
striving to>save the property Of ctEers'
Tie dead are:
Joseph Hoy, Hose Truck No. >.
Walter, Richardson, Engine Company
No. 6.
Frank Euhlein, Lieut.. Hose No. 6.
John Horncr, Truck No. ;.
Fred Thomas. No. 8 (diel On the
way to the hospitaD.
Christian Sander, Truck No. 3.
The fire, which resulted in the great
est fatality to firemen ever known to
have occurred at any one time in the
history of the NorthW est, broke out
ut 1O:4O o'clock in the rear Of the four
story brick structure ut 24O and 242
First avenue south, which was occu-
pied by the firm Of Mcdonald Bros,
and heavily stocked with crockery,
glassware, chinaWare and silverware.
The fire is supposed to have origina-
ted among the packing and boxes Kept
in the rear portion of the building, and
had made great Roadway before the
firemen were on the ground, although
they appeared in an incredibly short
time after the alarm was turned in,
several Of the engine houses being
within few blocks of the scene Of
the fire. The Mcdonald Brothers
block was a five story brick. There
was no hope at any time after the fire
was discovered to save it from CON-
plete destruction. All the firemen
seemed to have in mind wos to pre-
vent the fire from spreading to the all
joining buildings. The greater part of
the apparatus turned out to the
alarm. The extension hook and lad
der was hoisted promptly and a num-
Der of the fremen were on the top Of
the building before the flames burst
through.
The falling of the wall nearest to
Washington avenue, after the flames
had burned briskly for. quarter Of
an hour, was the first intinlation Of
immediate danger. The first fall was
followed by another pile of tumbling
brick. Under this the firemen who
were killed were caught. Beside the
six killed, thirteen people were in
jured, some badly. The loss is $780,
600. Up to the moment the wall fell
the thought of the firemen had been
to save the valuable property from de-
struction. From that moment on, al
though they worked with the energy
OF demons at war with demons, their
thoughts were with the brave fellows
whom they had seen dragged, limp,
lifelesS and fearfully mangled, from
amid the heap of hot and smoking
ruins. The tiremen were ordered into
the alley between the crockery house
and a saloon. Soon three streams Of
water were playing on the fire from
that position, when without a mo-
rents warning the entire wall on that
side collapsed with a great crash,
burying a number Of fremen in the
ruins. On Washington avenue all was
confusion, and great many people
were moving their possessions into
the street as rapidly as they could
haul them down stairs. The entire
street was soon Uttered with trunks.
bird cages and all other movable ar
tlcles. The glass front of the North
Star Clothing company blew out with
a great crash, and clothing was scat
tered in all directions. A woman who
had just passed the store before the
explosion occurred uttered q scream
and fell to the ground in dead faint.
She YVES carried into Barge's restau-
rant, but no sooner had she been
placed in a chair than the cry was
raised that the building was about to
COLLAPSE. She was quickly placed in a
cab, but the rumOr proved to be I'M
founded. All the stores in the ilnme-
date vicinity closed their doors and
the street was given up to the fire.
men. They were greatly hampered in
their work by the crowd, who pressed
around them in solid mass. At first
the police seemed powerless to keep
them back, as the rear ones pushed
the trout ranks forward in spite of
everything the officers could do. In
short time, however, they succeeded
in getting the crowd under control.
and after that handled them admira-
bly,. AS soon as the dust and smoke
which arose from the fallen debris
had cleared away the work of remoy-
ing the dead and wounded was begun.
The seriously injured are John Gray,
pipeman Hook and Ladder No. 3, with
broken knee cap and other slight in
1uries; Ernest D. Caldwell, captain Of
Engine Company No. 6, back badly
strained and internal injuries, may
die; Henry eau, Engine Company No.
l, back and kidneys badly Injured, will
die; Farnk Egan, hoseman Engine co.
No.. 1, slightly burned on sides and
back; w. II. Mcdonald, lieutenant,
body badly crushed; Ed Thielen, cap
tain Hook and Ladder Company No.
z, badly bruised about the head and
his body crushed.
coroner kistler was on the scene
shortly after the announcement Of the
fatalities. lie view the bodies before
their removal
Paul Alexander tombstone, a mind
reader, gave a performance in O. St.
Louis drug store to demonstrate tho