River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-07-04
FIVE FIREMEN DEAD.
Crushed to Death While Fighting
Fire.
One Of the Most Frightful CaIamities In
the History of Minneapolis and the
Northwest--The Property
Loss Is 100000.

dead, and as many more lying at their
homes or In the various hospitals with
severe injuries, and the Sl00, 900 crock
cry establishment of Mcdonald Bros,
the largest store of its kind in the city,
in a wreck-such is the story in a nut
shell of Minneapolis most disastrous
fire of recent years.
Not since the Tribune building holo-
caust has the city suffered such a terri.
bic catastrophe; never in its existence
has the Minneapolis fire department
suffered such a loss III deaths: The
dead are:
Joseph w. Hoy, pipeman, No. truck.
Walter Richardson, No. hose.
Frank Euline, lieutenant No. q.
John Horner, No. truck.
Christian Sande, No. hose.
The injured:
I'd Thellen, lieutenant truck No. 2;
bruised and injured internally and back
injured.
Capt CALDWELL, No. 8: side and back
hurt, internal injuries.
Frank Egan, No. / hose; side and
back hurt.
Henry eau, supply wagon; back hurt;
will probably die.
job Gray, No. s hook and ladder;
left leg broken and internal injuries
sust aimed; not expected to live.
Bert Thomas, No. hose; injured;
not seriously.
The fire broke out shortly after 10
o'clock last night, starting in the rear
portion of the Mcdonald Crockery COM
no r1x,sS
nue. south. IL was first discovered by a
party of young men passing along the
avenue at the time. The iron shutters
in the rear and side of the building
were closed and when first seen the en-
tire interior in the rear portion seemed
almost a mass of flame. AS near as
can be ascertained the fire originated
in the rear portion of the building on a
lower floor, and the flames shot like
lightning up tn rough the old elevator
well at the back burst through the roof.
An alarm was hurriedly turned in
from two or three neighboring boxes
and was soon followed by second
alarm. Despite the efforts of thu ire
department, however, the flames
spread over the entire building, being
aided in their work by the iron shut
tiers, which served to make the four
story brick building veritable Chin
ney.
The fireman had been on the roof of
the Barge block but a few moments
when loud crash and the boom" al
most as of a lannon's having been fired
off startled them, and the whole big
plate glass front of the North Star
clothing company's store, at As and As
Washington avenue south, blew ont,
simultaneously with the crashing in of
the rear portion nearest the fire, where
sort of light well is located. The
broken glass from the clothing com
pany's store was scattered in every di-
rection and many narrowly escaped in
jury. A lady passing in the street at
the time tainted and one man, whose
name could not be ascertained, was
knocked fully 20 feet, but was picked
up by the bystanders, unhurt.
The explosion in the North Star
clothing company's store seemed the
signal for general disaster, and was the
death knell of FIVE brave firemen and
perhaps of more. The explosion was
followed by a general crashing and
breaking of glass in the Mcdonald
building. the falling of iron shutters
and the loud crashing in of two of the
upper floors. With mighty roar the
flames shot up and had burned but
few moments in the deluge of water
poured upon it, when the rear portion
of the side wall, facing the alley, fell
with a crash, where a score or more of
firemen were at work.
AS soon as the dust and smoke which
arose from the fallen chris had cleared
away the worl Of r. moving the wound
ed was begun. $50 res of willing hands
moved away the weight of debris, and
the injured ones were tenderly lifted
and carried to the Arrest place where
they could be cared for. DIR. Kilving-
tons office wa converted in to a tenn
porary hospital, and one man was car.
ried into hofliin.s drug store on the
corner of First avenue and Third street.
To DIR. Kilvington's Office were taken
John Gray, of Hook and ladder No. 3.
Capt. Caldwell, of No. 8; Henry eau, of
No. /. All were seriously injured, and
their cries and groans as they lay
stretched upon the floor were pitiful in
the extreme. Capt. Caldwell was
found to be injured about the back and
sides and so badly crushed that it was
feared that he had been hurt internal
ly. At his own request he was taken
to st Barnabas Hospital.
The total loss by the fire, as nearly
as it could be estimated last night, will
approximate from sos, 900 to $4,000,
1x, inc
The Mcdonald building may be rated
as total loss, the entire interior hav-
ing been entirely Quilted and the walls
ruined beyond repair.
A number of abutting buildings were
slightly burned, but not enough to do
any damage, the falling wall having
done slight damage to the roof of the
building occupied by Walton & Loves
saloon.