The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-28
WAS A DEATH TRAP
FLAMES IN THE PETERSON BOARD
ING HOUSE CAUSE A HOLO-
CAUST.
THREE MEN BURN TO DEATH.
SEVERAL OTHERS RECEIVE SER
IOUs, BUT NOT FATAL IN
JURIEs.
BODIES HORRIBLY SCARED.
They Are Recovered After Long
Search-Loss ON Building Was
Light.
THREE MEN BURN TO DEATH.
DIES HORRIBLY SCARRED

Light.
HENRY DULLUM, aged lfty-one years,
single man; foreman Buffers blacksmith shop
at Merriam Park.
GUST ANDERSON. aged thirty years, sin
gle man; shoveler Great Western yards.
E. f. Anderson, aged forty years, married
man; shoveler Great Western yards.
INJURED.
Christ Anderson, with Minneapolis Brewing
company, slightly burned.
Charles Mattson, with Great Western rail-
road slightly burned s5s
Mrs John E. Lundin. nervous shock.
The fire which destroyed the two
buildings at 1908 and 1905 Washington
avenue SOUTH early yesterday morning
entailed the greatest loss of life by ac-
cident, which has occurred in Mime
aEolis since the disastrous Mcdonald
block fire of over year ago. Henry
Dullum, Gust Peterson and E. E. Pet
erson, who occupied rooms on the third
floor of the boarding house at 1905
Washington avenue, were penned in by
the flames and burned to death. A
number of other persons were slightly
injured and narrowly escaped death.
Property valued at $1,000 was des-
troyed.
The fire, which broke out at 2 o'clock
a. m, is supposed to have originated
on the third floor and one Of the three
men who went to their death when
they retired, is thought to have been
responsible for the disaster
John M. Erickson, a boarder who
roomed Oh the second floor, was
awakened by the smell Of smoke. He
rushed to the room Of the proprietor,
John E. Lundin, and aroused him.
Then both ran through the halls giving
the alarm and endeavoring to arouse
the inmates. But for their action the
loss of life would doubtless have been
greater. The greatest confusion pre-
vailed and half awakened, panic-strick-
en- men and women rushed blindly
through the smoke, down the stairs
and sought safety in the street Many
of them lost all of their personal eff
fects
Erickson and Lundin, the first to
reach the street, Immediately turned in
a fire alarm and by that time the
flames were bursting through the roof
The fire spread very rapidly, owing to
the inf1ammable nature Of the building,
an old time three-story brick veneered
structure. By the time the department.
arrived the fire had communicated with
the three-story brick building adjoin-
ing, owned by John E. Berslin. The
fire had a start which nothing could
stop and within an hour both buildings
were completely Quilted.
In the confusion it was not known
that any one was missing. 1t was not
until the building had been Quilted and
the firemen were climbing over the
shaking timbers that Dullum's body
was discovered. 1t was found lying
face downward, across charred rafters
which had formerly supported the floor
Of his room. The clothing was burned
entirely off, and the body was black
and charred, the features Of the face
being burned beyond recognition.
From the position of the body it was
evident that Dullum had been aroused
and had endeavored to reach the door
OF his room, but had been overcome by
smoke or fire. The body was taken to
the morgue in the South side patrol
wagon. 1t presented a sickening sight
as 1t lay, cooked and blackened mass
of flesh, on the white marble slab
Dullum was a blacksmith by pro-
fession, and worked for a man named
Butler, at Merriam Park. So far as
known he had no relatives.
The fact that the other men were
missing was not discovered until a late
hour,- when an employee Of the Great
Western yards, at which both worked
as coal shovelers, said that they had
not yet appeared for work. Diligent
search failed to ascertain their where
abouts.
Throughout the forenoon the fremen
tolied In the ruins, finding progress
among the heavy charred timbers
slow. Their search did not take them
to the bottom of the mass, however.
for the bodies of the two Anderson
brothers were found about midway,
lying close together
Both were burned in a horrible man
ner, but little clothing remaining on
each trunk. The two roomed in the
center of the third floor, but the bodies
were found in the front part Of the
ruins, indicating that the men had
fought their way through the flames
to reach the windows. 1t is not known
why the unfortunates did not awake
In time to escape, but it is said that
they had been drinking last evening
and one Of the brothers especially was
noticed as being under the influence Of
liquor.
The rooms Of the hotel are supplied
with lamps, and the proprietor states
that some of these are left burning.
One theory advanced is that the An
derson's lamp exploded In some man
ner while the two were heavily asleep
although no one has been found who
heard an explosion.
Mrs. Sterling, a widow lady with
two children, had a thrilling adven-
ture,a She was sleeping over the Pc
terson store with a little girl and baby
and was only awakened after the fire
was well under way
Selling the little ones she made eff
fort to escape by the only exit, a rear
stairway She was, however, forced
to fall back choking in a thick volume
OF smoke that rolled up the stairway.
Finding her retreat cut off by the
flames, she rushed to the front win
dows and called loudly for help. The