The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-30
EnIcTED BY FLAMES
SCORE OF FAMILIES DRIVEN FROM
WASHINGTON AVENUE
TENEMENT.
BARELY SAVED THEIR LIVES,
FIRE SPREADING WITH ALARMING
RAPIDITY THROUGHOUT
THE STRUCTURE.
SAD FATE OF A SERVANT GIRL
Tired of Life, She Drank CarbOIic
Acid-NO Known
Cause.

The careless use of matches by some
children, who, it is claimed, were smok-
ing cigarettes, resulted in possibly
$4,000 fire in the Brick tenement So
called, at Washington and Twelfth av-
enues south, yesterday afternoon. Per-
haps at no hour of the day could the
same incident occur and loss of life not
have saddened the occasion. In no 9TH
er portion of the city is there to be
found such a crowded tenement in the
same compass. 1t fairly represented
fire scenes in the great cities of the
East. By a singular good fortune the
inmates of the flats were alarmed of
their danger through the open Win
dows, suffocating fumes curling
through the apartments and penetrat-
ing shrieks of children re-echoing
through the block and barely succeed
ed in escaping to the streets with their
families. With astonishing rapid1ty
the flames seized with avidity the tin
der-Hke wooden fixtures of the homes
and chased with ferocious speed the
people to the open air. The following
families were made homeless, most of
the number suffering a total loss or
furniture without insurance.
Mrs. J. Bloombers, third noor, 1zVo wash
Michael Flynn, second floor 1904 Washing
n. R. Lieka, third floor, 1904 Washington
avenue. 100
Mrs. Annie Wood, second floor, 1905 Wash
Henry Wayne third floor. 1906 Washing
Peter Bjornson, third floor. 1908 Washing
c. Hendrickson, third floor, 1910 Washing
ton avenue. -.
A. A. Halleen, second floor, 1910 Washing
ton avenue. o,o x,,t
Nels Wettergreen, second floor, 12l2 WASH
I Johnson. second floor, 1914 Washing
Mary Turnquist, third floor, 1914 Washing
Neis Peterson. second floor, 1916 Washing
M Mrs. Albertine Ali, third floor, 22s Twelfth
avenue south. ooo ,D.,...
John Lundburg, second noor' 10 i"7ii'N
s c. slattery, second horr. 227 Twelfth
III L. Hoiander, third floor, 225 Twelfth ave-
nue. south. ooy ruelf+b
In addition to the loss and incon-
yenience which ensued to the families
residing in the building, business
firms occupying space on the ground
floor of the structure facing on WASH
ingtOn avenue SUSTAINED uohioSo "
follows:
Peterson & Norstrom, grocers, cons1dera-
BILE damage by water; impossible to estimate
Insurance, 81, 500. 49,
nue. damaged by water; not heaVy' 1hs'ul
ance 5000. 800,
Peter Benson, musical instruments, 1904
Washington avenue, small damage ny "'
ih F. HIS n Sphinx, vinegar warehouse. G.; John
son local representative, 12OS Masn1nSe'h
avenue practically no damage insured.
The scene of the fire occupies the
entire block frontage on Twelfth ana
Washington avenues south. II even
turns into Second street south Inc
Thirteenth avenue south side Is OPEN
and the area within was converted into
sheds for marketing purposes. IieLe
it was known as the South size mar
ket. The enterprise was never a proht-
able one however, and, although 1t
has since it's construction been open
to public uses, little barterlng was
transacted within the structures. Inc
sheds for marketing purposes extend
parallel with Washington avenue, eX-
cept one on the Twelfth avenue side.
They are constructed Of wood, which
time has made dry and infiammable.
The roofs are of sheet iron.
1t was in the shed nearest Twelfth
avenue that some children were play
ing with cigarettes when a lighted
some shavings lying near one of the
posts 1t lay unnoticed for few min
utes, but the time was sufficiently
long to admit of it's springing into
blaze. The wooden support to the
shed furnished ready fuel, and in an
instant the flame, caught by whirl-
ing wind that circles through the fun
mel shaped entrance to the avenue, ran
along the shed and passed into an
open window Of the brick structure.
It required little time to spread to the
open stairway and rapidly assembled to
the roof of the three-story brick
structure There it was strongly
embedded when the fire department
reached the scene. The low lying roof
and the short space int vening between
the latter and the ceiling of the third
floor, contributed to its rapid spread
over large space. Lines of hose were
strung from the rear of the structure
onto the roof; others were carried up
the stairways and still others were
lifted over onto the roof from the
Washington avenue side. 1t required
but a short time for the department to
drive the flames to the corner of the
building, and they were gradually
forced out. The roof of the structure
was badly damaged and torrents of
water poured through the ceilings to
the floors beneath.
| The loss to the building, as estimat-
ed by Fire Marshal Pierce, amounts to
possibly $4,000. That to the tenants
would not exceed $4,000, the latter figure
being regarded by the fire marshal and
chief engineer as "a sure figure. The
furniture of the inmates Of the building
was practically destroyed by the fire,
smoke and water, and in nearly every
instance there was no insurance. The
building is owned by the South Market
company, an Eastern concern, of which
C. B. Cromwell is the local manager,
and City Attorney Healey secretary 1t
was constructed in 1881, and is covered
by insurance. Mr.. Healey stated that
it would likely be repaired at once, but
could not state positively until the
manager returned from trip to Michi-
gan.
The fire was watched by crowds Of
people, it being near the close of the
days work. By stringing the lines Of
hose across Washington avenue street
railway traffic was INSTRUCTED for over
an hour. The homeless families were
cared for by friends and philanthropic
strangers for the present.
COAST RALLY OF ENDEAVORERS.
1t VIII BE the Big Event of It's
Kind for Minneapolis.