The Saint Paul globe., 1899-03-20
rL0Be,S MINNEAPOLIS OFFICE.
81 20 WASHINGTON AH. SOUTH.

Mrs. Benjamin c. Boneau and her five
year-old son. Ronaldo; Annie Cochin and
Mrs. j. c. Allen narrowly escaped losing
their lives in a fire which broke out at
o'clock yesterday morning in the Hale
block, a three-story brick and stone
structure at sol -5O7 Hennepin avenue, op-
posite the West hotel
The first floor of the building is occu-
pied by storerooms. and the second and
third floors as offices and residence flats.
The interior of the building was filed
with = stiliings black smoke, which near
~ suifocated the. inmates of the block.
almost before they were aware of the
existence of fire in the building The
oeeapants were mostly women. Several
escaped from the second floor. windows
toSthe roof of the NJ. D. Wilson livery
office building, and several others es-
the Harvey Kicker building. on Fifth
street in the rear of the Hale block
AIrs. Boneau was i'll in bed in her flat
or the third floor when the fire alarm
was. given. A ladder from No l truck
was raised to her window. and she was
wrapped in blankets and bed clothing
and Fireman John Berwin carried her
out on the ladder. Capt. George Kehoe
Followed him with little Ronaldo. Capt.
Nehoe also carried out Mrs. ]. c. Allen
another occupant Of the building, who
had run into the Boneau apartments
Annie Cochin, another occupant of the
building, was found in the hall on the
third floor by Lieut.. Jerry Murphy, of
Chemical Company No. 1. She was be-
wiidered and was cropping about in a.
futile attempt to find the stairs, while
almost overcome by the smoke Lieut.
Murphy picked her up and made his
way down stairs through the smoke and
past tongues of fire which burst through
into the lower hallway, bringing
hre in safety to the street. He then
returned to the building to find the IAN
ttor cropping his way about in the halls.
Lieut.. Murphy led him down stairs.
Fireman Ack Foster, of No. l truck
carried out two women who were found
in the third floor halls well-uigh over
come by the smoke. The firemen failed to
obtain their names. however. Those of
the tiremen obliged to work in the build
ing suffered greatly from smoke, Capt
Malone. Of Chemical Company No /,
being obliged to go home after the fire,
and a doctor was summoned for him.
Lieut.. Murphy. of the same company,
was also badly used up by the smoke,
but remained on duty
1Here Will De a damage or about 81, 900
to the building itself
Yesterdays was the fourth fire the
building has experienced. This one start
ed in the basement under the partition
waH between Lahiffs Plumbing Supply
company and the Wheeler & Wilson Sew
ing Machine company's warerooms. 1t
burst up through the floor and made its
way to the ceiling, breaking out through
the second floor and many side partition
walls on the second floor. Water lines
We're directed into the basement, but for
time seemed TO have no visible effect
as the fire crept toward the upper floors
The floor in the rear end of the Lahiff
establishment fell in and the fire burst
up brighter than ever. A second alarm
was then turned IN, but 1t was after noon
before the fire was wholly extinguished
The salvage corps did hard work and by
the use of covers managed to save con-
siderable property. The contents Of Ru-
fus H. Lanes. drug store, at sol. were
covered without the hreakage Of a single
article. The principal losses are as fol-
lows:
Loss on building, F. E. Sprague agent,
$1,000. with an insurance of $40, 900; Wheel
er & Wilson Sewing Machine company
507 Hennepin avenue, G. E. Flannery.
manager, loss about $1,000, possibly over,
with an insurance of $1,000; j. C. Lahiff,
plumbers and plumbers supplies, sos
Hennepin avenue loss about $400, with an
insurance of S5f0