The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-27
F|RENEN CH()KED / OFT
BAD BLAZE HAD STARTED IN COLI
LINS' PRINTING ESTAB-
LISHMENT
CHECKED IN A FAST FIGHT
Loss to the SI1idmOre Building and
Contents VIII Probably
Not Exceed
$4,000.

Fire broke out at H. L. Collins & Co. g
printing and engraving establishment,
occupying the four story brick block at
Fifth and Minnesota streets. shortly
after o'clock last evening and burned
Hereby for nearly an hour, causing an es-
timated loss of $4,000 The loss is COW
cred by Insurance. The cause of the
| fire is not known.
The fire started on the third floor, in
the b!ndery. The firm stopped business
| for the day at noon yesterday and it is
believed the flames must have been
smouldering for some time as when the
| lire was discovered it had gained con-
! siderable Roadway. In fact, before the
alarm was turned in, smoke was issuing
| from every crevice, and by the time the
| apparatus arrived, flames were bursting
| from the windows on the third floor
! from appearances 1t seemed as though
| the entire building was burning, and
! Chief Cook It once turned in a Phi alarm
| While the engines were getting to work
! the fire spread the length of the build
| ing on the Fifth street side and 1t looked
gle before them. AS quickly as posi-
!
through the third-story windows. and
with lines Of hose playing on the flames
from ladders and the fire escape the
dangerous aspect Of the blaze was
changed. though the fire burned stubborn
| ly within for some time The efforts Of
| the department, however, confined the
flames to the third story, but the stock
on the floors below and the top floor was
| badly damaged by smoke and water The
/ firm had a number of costly printing
presses and other machinery on the sec
Ond floor that suffered considerable dam
age from water. All of the machinery
and the contents of the bindery were
more or less seriously damaged by fire
and smoke. The contents in the stock
room on the fourth floor were damaged
by smoke and wate-, while the office ap-
purtenances on the ground floor suffered
from the deluge of water
H l.. Collins & Co. occupied the corner
store on the ground floor as an office,
and the entire space of the three uppe"
! floors with their bindery, engraving
! rooms and. stock. The firm carried a
stock, including the machinery. valued
at $4,000. The plant carried Insurance
aggregating $50, 900.
occupied by j c. Conroy, who has on
hand a stock of plumbing supplies valued
at $4,000. This stock was slightly dam
aged by water 1t is fully insured
The building is owned by Mrs. Emma
D. Skidmore, of New York city Strick-
land q Doolittle, are the agents The
damage to the building is estimated at
$500, covered by insurance
During the fire considerable excitement
was caused by lire a hOSn onttir1e
away from several firemen on a ladder
at the third floor windows The force
of the water caused the nozzle to swing
about like huge fail, and Fireman
George Lightner, who tried to cling to
the hose was almost thrown to the
ground. He finally let go the hose and
remained safely on the swaying lad
der.
Truckman Owen Dunn, of Truck No. 2,
had his left hand badly cut by broken
glass while on a ladder at the third
story.
The salvage corps rendered excellent
service in protecting the stock and ma
chinery on the lower floors