The Bemidji pioneer., 1900-10-25
AT A FIRE
-FOUR FIREMEN BURIED UNDER
FALLING WALLS.
Fire In tho Midway District Mt st.
Paul Results IN the Death Of Sec
ond Assistant Chief Irvine and
Three Firemen and the Severe
Injury OF Two Others Property
Loss Is EstimnteI nt Almost Half
a Million DOLLARS Fire Is
Thought to Have Been OF Incen-
dirny O.igin.

st. Paul, Oct. 23--Four brave lives
snufrel out, two men injured almost
| to death and nearly half a million dol
| lars worth of property transformed
into bent and broken ruins, was the
record made by a fire In the Midway
district early yesterday morning. In
1.-the brief interval between midnight
and dawn an incipient blaze had been
lfanned by favoring wind into tor
rent OF flame that subsided only when
1.-THE work Of destruction was complete
| The following is a list OF the dead.
Assistant Chief William III. Irvine.
235 West Sixth street
Lieut.. Frank M. Edey. S4S Raymond
avenue; Company No. Is. .58
Pipeman Burt r. Irish. Sl4 Raymond
avenue; Company No. Is.
Pipeman Louis Wagner, 1859 Long
avenue; Company, No. Is.
In effecting property loss the fire
was equally swift and sure. Almost
before an opportunity had been Of
fered to do
Battlcd with the Dlnzc
the flames had swept along the row
Iof buildings just north Of the Mime
sofa Transfer bridge, and within an
hour all were doomed. The North
western Elevator company's No. !
building stood but short way from
The path of the confiagration, and It
was only by the most persistant work
on the part of the employees that It's
value was not also added to the total
| loss. Conservative estimates placed
the total damage to buildings on ac-'
count Of the fire to fraction more
than $4,000.
Starting at midnight in A. v. Hin
mans packing house possibly from
1 the efforts of an incendiary the fire
made rapid headway through the long
ROW of combustible buildings, leaping
froms one to the other. until at 2
l3o'clock the entire line was
| A Roaring Furnace,
tongues Of flame leaping skyward and
1 lighting the surrounding territory with
a dull glare that extended for miles.
From the packing house the blaze,
lfaided by some boxcars, jumped across
the railroad sidetrack and attacked
/ the Northwestern Lime company's
plant. Its board walls and shingle
roof furnished an excellent vehicle
for the conduct of the blaze to the big
Warehouse OF the Mccormick Har-
vesfer company. Assistant chief Ir-
rine, who had been directing the eff
forts of Engine Company No. 13, led
| the men up to the south wall and
pointed out the spot where the fire
should be fought. The men had drawn
| q line Of hose up near the building
and were standing within few feet
Of the south wall. The fire was so hot
and
The Walls DulEed
so that the assistant chief directed the
flremen to step further away. They
moved back fifty feet, still directing
the nozzle toward the burning build
ing. Irish and Wagner, were directing
the stream. Lieut.. Edey was stand
ing beside them and johnson and Peel
had hold Of the hose short distance
away The men had scarcely moved
back in response to the orders when
there came dull explosion. The side
and back walls toppled and fell. Be-
fore the fremen had an opportunity to
utter cry or make an effort to save
themselves they were carried down by
tons of white-hot brick and mortar
and piles of bent and broken ma
chinery. OF the entire detail Of En-
gine Company No. 13, Andrew Larson
alone escaped.