The Saint Paul globe., 1901-04-02
MOST DISASTROUS FIRE SINCE MID
WAY CONFEDERATION occurs
THIS MORNING
LOSS WILL BE ABOUT $685. 900
FLAMES HAD GAINED CONsIDERA
BILE HEADWAY BEFORE DE-
PARTMENT ARRIVED
ORIGIN OF BLAZE UNKNOWN
Excellent Work on Part of Ffremen
Kept Flames From Spread
ing to Adjoining
Buildings.

The worst fire since the disastrous
confiagration at Midway, last fall visited
st. Paul early this morning and the
three buildings occupied by the Towle
syrup company, 13d-1z0 East Fifth street,
were badly gutted. The loss on stock
ana building will not be far from $85. 600
fully covered by insurance.
Pollceman Barney Smith was the first
to notice the flames issuing from the
door On the Fifth street side. He ran to
a box and turned in an alarm and then
went back to discover the progress made
by the fire. Running through the arch
way, he went around to the rear of tdae
building ant saw that the engine room
and the floor above were blazing furious
~. He realized that the flames had made
too much headway to be easily conquer
ed, ana went back and turned in another
alarm. When he returned from this thip,
the tire seemed to be on all the floors
on the rear end of the building, and as
soon as the firemen reached the scene,
Chlet jackson ordered general alarm to
be sent in.
The fire was attacked both from the
rear and front, but it seemed to grow
more intense all the time. From Fifth
street nothing but dense volumes of
smoke could be seen, but from the rear
1T could be seen that the flames were
rapidly making their way to the roof
Extension ladders were brought around
to the front and soon fremen We're on
the top floor of the tall buildings, fight
ing the flames from the top.
At 1:S0 o'clock the immense volume OF
water being poured on the flames seemed
to have availed nothing, for smoke was
seen coming from the windows on the
top stories of all three buildings. The
street in front of the buildings was by
this time a perfect network of wriggliEt
hose. and break in one OF the lines sent
up stream of water that made the
spectators retire to a more prudent dis
tance. Several engines We're stationed
along Fifth street, three on Sibley and
two were at the corner of Fifth and
Jackson.
FIRE WALL HOLDS FLAMES.
The building in which the fire started
suffered the worst 1t is three stories IN
height and the flames reached the roof
in less than one hour. 1t was in this
structure that the manufacturing plant
was situated; this was valued at $500,
and was fully insured. At the other end.
in the building adjoining that of Finch.
Van Slyck, Young & Co., the flames were
early seen issuing from the third story
windows. and but for the quick lire wall
IHo COIHer pul4uIuS WOufu nave Deen
ignited.
One hour from the time the fire was
discovered, it was burning merrily ana
all the department was working for was
to keep it from spreading to the ad1oin-
ing buildings. In this they were success
full, and, although it was two hours and
more before the tiremen gained the upper
hand there was no danger of the tire
spreading further
Towle, the head of the firm, will be a
total loss. He values it at $50, 600. ana
states that it is fully insured in COM
panies for which J. A. Rogers is agent.
WATER TOWER IN USE.
Very effective service was rendered by
the water tower, which was used for the
first time since it was discarded by Chief
Cook, almost two years ago 1t was
brought around to the Fifth street side
of the fire and the nozzle was directed
into the fourth story windows. One en-,
gine was used to supply the big machine
and it sent a powerful stream down on
the blazing furnace beneath
The men who We're fighting the fire
from the rear, were hindered to consid-
cradle extent by the dense smoke that
belched from the building They were
obliged to go through the archway and
take UP positions in the court inside.
This was the side on which the fire was
the fercest, and at one time no fewer
than eight streams were playing on the
windows From these windows the
smoke was issuing in dense volumes, and
the high buildings on all sides seemed
to hold it to the ground. 1t was almost
impossible to see, at times and the
archway through which the hose was
laid was so choked with smoke as to al
most suffocate the men who were there,
SOME NARROW ESCAPES.
When in the course of making trips Of
exploration up the side of the burning
buildings the firemen were compelled
to break in the windows, some narrow
escapes from falling glass were exper-
fenced by some too adventurous specta-
tors who were standing on the sidewalk
and trying to peer through the ground
floor windows to where the fire was rag
ing in the rear. AS soon as they realized
their peril they lost no time in backing
away out of the danger limit, escorted by
policemen.
AT 2:SO most of the engines were still
busily pumping away but the hre was
under control So effective
was the water tower that the flames
did not reach the front of any of the
buildings except the smallest IN
which the fire started. The si
stream kept the flames back in splendid
style, being directed at any window from
which it could be seen that the fire was
creeping toward the front. 1t was impos-
sibIe, however, to prevent the upper
stories from being thoroughly gutted
The start gained before the department
arrived was too much Of a handicap to
be overcome The stock, too, was of an
extremely combustible nature, and this
was another circumstance which stood
In the way of the firemen.
LARGEST FIRM IN NORTHWEST
Towle Syrup company is the largest of
its kind in the Northwest, and has been In
business in st. Paul for a great many
years. P. J. Towle Is the president ard
F. A. Eldridge secretary. The other
members are F. I. Towle, w. A. Towle
and Eugene Towle. The company made
syrup, glucose and jelly preserves.
One Of the three buildings is owned ty
James Weide, one by G. e. Dickerma1
and the third by an Eastern syndicate.