The Forrest City times., 1904-12-16
NEARLY 4 MILLION
 MINNEAPOLIS LOSS
One of the Worst Fires Ever Ex. perienced in the Business Sec
 tion of Minneapolis.
FIVE MEN AR; DEAD, MISSING
 OR HURT UNDER fALLlNS WALLS.
The Fire, Which at One Time Threatened the Entire Retasl District, Brought Under Control By the Dying Down of High Wind Which Prevailed.

By the DyinS Down of HE h Wind
 Which Prevailed.
 Minneapolis, Minn., Dec f5.-%eariy S1 ,000,000 of property was destroyed, two men were killed, two are missing and probably dead and one is badly burned, as a result of fire in tn center of the business district. start ing at 10:30 Tuesday night in the o. H. Peck Co.'S photographic supply house, in Fifth street, south.
 Spreading from the Pack building, the flames wiped out Boutell Bros. six-story furniture house. one of the largest of its kind in the west, to- gether with several smaller buildings sajoining. The Powers Mercantile Co s immense department store across the street was threatened with de- struction and, though saved through the heroic eXertions of the fire depart ment, suffered heavy damage by water Following is a list of the casualties and the estimated losses:
 The dead:
 Jacob Miller, Salvage corps.
 John Buckley, Salvage corps.
 Th5 missing:
 John Fellows, Hose Company Nc. 1S George Sincoe, Hose Company No IS.
 Badly burned:
 Leon Kirkhoff, Hose Company No Is.
 Estimated losses:
 Boutell Bros. building s2o0 900.
 Bintliff Picture Frame Co, building, $l00,000; stock, s50,00o.
 Peck's photograph supply house, $50,000.
 Miss Irene Hale, buildings. $50, 900 Powers Mercantile Co.,, $100,0 ,000 Entire Retail District Threatened.
 For time the best part of the re- tail district of the city was threatened, aLd the firemen seemed powerless to stay the onrush of the flames, which were driven by high wind from the north. By allowing the buildings al ready on fire to burn themselves out and confning their efforts to adjacent buildings, however, the fremen had the conflagration well under control at two o'clock Wednesday morning.
 The original fire in Pec<'s optical instrument store, at Fifth street south, in the rear of the Boutell Bros. estab- lishment, at First avenue. south, and Fifth street, was small one, but soon got beyond control and attacked E0u- tell Bros housefurnishing establish ment The big store, filled with draperies and rugs, hung from display racks, was easy prey for the flames, and by one o'clock was hopelessly ruined
 With the firemen still working on Boutell Bros building. the walls fell with a crash. Several firemen and members of the Salvage corps were seen in the glare that lighted the whole city, to be buried beneath the avalanche of brick and mortar. Some of the men escaped with slight in juries, but two lost their lives, one was badly burned and two are still unaccounted for.
 Air Filed With Brands.
 The district in which the fire oc- cured is closely built up, most of the buildings being substantial brick and stone structures, and some of them, from an architectural standpoint, the handsomest in the city.
 The high wind carried burning brands and sparks in all directions, and many incipient blazes were started within a radius of four blocks. The principal newspapers of the city were located but block from the scene of the fire. and for time were thought to be in danger.
 The Northwestern national bank building, the Phoenix office building, the National Bank of Commerce, the New York Life building, and many other big office buildings were in the fire zone and for a time seemed Tn danger of being wiped out
 As soon as the extent of the hre was seen. an appeal for assistance was made to the St. Paul department and two steamers and crews were dis patched by special train.
 The cold weather and the high wind hampered the firemen greatly in their efforts to subdue the flames, but for tunately the wind died down later and further danger was averted.