Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-14
WORST IN ITS HISTORY
Fire Destroyed Much Prop
erty in Minneapolis, MINI.
LOSS NEARLY S750,000
THREE MEMBERS OF INSURANCE
PATROL LOSE THEIR LIVES.
Disastrous Conhagrations In Other Sec
tions Of Country-Theater Burn
ed at Stamford, Conn.
LOSS NEARLY S75O,0OO

MINNEAPOLIS. Mimi. December IA
Three firemen we're killed. three others
painfully burned and property valued at
sI27 600 was destroyed by a fire which be-
gan late last night and was not under con-
troll until this morning.
The dead are:
Jacob f. Miller. Insurance patrolman.
III. ]. Buckley, insurance patrolman.
John Fellows. pipeman.
The losses which are almost fully COW
cred by insurance. are: q. III. Peck build
Ing; Boutell Brothers. building. and Bint-
liff building. all owned 10y the Hale Home
stead Company of Minneapolis, s225 ,1oo;
Mercantile Company building $4,000; O. II.
Peck Company. stock tphotogra piers sup
plies), $4,000: Boutell Brothers stock fur
niture). SieoeyG: Bintlin Manufacturing
Company (picture frames and art goods,
sSa,ooo Powers Mercantile Company tde-
partmeut store). $25tta,: Northwestern Ma
tiCral Bank building. Siv.Lo9: Farmers and
Mechanics Savings Bank S29u3: miscel-
laneous losses. s3.GS9.
The flames started in the basement of the
Peck establishment Although the building
was heavily stocked with chemicals the fte-
fighters had little doubt of their ability to
confine the flames to that building and they
attacked the fire on all sides.
Sprinkler Failed to Work.
All at once the wires that controlled the
automatic sprinkler system in the building
turned dull red and In another instant
the whole interior Of the building burst
into a blaze. The sprinkler wires had in
some way touched heavily charged elec-
trio light wire and the great volume of
superheated air mingled with gases from
varnfsh and baking wood was Instantly set
afiame.
Three fremen who were with Pipemau
Fellows succeeded in making miraculous
exits down the fire escapes from the fifth
floor, but Fellows, running to the elevator
shaft, slid down the cables in the belief
that the lower part OF the building had not
yet begun to burn. He slid into mass
of flames and WAS seen no more.
II. ]. Buckley. a member of the insurance
iS = tIita sIaRs niesim, ma,l Stumbled
INTO the elevator shaft and fell five floors
to the basement. Efforts were made to res
cue him. but in the rising flood OF water
and the roaring furnace of flames he could
not be located by his comrades.
Retail District Threatened.
For time the best part of the retail
district of the city was threatened and
the firemen seemed powerless TO stay the
progress of the flames which were driven
by a high wind from the north. BY allow
ing the buildings already on fire To burn
themselves out. and confning their efforts
to adjacent buildings. however. the firemen
had the flames well under control at :.
o'clock this morning.
The fire was discovered at 1920 o'clock In
Pecks optical instrument store. at 9th
street south, in the rear of Boutell Broth
ers' establishment, at 1st avenue south and
9Th street. A small fire in itself. il got be-
yond the control of the iiremen and attack
ed Boutell Brothers housefurnish;ng es-
tablishment The big store. filed with
draperies and rugs hung from display
racks, was easy prey for the flames, and at
O'Clock was hopelessly ruined.
The Bintliff Manufacturing Company's
tablishment, next door. was also soon in
flames
Across 1st avenue from the Boutell corner
is the two-Story department store of the
Powers Mercantile Company, covering a
quarter of the block. The firemen deluged
this building with water and the Powers
stock was badly damaged. The frG was
brought under control at the Powers build
ing. and the newspaper buildings of the
Journal and Tribune, on 4th street, which
were in great danger. escaped unframed.
Fire at Stamford, Conn.
STANFORD, Conn. December 1.-THE
Grand Opera House building, containing
theater, a number of offices. two stores and
a hall occupied by an Odd Fellows lodge.
was burned today. The fire was discovered
at o'clock in the Odd Fellows hall. and
at $50 was not under control. 1t was be-
lieved this building would be total loss,
estimated at 100000. Much of the atten-
ton of the firemen was directed to protect
ing the Arcade building. next door, in
which the post office Is located. 1t was
thought that building would be saved, but
as precaution all the mail in the post OF
flee was put in bags ready for removal The
opera house building is owned by ]. /. Ray
mond.