The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-15
LOSSES ARE LESS
THAN REPORTED
Minneapolis Fire Put Out by
Desperate Effort.
TWO FlREMEN WERE KILLED
ABSENCE OF WIND SAVED GREAT
DISASTER.

Minneapolis. Mimi. Dec. 1.-TWO
firemen lost their lives. several persons
were injured and property valued at
$4,000 was destroyed by a fire which.
starting last night, was not brought
under control until this morning.
Dead.
Jacob F. Miller. insurance patrolnlan.
John Fellows, pipeman.
Seriously Injured.
Fred Kircheff. sub pipeman, burned
Tony Wilson, pipeman. burned about
legs.
Lieutenant J. P, Barrett, back in
! jured
For a time the entire retail business
| district was threatened and its escape
| from destruction was Que as much to
the absence of a strong wind as to eff
forts of the fremen.
The fire started in the Photographic
supply house of o. II. Peck q Co, and
quickly spread TO the adjoining build
ing5, including the six-story furniture
house of Boutell Brothers, one Of the
largest establishments of its kind in
| the northwest.
Some of the Losses.
The losses include the following:
q. H. Peck & Co. photographic sup
plies. building and stock, $50. 600.
Boutell Brothers, furniture, building
and stock 1915. 000
Bintliff Manufacturing company. pic
ture frames and art goods, building
and stock, $120 O00
Powers Mercantile company, building
and stock, $225, 900.
Othey miscellaneous losses win bring
the total loss up to $780, coo: total insur-
ance, $685., 900.
Two Men Killed.
Jacob Miller, a member of the insrlr-
Ance patrol, staggering under a heavy
load of tarpaulins on the fifth floor of
the Peck Photograph Cupply company.
stumbled into the elevator shaft and
fell to the basement. Every effort was
made to rescue him, but i'm the rising
flood Of water and the roaring furnace
of flames his body could not be located.
John Fellows, a pipeman, was caught
on the fifth floor Of the Boutell build
ing with three Of his comrades. 1t was
a critical moment, for all at once the
wires that controlled the automatic
sprinkler system turned a dull red and
in another instant the whole building
from top to bottom burst into flames.
The sprinkler wires had in some way
touched a live heavily charged electric
Wire. The three men who were with
Fellows succeeded in making miracu-
lous exits down the fire escapes, bus
Fellows made the fatal error of run
ing to the elevator shaft and sliding
down the cable in the belief that the
lower part Of the building had rot yet
begun TO burn. He slid onto cauldron
of flame and was seen 10 more.
Fire Finally Stopped.
When the Boutell building burst into
flames the firen1en knew that nothing
could save it and turned their atten-
ton TO the adjoining buildings Next
to the Bintliff building is the North
western National banks new white
marble building. II resisted the flames
admirably. Across the street from the
Boute1 building stands the two-story
department store Of the Powers Mer-
camille company covering a quarter Of
block. 1t is a very iufiammable con-
struction and soon flames began to at-
pear along the caves. The fire depart
ment, however, succeeded in preventing
the fire from gaining secure hold. The
stop" was made at the expense of
heavy damage TO the Powers stock.
This prevented a fire that might have
gone far and included the newspaper
buildings OF the Journal and the Trib-
une.