The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-12-16
BIG FIRE IN
MINNEAPOLIS
Irwo FlREMEN KILLED WHILE
FIGHTING FLAMES.
SEVEN PERSONS INJURED
Financial Loss Amounts to Seven
Hundred Thousand Dollars, Most
Iy Covered BY Insurance.
SEVEN PERSONS INJURED

Minneapolis, Dec. 14.-Two firemen
| lost their lives, seven persons were
injured and property valued at $780,,
600 was destroyed by fire which,
starting last night was not brought
under control until this morning.
The dead: Jacob Miller, insurance
patrolman; John Fellows, pipeman.
Seriously injured: Fred kercheff
burned about face; Tony Wilson, pipe
man, burned about legs; Lieutenant
j b. Barrett, back injured
For time the entire retail district
was threatened and its escape from
destruction was due as much to the
absence of strong wind as to the eff
forts of the firemen.
Spreads Quickly.
The fire started in the photograph
shop of o. H. Peck & Co., and quickly
spread to the adjoining building, in
Guiding the six story furniture house
OF Boutell Bros, one of the largest
OF it's kind.
The losses include the following:
o. H. Peck & Co, photograph sup
plies, building and stock, $4,000; Bou-
tell Bros, furniture, building and
stock, $45,0O0; Bintleff Manufacturing
company, picture frames and art
goods, building and stock, $12O,OOO;
Powers Mercantile company, building
and stock, $60,000; other miscellane-
GUS losses will bring the total to
$727,000. Total insurance, $6O5,OOO.
Jacob P. Miller, a member of the
insurance patrol, staggering under a
heavy load of tarpaulins on the fifth
floor of the Peck Photograph Supply
\ company, stumbled into the elevator
shaft and fell to the basement Every
effort was made to rescue him, but
in the rising flood of water and the
roaring furnace of flames his body
could not be located.
Close Call.
John Fellows, pipeman, was
caught on the fifth floor of the Boutell
building with three of his comrades.
1t was a critical moment, for all at
once the wires that controlled the au-
tomato sprinkler system turned dull
red and in another instant the whole
building from top to bottom burst into
flames.
The sprinkler wires mad in some
way touched heavily charged cleo
trict wire. The three wen who were
with Fellows succeeded in making
miraculous exits down the fire es-.
capes, but Fellows made the fatal
error of running to the elevator shaft
and sliding down the cable in the
lower part of the building
Gave Up Boutell Building.
\ When the Boutell building burst
into flames the firemen knew that
nothing could save it and turned their
attention to the adjoining buildings.
Next to the Binteff building is the
Northwestern National banks new
white marble building. 1t resisted the
flames admirably.
Across the street from the Boutell
building stands the two-story depart
ment store of the Powers Manufactur
ing company, covering a quarter
block. It is of inf1ammable construc.
tiOn and soon flames hepan tn annear
along the caves. The fire department,
however, succeeded in preventing the
fire from gaining secure hold. The
"stop" was made at the expense OF
heavy damag to the Powers stock
This prevented fire that might have
gone far and included the newspaper
buildings of the journal and the
Tribune.