The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-23
SMOKE KILLS TWO
in LODGING HOUSE
Guests Of Flour City Hotel Were
Snothered Like Rats in
a Trap.
SOME WERE RESCUED
IN TILE NICK OF TIME
Victims of the Fire Were Tran
sients Whose Names Are
Unknown.

Two laborers met a horrible death
by asphy1iation and ten others mar
rowly escaped with their lives in
treacherous lodging house fire at the
Flour City hotel, 204 Hennepin avenue.
shortly before 8 am. today
The victims, both strangers in the
city, were Frank Green and William
Fox. Green was from New Brighton;
f'ox's home is unknown.
When the alarm sounded thru the
halls Of the dingy building, Green, who
occupied small room on the third
stairway, but the smoke overpowered
him and he fell headlong to the sec
ond floor. Almost at the moment he
fell, a portion of the ceiling crashed
down after him, finishing the deadly
work of the smoke. Ten minutes later
he was dragged out of the ruins, dead.
Fox Penned In.
Fox occupied a pigeon-hole room
without windows or other VEN
tllatlon,. on the second floor. To
all appearances he was intoxicated,
for he made no noise in attempting to
escape. His body was found under the
bed in the room, and in his coat pocket
was partly emptied bottle of whisky.
10 all appearances he was partly un-
conscious when the room became filed
with gas, and unable to stand up, had
rolled and thrashed about in use
less endeavor to find the door and
safety.
The patrol wagon and ambulances
the scene, but those others who slept
late managed to reach the stairway in
safety and were uninjureG. Without
waiting to dress they snatched what
clothes they could find and ran to the
entrance below.
The bodies Of the two unfortunates
were taken to the county morgue, where
| articles that would give some clue to
their identity, Nothing was found
save some small change and the whisky
bottle. Later the bodies were positive
ly identified as Fox and Green. Both
had lived at the hotel for several weeks
and worked at odd jobs.
Two Marrow Escapes.
The narrowest escape was that of two
colored men. One of them whose name
was A. Stevens, thought the clerk was
joking when he gave the alarm of fire,
and refused to come out of the room.
When the deadly gases and smoke be-.
gan to creep thru the crevices of the
door, however, he jumped up and called
dash for the stairway. AS they reached
! the top steps, the flames. famed by
the falling debris that crushed out the
life of Green, shot up the narrow stair
way and drove them back. Knowing
that. they could live but few. min
utes unless help came, Stevens hurled
chair thru one of the large windows.
He then waved at the crowd below and
cried, "Look out, I'm coming.
He had already stepped out oh the win
dow ledge and the flames creeping up be-
hind were urging hinf to make the leap.
His friend stood close behind and had
not Assistant Fire Chief Kehoe told
them that the hook and ladder was in
sight, the two would undoubtedly have
Jumped to the pavement. The great
ladder was raised up to them and they
started to descend alone, but they were
so faint from the effects of the smoke
that they had to cling to the rungs for
their lives while the fremen went up
to steady them. They soon recovered
after reaching the sidewalk.
A Good Firetrap.
Only the lateness of the hour, say
the firemen, prevented a most horrible
catastrophe. The lodging house has
more than fifty rooms and none of them
is more than six by eight feet. They
have no windows and little smoke
would soon render the air poisonous.
The interior Of the building is mass
of dry wooden boxes used as rooms
and the fire would have claimed more
victims at an earlier hour.
The, fire started in one of the rear
rooms from a hole in the old kitchen
chimney. The flames soon burned down
the dry wooden partition and leaping
into the hallway shot to the front OF
the building in a second. The door
leading to the third floor was open and
in a moment more the third floor was
in flames.
Thirty-seven persons were registered
in the place last night but all but ten
of them were gone when the fire broke
out. The register proved to be Of no
aid in identifying the men and the
coroner was compelled to rely entirely
on the memory of the proprietor, An.
drew Madison, who was away when the
. fire started.
Loss Not Heavy.
The loss on the building will not ex-
) coed ST. 900, and is only partly covered
by insurance Before it is rebuilt, how.
ever, the building inspector will prob.
| one stairway exit and that is extreNs.
" narrow. Should fire break oiftsin
the night, there would undoubtedly be
Jam at the door and many lives would
} be lost. In case the second floor should
| be in flames, roomers on the third floor
would be cut off, as there is no direct
J connection with the street. There. is q
) slender fire escape at the rear of the
building, but this would be of little
) use. No one thought of it this morn
, ing, and there were no signs in the halls
| telling its location. Had Green, who
. was on the third floor, known of it hit
$ life could have been saved.
Coroner Kistler will hold no inquest
and as the men have no relatives here
they may be buried at the expense Of