The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-07-10
FIREBUG MENACES
HEART OF The CITY
STARTS FOUR FIRES IN FOURTH
STREET BUILDING.
Holcomb's Hall Is Quilted While Bust
ness Firms in the Same Structure
Suffer Loss by Water Blazes Set
on Two Floors by Incendiary for
Whom Police Are Looking.

A cerefully laid plot to start big
confagration in the heart of the BUSH
ness district is evidenced by the pc
culiarities of the fire in the three-story
building at As Fourth street s early
this morning. Only the rapid work of
the firemen prevented the fire re, from on
spreading to the adjoining buildings.
The loss is about $4,000.
Altho no motive for incendiarism can
be advanced at present, Chief Canter-
bury and the men who fought the blaze
declare that someone had planned a
big disaster Three distinct fires weer
started in different parts of the build
ing by the frebug who disappeared
well before the alarm was turned in.
So ingeniously was the fire started that
the fremen were compelled to fight
their way thru one blaze before they
could get to the top of the building
on the second floor stocked with COM
bustible materials was in danger for
a time and in few minutes more the
blaze might have been beyond control.
The fire was started shortly after 4
am, few minutes after many of the
police left their beats and when few
est pedestrians are on the streets. The
blaze was seen by Patrolman Kerr,
who turned in the alarm.
Police Looking for the bug"
Since it is definitely known that fire.
bugs are at work the police have been
asked to help in finding the man.. They
have also been asked to keep a sharp
lookout on their beats to get an early
alarm in case another building is fired.
The third floor Of the building is oc-
cupied by the Holsomb dancing school.
Directly under the hall are the printing
oborc of SLoor e. Do1or1or n r.
Knapp. There three concerns suffer the
heaviest loss. The Pioneer Fuel com
pany and the L. Laramee harness store
are on the first floor.
When the fremen arrived they found
three distinct fires cracking in differ
ent parts of the building, and there
was no possible connection between
them. All were blazing fercely. The
first blaze to be encountered by the
men was at the top Of the main stair
way. Here their passage was blocked
by the flames that darted out from q
large closet under the stairway. This
blaze was quickly extinguished and the
men went on up to the third floor and
found that the whole interior was in
flames.
Hall Well Ablaze.
The large hall in the back part OF
the building was ablaze in all parts
but it was plainly seen that the fire
started in a corner where there had
been large upholstered seat. The
piano was away from the wall and was
| blazing fercely by itself. The docora
lions turnout the place were Of colorec
tissue paper and when once started il
| was but a second until the flames
| reached every corner Of the ball. =.
| In the large front room there was still
another fire. Tho furniture was blaz
ing in all parts of the room and from
spread to the large attic. There wa
a Hebrew wedding feast III this rooE
last eyenin g, sssand the decorations TO
the event were also of paper. which wa
evidently used to start the fire.
In half an hour the flames were en-
tirely out, not having spread to tn
roof to threaten the surrounding build
ings. ID.
After the fire the men looked tn
| place over carefully to try to connec
the three fires, but their work shove
that they were all started separately
the blaze in the dancing hall wa
started first, and that the frebug the
fastened to the front apartments wher
he applied a match to the paper decor
ations and closed the door before goin
down stairs. On the second floor
, stopped long enough to fire the close
and then escaped unnoticed.
cit is one Of the best incendiarY lob
I have SEEM said an old fire fghte
HHad the department been called fe,
minutes later there might have been
terrible fire in the heart of the city. =
The loss on the building will be ..abor
So, 800 and on the contents about 81 so
The loss is fully covered by insuranc