The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1906-06-22
WORST FIRE EVER
KNOWN IN ST. PAUL
$5Oo,oO0 LOSS SUSTAINED IN THE
DESTRUCTION OF RYAN
BUILDING.
81 f|R[MtN ARE OVERCOME

ST. Paul. June 19.-One of the most
disastrous fires in the history of ST.
Paul broke out in the Ryan building, a
siX-story structure at Seventh and
Robert streets, at S:37 yesterday
morning, and for more than ten hours
the firemen of the Twin Cities fought
to check it. The fire burned steadily
from S:337 until midnight, and when ex-
tinguished there was little left of the
Ryan building except the walls. The
property loss is estimated at 100000,
we'll covered by insurance. The cause
of the fire has not been determined.
During the long fight the firemen
suffered heavily, thirty seven of the
men being overcome by the heat and
smoke.
Long, Hard Battle.
The endurance of both men and ell
glnes was taxed to the uttermost, and
even after the fire had been bested
smodering flames kept many of the
companies at work all night.
Every engine company in the city,
with the exception of those stationed
in the parks, was called into service
and three companies were sent from
Minneapolis. Even then the flames re
sisted the efforts of the firemen, and
in the face of a score of streams from
all sides of the burning building gain
ed steadily until the entire structure
was consumed.
Firemen Fight Bravely.
| The firemen fought silently and des
| perately. Streams of waited poured
into the building on every floor. The
men mounted on ladders and, pushing
into the ground floor in the face of the
| deathly fumes, dragged coil after coil
OF hose after them and then returned
for more. Standing shoulder to Shout
der, lodging burning embers and fall
ing glass, faint from the smoke and
reeling from sheer exhaustion, the
| firemen of ST. Paul fought one of the
bravest fights in the history of any
city. Now and then pipeman would
| stagger back and fall. Instantly he
was carried back through the lines
while another took his place, and
again the line closed in on the flames.
| Many Narrow Escapes.
| Numerous hair-breadth escapes oc-
Cured; SO many in fact that they
were scarcely noticed Several times
portions of burning floors collapsed,
crashing through the building with
| terrific roar, while the firemen who,
minute before, had been fighting the
| flames over their burning timbers
| clambered onto the windows and
| lodges of the building.
| The work of the firemen saved the
| just across the alley, was never in
| danger. AS an extra precaution fire.
men were stationed on the fourth floor
| fire escape to wet down the building
| Several guests at the hotel were
| alarmed but were soon convinced that
| there was no danger.
One of the main reasons for the in
| ability of the firemen to subdue the
| flames was the large gas main stu
ated in the basement of the building.
| 1t was impossible to locate the main
and the burning gas spread to all parts
OF the building. First Assistant Chief
| Devlin in an attempt to force his way
through the smoke and reach the gas
main was overcome and was carried
away by his comrades. The firemen
were obliged to grope their way
about, guided only by each others
voices.
Breaks Out in New Places.
Several times it seemed as though
the flames were under control, but
| each time the fire broke out in a new
place and on several occasions the
building apparently was doomed That
it did not burn to the ground is due
| alone to the efforts of the firemen,
who were called upon to put up the
| hardest fight of their lives
The Ryan building is a six-story
| structure, built of brick and steel. The
| first and second floors and part of
| the basement were occupied by the
Palace Clothing company. Forty-two
tenants had rooms in the building.
The Palace Clothing company sustain
ed the heaviest loss, about $25O,OOO,
while the loss on the building, the
property of the New England Mutual
Life Insurance company, was about
100000. Other losses range from
$4,000 to $4,000. The total loss is
we'll covered by insurance