Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-03-07
MILLION DOLLAR
FIRE IN MPlS,
TWO PERSONS REPORTED MISS
ING MAY HAVE BEEN LOST
IN CONFEDERATION.
ST. PAUL DEPARTMENT HELPS
Property Loss Estimated 60 Be II
Neiehborhood Of @1,2oo.ooo-
Minneapoiis' Full Fighting
Force Brought Out.


walls Of the Syndicate building between
Fifth and Sixth streets on Nicollet
avenue, marking what once was the
home Of Ave prominent Minneapolis re
tail establishment, standing as CHASTITY
monuments over the ashes where two
women may have lost their lies in .
maelstrom Of flame that devastated the
structure early Sunday morning. The
alarm was sent in at 1 a. m. A "3-11"
alarm followed, at 1907, calling out
many additional companies with ap
paratus, and general alarm was sent
in at 4:35. which brought the full fire
fighting force Of the city to the scene
Mrs. Mary Buck, proprietress of the
Arion Lunch rooms, on the second
floor of the arcade" of the building
and an employee, Miss Bertha Radens
are reported missing.
The building, valued at about $500,
900, is badly damaged, and the
stocks of the Model Clothing house
the F. w. Woolworth company. J. b
Hudson G. Son, jewelers., the Young
Quinlan company, the Minneapolis Dry
Goods company. given valuation 90
timated in the neighborhood Of 81 900,
900 are either ashes or water drenched
and smoke affected.
Origin Not Placed.
Fire. probably originating. it ie
rumored, from spontaneous combustion
in the Photographic studios of S. P
Eggan on the top floor near the Sixth
street corner of the building or from
an overheated range in the Arion lunch
rooms, resulted in the telephoning OF
a still alarm into FIRE headquarters by
Douglas Bedding. head night man in
che Elgin Lunch restaurant across the
street, and a general alarm soon az
terward brought every fire com
pany in the city TO the scene Later
the St. Paul department sent ovei
apparatus, and police from every pre-
cinct in Minneapolis were called.
Fifty men, women and children.
sleeping in the upper floors Of the
building, were awakened by dense
clouds Of smoke and the cracking Of
flames that rushed upward borne by
currents Of air in the elevator shaft
and light we'll in the Arcade. Battling
for their lives in the narrow dark pas
sageway. whole families strove Il
make an exit from the front Of thu
building, but were beaten back BY the
hot blasts to the windows overlooking
the alley at the rear Of the building
directly opposit the rear walls Of tn
New England Furniture and Carpe
company's establishment.
Refugees handed Out By Flrsnasn.
twenty-five of the refugees wer'
taken out by flremen who swarme'
over the rear Of the buildings an
forming living chains handed the Va
men and children down to the lowe
levels.
DR.. Otto Gunvalson and his VIII
were awakened In their apartments o.
the third floor BY flames breakinl
through the transom Of their bed room
In their night robes they rushe'
through the flaming vortex in the hal
and gained . rear window. Az 500
40 the window was opened. the draugh
created sent the flames from the burr
ing walls through the opening. d.
Gunvalson dragged his wife to ledge
leaped to Q smoking beam that ha'
been dislodged from . door above an
svuas, tightly clutchins bis terrible
wife. to the roof Of the New Englan'
building.
Terror reigned in the Arcade. Elme
Franson. 10 years old, reports tina
after saving his mother he saw tw'
women throw up their hands and fal
back into the blaze. So sudden va
the onslaught Of the flames that tn
iiremen were forced to retire repeat
eddy In the rescue work.
Thirty minutes after the fire starte,
the flaming portion formed q hug
irregular figure 49, beginning at tn
new portion of the Model Clothinl
house at Sixth street and the alley
sweeping around to the front takinl
in the front offices of the Arcade AM
eating through the light we'll Of tn
Arcade to the rear wall.
Fire Spreads Swiftly.
Extending around through the from
Of the building toward Fifth street
the fire ate swiftly into the exterio
of the structure where 1t was TEN
porarily stopped by the fire wall be
tween the Minneapolis Dry Goods com
pany's store. Later the flaminl
brands set fire to the roof Of thi
part of the building and flames wer'
carried by downward draught to tn
lower floors.
The Syndicate building is made VI
Of several units. The Model Cloth
ing houses quarters and the Minnea
polls Dry Goods company were con
structed az end compliments. Thu
Arcade, building on the old ONCE styl'
plan, was honeycombed with rooms
studios and odices from the secon'
to the fifth floors and formed read!
food for the flames The building Ell
tends for one block along Nicollet ave
nue. and has a depth Of one-half blocl
to the alley that separates the struc
ture from the New England building
A high wind had sprung up Will
the approach of dawn and carried tn
brands over the city far to the north
east. The Andrus building across tn
street on the Fifth street cornel
seemed doomed. Flames burst on
here and there and the roof Of tn
building bore the brunt Of the shower
Of fre brands.
Intermittent explosions were fol
lowed by the crashing Of floors ant
Orders, augments the streams o.
heat that drove the fire fighters bach
and broke glass In the Donaldson