The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-03-06
Syndicate Structure on Nicollet
Avenue, a Landmark OF the
Flour City, Burned
Yesterday
MANY HtMMED IN BY FLAMES
Rescues of Tenants in Upper Stories
Effected With Difficulty. Loss Es-
timated at More Than Mil
lion Dollars.

Minneapolis. Mahch GA disastrous
fire yesterday destroyed the Syndicate
block on Nicollet avenue, between
Fifth and Sixth streets. The total loss
is estimated at over s1.2OO,OOO. Twelve
persons were rescued from the upper
stories of the building. Some OF these
sustained slight injuries.
The origin Of the fire is unknown.
Before the firemen arrived the tenants
of the building, who were asleep in the
upper rooms, began to appear at win
dows calling for help. A strong south
west wind was blowing and in a few
minutes the west half of the structure
was a roaring furnace. The entire fire
department was called out, and later
call was sent to St. Paul for help.
Tenants Hemmed in by Flames.
Men were rushed into the building
where the entrances were not already
choked with flames and ladders were
extended to aid the people who were
hemmed in on the second and third
floors. On the second floor were Mrs.
/ M. Buck and Miss e. Buck, proprietors
of lunch ROOM Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Franson, Elmer Franson, age nineteen;
Herbert F'ranson, age twenty-five. and
Mrs. Inga Franson, Mrs. Eta Parsons.
twent-two years old; Miss Merrile
Downend. eighteen years old, aed Miss
Marie Heller were on the third floor.
on the fifth floor. Mrs. Mary Hollister
and Miss Treller were hemmed in.
The members of the F'ranson family
made for the fire escape on the alley
side of the building. Elmer Franson
leaped TO the fire escape through a
blast of flame that was being driven
past the window by the wind. Hold
| ing to the hot irons of the fire escape,
/ he then aided his mother TO climb
through the window 10 the platform.
AS soon as her hands touched the rails,
Mrs Franson uttered a shrek and
would have fallen had not Fireman
Caldwell leaped to her rescue from a
ladder placed against an adjoining
building.
Effects Rescue at Risk Of Life.
Caldwell made a leap of fully ten feet
and took a chance of falling to the
pavement, forty feet below He reached
Mrs. Franson's side not a moment too
soon.
The firemen made every effort 10
break into the building at this place.
but the heat was too great. All of the
members of the Franson family We're
then taken out and the firemen had lit
tie difficulty in rescuing the people
from the second and fifth floors.
The high wind carried brands of fire
high over the business district and a
number Of small fires were started on
the roofs of several buildings. The
Syndicate building was a landmark of
Minneapolis. II was erected in 1889.
List of the Principal Losers.
The largest individual losses are:
Model Clothing company. ...... .s175.000
Minneapolis Dry Goods Co... $4,000
J. b. Hudson & Son (outside of
the safe, which contained
merchandise valued at $780,
OOO) ...,.......,........ 100000
Young & Quinlan ............ 125.00O
Woodworth & Co. ......... 10000
lOther tenants .............. 1OO, 900
Loss on building .............. 100000
Although the fire broke out early in
the morning II was almost noon be-
fore it became under control All the
principal losses are covered by insur-
, ance.
Believed Dead; Is Found.
T Minneapolis. Minn.. March e.-Mrs.