The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1917-12-08
TALES OF THE TOWN

Bedes presentless and father Bede
moneyless.
The printers, reporters and good
fellows around town promptly
went into their pockets and made
up goodly. sum as a Christmas
present for Duluth's string of
Bedes.
The editor Of the Rip-saw had
landed in Duluth exactly three
months before that fire. Not be-
ing sure as to his permanent
abiding place, he had stored his
trunk in a big closet in j. Adam s
roomy office. He. stood around
there ali the afternoon and saw the
entire building burn down without
a single thought Of his trunk. The
unfortunate possession could have
been yanked out at any time dur
ing the afternoon. With the
trunk, burned a Prince Albert coat
and a "plug" hat, the last articles
of the kind ever owned or worn
by the man who now publishes
the Duluth Rip-saw.
At the time the Fargusson
building burned on that fatal Fri
day, the weather was crisp and
cold. The firemen suffered from
the weather and their work was
handicapped by ice and cold.
Mrs. George Dinwoodie played
the good Samaritan by making
hot coffee.
Butchart & Michaud who con-
Quoted the old st. Louis right
across the avenue, where now
stands the Providence building,
sent out liberal supplies of sand
witches, not knowing that their
hotel would burn to the ground
in a few short weeks thereafter.
Sam Loeb and M. S. Burrows
contributed warm, dry, wooden
mittens for the fighters of the
flames.
There were accidents in those
days and on that day. The one
to fireman Jim Dunbar has been
mentioned. George Mann, tiller-
man on a hook and ladder truck,
was thrown to the frozen street
and both wrists sprained when a
truck wheel caught in the street
car tracks at Sixth avenue west
and Superior street and twisted
off.
Capt. O'Donnell of y engine
house No. 1 fell from a ladder
and injured leg. Chief Tom
Smith was knocked down by an
explosion and his beard and eye
brows singed by the angry
flames.
Herman Carlan, an employe of
the Hartman General Electric
company, had his face cut and an
eye injured by falling glass.
Emil Applehagen, fire warden,
was badly bruised and was taken
to DR.. McComb's office for first
aid. DR.. Hillyer, Robert Crombie
and W. E. Wright were overcome
by fumes Of gas and oil and also
were taken to DR.. McComb for at
tention.
Great crowds gathered to wit
ness the spectacular sight.
"There's powder in that build
ing" some one cried, and back
fell the crowds.
There were frequent explo-
sions, first of oils and similar sub
stances. Then came gunpowder
stored in the basement. The ex-
citing time was when the ammu-
milton went off. The present edi-
tor of the Rip-saw then was a re-
porter on the Duluth Evening
Herald. He was seated on q STEP
ladder leaning against the board
front to the Mesaba building,
then under construction. One
bullet flew across the street and
went through a plate glass win
dow in the front of the Palladio
building, just a few feet to one
side of the watching reporter. He
calmly kept his place, causing
many to comment on his bravery
in facing fire, they not knowing
he lacked sense enough to bulge.
The Fargusson building, named
after Owen Fargusson, then a liv-
ing resident of Duluth, was valued
at about $125,00O. It was insured
for $4,000 and rents Of the build
ing were insured for $4,000 adj
ditional. What the individual
stocks and office CONTINENTS car.