The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-04-06
TALES OF THE TOWN
BURNING OF THE OLD BOARD OF TRADE
'~ BUILDING
no water came when the valves were
opened.

no water came when the valves were
Tenants Forced to Flee.
G. G.. Barnum went to an upper
floor and the progress of the flames
was so rapid that he was compelled
to come down by the fire escape with
the result that one of his hands was
cut by falling glass.
B. C. Church, then manager Of the
Imperial Mill Co., was working In the
Office on the second floor with several
clerks. They started to take out
the books and records but the flames
became so hot that they had to go
quickly and leave everything. Eugene
Sheehan, who followed Mr.. Church
out, had his eyebrows and some OF
hsi hair singed off.
The wire damage to the telephone
and telegraph companies was heavy.
By p. M, John Fuller had a press
wire ready. The telephone company
was damaged at least $4,000, the
Western Union somewhere between
$4,000 and $4,000 and the North
American about $4,000.
Four feet Of water ran into the
basement of the King block and three
feet into the Torrey building. CHIEF
Jackson pumped out both buildings
with fire engines right after the fire.
Tenants at the Time.
Firms having quarters in the old
I'd ~ do h,,tI
follows. viz:
Basement-Lake Superior Eleva-
tor Co., Walter Van Brunt, C. H.
Graves & Co., Western Union Tele-
graph Co., Union Improvement &
Elevator Co., Cutler & Gilbert.
First floor-North American Tele-
graph Co., Van Duzen-Harrington
Co., American Steel Barge Co., Rose
& Lazier, c. A. & E. D. Field, H.
B. Earhart & Co., Thomas Gibson.
Second Floor-LaSalle & Wolvin,
Western Transit Co., j. N. McKind-
ley & Co., Ames-Brooks Company.
Imperial Mill Company, L. T. Sowle
& Co. -. .....'...
Third Floor-O. c. Hartman &
Co., A. D. Thompson & Co., the
Board of Trade and Secretary's Of
fee. $780,.
Fourth Floor-Duluth Elevator
Co., Charles Canning, Mccarthy
Brothers, S. S. Linton & Co., j. H.
Cook, Turtle & Co., Franklin Paine
& Co., Owen Fargusson, Crescent
Transportation Co., Lake Michigan &
Lake Superior Transportation Co.,
j. F. McLaren, agent Blue Lime Co.
New Quarters Quickly Secured.
The Board of Trade took temper
airy asylum in the Torrey building
but quickly decided to take perma-
nent quarters in the old Chamber Of
Commerce, now known as the Man
haitian building. Sixteen of the old
MERGE. The Western Union secured
permanent quarters in the First Ma
.tional Bank building while the
North American Telegraph Co. went
into the basement of the Torrey
building.
A. d. Thompson & Co. located in
the First National Bank building.
G. H. Graves & Co. went over to
the Burrows building, at the rear,
ground floor on the Third ave-, side
The Ames-Brooks Co., Lake Superior
Elevator Company, the Union I'm
provement & Elevator Company went
to the Exchange building. The I'm
perial Mill Co., Messrs. Rose & Lazier
and the North American Telegraph
Co. took quarters in the Torrey
building.
Old Buildings History.
The old Board of Trade building,
when burned, was nine years old.
Its construction was started in April,
1885, and finished in Decembe the
same year. Formal dedication took
place January 6, 1886. The exer-
cises were the most elaborate Duluth
ever had seen. Delegations were
present from st. Paul, Minneapolis,
Chicago, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, ST..
Louis and Tacoma.
Exercises we're held in the Board
room, M. ]. Forbes presiding. Prayer
was offered by Rev. Edward M.
Noyes. r. S. Munger, chairman Of
the building committee, made ar
address to which M. ]. Forbes re-
sponded.
That evening, grand banquet was
held at the old hotel St. Louis. The
opening response was by Gov. ]. A.
Pearce Of Dakota. Gov. Hubbard
responded to the toast, Minnesota. &"
Mayor H. B. Moore spoke and then
j. ]. Hill gave an address, for the
first time outlining his policy towards
Duluth.
The fire in 1894 fastened the erec-
ton Of the present Board of Trade
building, the site for which already
had been purchased and plans drawn
for the structure.
The Board of Trade carried a total
Of $78,350 in insurance on the build
ing, fixtures and rents. Tenants car
ried insurance in the aggregate Of
$4,000. The telegraph companies
carried blanket insurance.
The state food administrator
now requires Minnesotans to get
o1~~~ 1911 ALL. r