The Mankato free press., 1919-02-07
BLAZE IN PRINT PLANT
FREE PRESS COMPANY BUILD
ING DAMAGED BY FIRE
LOSS PUT AT $4,000
C.K. Mayer Is Among Those Hit
BY Flames; Smoke Drives
Out Editors

Mankato had the first fire of any
considerable size this year yesterday
when a gas explosion occurred in the
melting room Of the Charles X. Mayer
linotype establishment in The Free
Press building about Ala o'clock in
the afternoon and a bad blaze was
started in few minutes. The melt
ing room is located directly under a
stairway on the second floor and as
the walls and partitions were all of
wood the fire had an excellent oppor-
tunity to spread. The damage is
placed at $4,000.
Gilbert Lang, who has charge of
the work in the melting room had
lighted the gas preparatory to melt
ing some metal and he observed that
only a small blaze came from the
stove. He left the melting room to
report the matter to Mr.. Mayer and
was gone but few moments when
the whole interior of the room was
ablaZe. The only explanation is that
the gas flow came on suddenly and
caused an explosion which started the
fire.
Henry S. Breiz, compositor for The
Free Press. was working just outside
the melting room and he stated that
he heard an explosion, but paid no
attention to il, thinking that someone
was working in the melting room. A
few moments later he saw the flames
leaping out of the door and along the
ceiling.
Tried to Quench Fire.
An effort was made to put out the
fire with an emergency hose on the
second floor of the building but the
hose burst under the pressure before
any water was thrown on the fire.
The central fire department. was i'm
mediately notified and responded with
the chemical truck No. 1 and with
both teams from the station. Two
lines Of hose, or about 700 feet was
run into the building and in a short
time the blaze was under control. IL
was sometime, however. before the
smoldering embers in the rafters and
flooring were completely extinguished.
Much OF the damage done was
caused by water which soaked through
from the second floor to the business
office on the first floor of the build
ing and down into the basement on
the Duplex press and the rolls of
paper otoiSe tiStN'
Last night the rolls of paper were
laying in about a foot of water.
small lead pipe in She melting room
burned off and this was the cause of
considerable water leaking to the
floors below.
c. x. Mayer, proprietor of the
linotype establishment on the second
floor of The Free Press building, and
c. r. Butler of The Free Press COM
pany estimated this morning that
the combined losses of the two con-
Germs would total fully s15,000I
It was very fortunate that the fire
did not spread to the room adjoining
the composing room where Mr..
Mayer had four linotype machines, a
new $4,000 monotype and consider
able other machinery, worth over
$4,000.
Other Damage Done.
The office of G.. L. Oleson, offices of
the Northwest Utilities company, and
the rooms on the third floor of the
Free Press building were all damag-
ed from the smoke. The loss both to
Mr.. Mayer and to The Free Press
company was fully covered by insur-
ance, policies having been carried
with all the insurance dealers in the
city.
Much smoke shot through the
building. The fire did not reach the
editorial room of The Free Fress, but
the dense smoke drove members of
the staff to the street. The make
up and composing room were given a
wetting down and water deluged the
business office on the first floor and
press room, doing more or less dam
age.
Much credit is due the fire depart
ment for It's prompt work in hand
ling the blaze. But few feet from
the melting room the elevator shaft
ran up to the third story of the build
ing and had the flames spread to
this it would have been difficult to
save the upper part Of the building.
The department is deserving of a
great deal of credit for its excellent
method of preventing what otherwise
must have resulted in heavy loss.
Anton Wagner, one of the compost
tors in the lad alley had a narrow
escape from suffocation by smoke
He stepped to the elevator shaft to
try to prevent the fire from doing
damage there, and was driven off by
the dense smoke. He could not make
his way to ar cutter door so he es-
capped from the building via the fire
escape.
C.. K. Mayer carried insurance in
the Theodore Williams agency. a
settlement of the loss was made by
Mr.. Williams today.
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