| Show URN ED TO DEATH fearful conflagration at minneapolis A OPERATOR FACES HIS DEATH blew his out kather than perish in the flames is dec 1 A lire was discovered on alie third floor of ane tribune building about 1045 last night and soon the entire building was wrapped in flames on the seventh floor were situated many offices the tribune staff editors reporters and compositors po A number ot employees in attempting to escape jumped from the windows A number of lives were lost and at midnight seven bodies had been taken out of the ruina the only one identified is professor olst n of vermillion university dakota who bad gone to see a friend lie jumped from the top floor and way instantly killed 1 a m the number of lives lost is over half a dozen and possibly ten or more the building is an eight story building at the comer of first avenue and fourth street it is occupied by fie tribune star evening edition of tribune minneapolis onico of the pioneer press and evening journal besides a laree number 0 other the tribune editorial force is on the seventh floor and the composing rooms above iton these two floors were nearly a hundred persons employed when the fire broke out access to the building is by way of an elevator elev bound a narrow and dark stairway wound at night this stairway was alie only means of ingress the building might be called a veritable firetrap and danger to those located there has been often commented upon the fire broke out on the floor and soon the upper floors were cut off from the street the building was on the corner and alie adjoining buildings were only ni satorv in hight so no means of escape was afforded in that direction flames cut off the escape of the pioneer preys force on alie sixth floor as well as alie tribune folks on the seventh and eighth reporter bames of the pioneer press had a narrow escape from the buildings buil dins and left behind him milton pickett assistant city editor and one of the oldest men in the service of the paper pickett was lost in the burning building the tribune force suffered moat they being located higher up and biad teas warning of their danger rf igoe night operator of alie associated Press mot with a sad deatle he was at work on alie seventh floor when the was received and immediately opened the key fact to the head office at chicago and asking for a minute s time to investigate soon lie returned to his instrument apparently patently ly thinking he was safe and told tha sending operator to continue in a moment he said he would have to skip and found too late that escape was cut off he jumped from alie seventh story window and was so badly injured that he died before reaching alie hospital ue leaves a family old man pierce a printer was also killed one report says that ten hive bein killed but up to midnight mid only six bodies leave been been taken from the ruins which were then falling in another whose name could not be learned appeared appear pd at a window and not seeing the ladder alie firemen were raisins apparently lost liis senses and drawing a revolver from his pocket placed it to his head and fired falling backward into the flames W H hoover and V II 11 williams the latter foreman of alie composing room were taken off just in time to escape a cloud of blimes that swept the window in which they were sr williams is badly burned jimmy kalil a messenger boy on the tribune is said to be missing alie building banned binned with such rapidity that lie occupants were enveloped in the flames and smoke almost before they were aware oi it the sixty five men working on the seventh floor made a dash in a body for the stairway forty made the run safely and got out the rest made a frantic effort to get through the blinding smoke five of those were cut off at the fourth floor and jumped to the pavement three of them were badly hurt and the other two killed A J proprietor of the tribune says he heard alie cry of re and started down to investigate on the third floor he found the flames burst ing out the league rooms some men were trying unsuccessfully to subdue them he took the elevator to get a fire extinguished which he supposed was on the fourth floor and started up after it before reaching the supposed location of the extinguisher be was half suffocated by dense smoke and compelled to leave the building which speed burned down blethen is of the opinion that eleven lives have been lost |
