The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1871-01-06
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.

THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
About fifteen minutes past one
O'Clock, Sunday morning, Patrick
Byrd, colored ofice-serVant at the
SpOttswood Hotel, corner OF Eight
and Main streets, was proceeding to
wake the female servants, whose du-
ty it. was thus early to seour the
hotel, when, on reaching the passage
leading to the dining room, on the
next floor above the office, he dis
covered an unusual smoke, and a
rapid investigation disclosed to him
that it proceeded from the pantry, a
wooden connection between the
kitchen and dining-room, and form
ing with the latter an L. He at once
concluded that the house was on fire
in that quarter, and hastily returned
to the Office and informed Mr.KnC,w-
les, the night clerk, of his conclV-
sions. Both thereupon hurried to
the pantry, forced the door, and
found that even in this short time
the smoke and flames had increased
so rapidly that the former was issu-
ing in very direction. To give the
alarm of fire to the sleeping occu-
pants of the hotel was the work of a
momentbut it was notrapid enough,
with all their desperate haste, to
arouse all the deep sleepers who
were dreaming, unconscious that
merciless enemy was threatening
their lives with a form of death at
the mere thought of which We shud-
der and grow heart sick.
TIE WILD ALARM THROUGHOUT THE
HOTEL.
Frantic men, women and children
leaped from their beds at this cry of
fire, to which was added the cry of
murder, and a scene followed which
beggars all description, because Ian
guage is inadequate to the task of
picturing the feelings, actions and
wild exclamations of the panic strick-
en-, helpless human beings, called
from their slumbers at such an hour,
on such a night, by the cry of fire,
and the sitting rush of smoke into
their bed rooms. Would that all
could have been aroused, but it
was ordered otherwise. Then the
rush for the windows, the cries for
help, and the appearance of mothers,
clad only in night clothes and shiver-
| ing from the freezing air, yet clasp
ing their equally nude little ones to
protect them from the biting cold.
But we will leave it to the eye wit
nesses and participants in the fright
full struggle for life and safety to tell
of the events of this terrible morn
ing, in which they lived an age in a
few moments.
MIR. EDWARD NJ. ALFRIEED's STATE
BIENT.
Mr.. Edward NJ. Alfriend occupied
Room No. 80 in the hotel. He re-
tired about half past twelve, and was
aroused, he thinks, about half past
one, by cries of "Save my childr
"Save my children p' "Firen "Fireri
He sprang out of his bed and found
his room full of smoke, so dense that
it was impossible to see his hand be-
fore him. He huzriedly put on his
clothes and gathered a few other
pieces of apparel in his hands, and
as rapidly as possible made his es-
cape from the hotel. He passed
along the main passage on the third
floor of the building, and thence
ldoWn what is known as the ladies
stairway. This passage was so den
sely filed with smoke as to make il
necessary for him to hold his breath
as much as possible from his room
down to the parlor floor, two stories
below. At the time he left his room
the fire was bursting intotherooms at
theentrance of the passage b9low him
As he passed through the hall he
cried ''fre," banged upon and burst
lopen several doors and aroused the
Inmates. One Of these he sscer-
tanned was occupied by c. A.Shafter,
ESQ. Superintendent of Public Print
ling, who informs us that he owes
the saving of his life to Mr.Alfriend
Mr.. A. lost his library, valued at
I$2,5O0; pictures, valued at $500, and
all bis clothing.
THE ALARM OUTSIDE.