, 1873-03-25
THE MONTREAL HOTEL FIRE.
Terrible Scnara Among tho Isn=
and Scrv1nts.-A syu3ta;,,, ES.,7s,rn ~
lvinHnzy.r'raMsu Cor FIule III, u6t,=--
Two Lives T.p,t,

Inc Montreal papers como nllcl with lo}n
OF tlao horriblo scolacH connected with thu nnfI
destruction OF tho S. JanoH Hotel In tl,at cit
ny IRE, OH Monday night. Tho hotol was a fjs
guilty that tho iircmon woro ablo to lrest i1' ,'
noao up tie stairs to tho fourth story, whnvo
Haf1loA 1irat ragged. AToa,wl.ilo tho rerynnia
tho notcs Oh tho upper 1luor, blinded bv ann
ana 1owIlderou with terror, rlEhol frautinn
Tor sno atajrs, but III many i,iatn1lces woro uua
~ nnu tleil1, anta, driven back by Tho HAM
9otook e! themselves to tho roof or wil,lo,Ts. #
lvitHesa Eaya:
Iho ire was first Uncovered ut / o'cloe],
a., skipping from the renr OF tie laundry n
FORCING Itself towards tho front OF tLo buil4i,
Wnoro sovoral ! aorvanta slept in the upper ati
A. tIss alno they wera making tlloir nscapo f..
tho windows. a large volume Of un,oko con1i
out with thom. Two Of tho girls Who can. A' .
OF tho astio windows on tho roof were il, I
oct Of jumping Off, but Mr. porty. who il,
poned to bo Oh tho spot before tic alrrm
HWen. appalled, to thom to remain quiet, ii,
tho t. brigFade arrived with tho ladtlora, hit
mained screaming for help. In a iew mini,
more people had arrived, como of whom. scu
tho pori!ous position Of these girls, went oyo,
bhaW's now buildings, noar the ruins OF st. i
riok'n Hall, and returned with n ladder
aayed the women. yy this time tho fro
got into tic hotel. Having rescued these,
Brigade t.1r1,od their Intention to partiey :,
wore calling for assistance from tho topm
htory Of tho building. Ono Of Them, n WON
hal got outsido, Anl was llolfliug on l,yt
hands to tile saRh llnr feet roatoil On ths nc
Ing Of tho window below. TAo haolz nlu,
emanatlnE from the windows loucatll e1lyolo
tho helpless h'iilerer in its folds and parnly
hor onorgoa. Tho woman could 10 seo, mo,
hor hands at intervals, but ti1ne flow. mud
tho ladders Of tho Firo Department. were
available. Bedding and oil sorts Of ,na4c
were flung from the lower windows OIL to
hEsyamont Ea,s mt - aud tdp piled aaasa up 5y tIs m TIC,
in time tho woman would not l,svo
brains dashed out by the full. Mr.. Borsra:ul
In tho menn time, secured tho ladders, BIZ
took nt loast ten minutes to il,cn Il
against tho walls, when, to tho horrar Of
they were found to be thirty feet ton abort,
Bec4am, Of Point st. Charlcs Station, n*si
and, rnising it aloft, Dcckan, with his ba:a
tho wall, held it firmly in m upright pcsl4
Dir. Porry grasped tho butt nntl Hlcalild il
the other ladder III tho mannor of splice, "
Nolan managed to bring it 60 tl,at it would II
the wolnan'R scot; ho Immediately aacen.l'A
encouraged tho woman to l,lnco her feet On
rounds and descend.
Whilo this sccne was being enacted t1tc-o
q broathlc6s silence aluoiiE lilo spectators.
moment it wns seen thnt t!le :on1Au VS., on
ladder tho feelings Of tho popnlace fons...
IN loud choora. Tho moment elto got Ii, the
tom Of the latldor sho tainted, cnd wns co:.yt
to tho st. Lawronco Hall. From tho tin,s
first got out Of tho window until nlo waa rs:ss
was ut 1oast thirty-nyo minutes.
Tho attention Of tho 1ironson waa no'Y til,
to another person In danger. Mt tho Wcascva
Of tho building, whore McCsl!loch mud eo:l
his associateu In t1lo most heroic manner,
roseuinS the inmates by nlcanu of suel, In!
MT Hin,
roof, and, by desperate oxortionu OIL lilo pa!
tho hrenen, was alao saved.
After tho 1iro WINS we'll subd1ed, the fire
proceeded to look for possible victims i'll
attics, and CROPPING their way through tic +.
aud smoke, tl,cy ca7no across IL wu::,a,t,l
perfectly nude, in tho middle Of q bol-s'
She was not burned, but had evidently boon
focatel. Mr.. Acton, tho manager oil tue L
says ale lsaa COMO upon tho roof with tie
girls who were rescued, but, losing her
euce of mind, returned to thu stairs ..1,t! 81
to find her way down. Slsa had OWL
got lost and wandered into q bedroom, md
victim to tho smoho and tlauaa.. Her
and wnB Woodworking laaultlreAH. At & IL
tho Salvage corps conveyed ler holy tn
Gonoral Hospital, where it lies in tho dra;l-ls
When the baacIors WHO rOomcl in tho ii
fats woro first reused from ttnir nlumb5rp
halls woro filled ~ill smoke, not light /.
They Immediately turuoa to the windows Ia
cnpo, al1l those wlone presence or mind l1se
daBerIed them, began tying tlicir hel cntl,:u
g2thor, md thus formed ~; Ell OF blankets
III far ns we caa lcar1l, only quo, Il ;,ir. LES
made hin oxt therohy Tor, NJ tho 1iu
forced their way u!', sAoy aaa:s;ed tho in1Ass'
find their way down.
A[r. Acton statcs Tint Mt tho tin,o of tho n
lie was III bed OIL tho fourth ilst, sud spri"
mp, run into tho llnll. The Hmol;o MI; then
donso, and ho aaw Immediately Tint affairs
Herious. lie proceeded to uro,lso tGa inn,
and was assipsoa by othors. But Tho cx
mont WAS 80 great, md tho on,ohe 30, bli1.:
tint oven tho ollor boartors got eo confEs;"r
to be rnnblo tu find their wuy down. reo-i,
about lclplcauty. asd lso in only srrprie.i /
wis3 not glcater loh3 Of Hfe. Ono lady, who
her child, occupied room No. SO, OH tho litth
was awakened at tho last lnon1unt and c.r
In I,or night clothes to tho tosrtl story, "
sl,o w,ls Hayetl Mt ono Of Tho windows.
j. Il. Thomas, OF tho Ontario Bank, Mont
and l'ativo Of Niagara, was bnnclcr at
hotel. Lie wau asleep III bed until the Ert
mntlo Ereht pEogrcHH. upon hwNEenilg he!
lily lonnod tho tIrat clothes tl,at calne to Ii
aud rala to tho stairway; but tito n1noko d
hin. Dacl, and lo ontorol another room, VI
he found a woman answering to tho loErri!
Of tho tlead Mary Dsonnall. Krowing nov:
his only ohAnco Of escape Was by tito TintloH
rushed to and smashed it, and by Bonle III
nlanago1 to get to tito window below; this /
last recollection. llo il suffering; from l..
rils nnl other injuries, causicsl by
full from tho foslr-story window.
IL tho second tino tint ho Inns bton ,bn
out In 4 hotel, st. JameH, Ottawa, i
bis last. He LaH last everything. Tho noxt
forer yiaitod wus Mr.. Hurry ]seltlcr, CONNIE
tray0lor for NioAars. Nioll Il Co., Lc,no,lo vt
4 native OF Southampton, Ontario. IIis a,r
anco was ptiahlo In tho c*trcme, tho
blaclonoa and swollen and the pkn Bcort
from Mr.. Mold and tho sufferers bro
who wore ut tho bedside, wero gloanctl tho
TINT ut tho moment ho woke to tho tlivco
OF tho fire le attempted to oucapo by Tho +
way; bo!ng batflod in this, no rushed for
roof, anl agaim hong bnlletl, lo onter
and made lust desperate attn,n,
escape by tying together six sllaots mud
n!eacOd his porilonA tloacont from, Tho fl
story, but when suspended In mi.s-alr Tho Ut
broke their connections and llo foil to the q
fho unfortunate gentleman leH in a worry
carloua condition +; he tells lis brother tilt
thinks liH baok Ia brokell aud that l4o doei
for q moment think OF living. 1lo had tho,
Of tho "hAnlsolne traveller in coAtnc
olrolos.
Samuel George Hilditch was noxt aeon, III
ho lay tlullriolls, all tint could bo glea1!ta
that 'i,o waA III thu employ OF hlohsrb. T.,
Murcor d Co., Montreal. aud tint hin tlis..
broken lie lonkod gllastly white ~ he layhs
down In bod to proyallt l,iB in}uring hinlnot
tAer. liz sunk gradually, and lou at II &C