Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1884-05-14
A SMALL FIRE
In WiIiard's Hotel Causes Much Excite
ment and Confusion.

In Wiliard's Hotel Causes Much Excite
nent and Confusion.
WASHINGTON, May ia fire broke out
at Wizards Hotel this morning. 1t origin
ated in a room in the basement, Just north
of the main Office, and the flames ran
between the floors, reaching the main
part of the building and then the coal
elevator, and up through the house. Dense
volumes OF smoke soon began to pour
through the building and became sitting.
The boarders were soon hurriediy packing
their valuables together, some fastening
the boxes, others, assisted by the servants,
hauling their baggage down stairs. At the
extreme northwest corner of the second
story appeared a colored boy and three
servant girls, who were entirely cut Off by
the smoke from the stairway. They re-
manned at stand and kept their heads
clear until ladders were raised Ior their
escape. At the north portion of the build
ing the tiremen took two servant girls out
of the topmost window and a man from
the third story. A gentleman named
Post, from Chicago, who was sick in bed,
was carefully removed to a lower floor.
All was hurry and hustle. The colored
/ employees, with handkerchiefs tied over
their mouths, came through the ladies' exit
dragging such trunks as they could rea ch,
and good many valuables were saved in
this way from injury. From the portico
on the Fourteenth street side sheets filled
with clothing were tumbled to the ground
| and taken care of, and those who remained
came to the ground by means of ladders,
which we're furnished in abundance.
While the smoke was pouring out from
nearly every part of the building the Ia
miliar figure OF Mr.. Joslyn, Assistant Sec
retary of the Interior, appeared at one OF
II ha EntTrtnpnfh windows U
. carrying three ladies' hats, which he
! dropped safety to the ground amid the
/ cheers of the crowd. When the smoke
! first grew very thick gentleman appeared
at one OF the west windows opening on
the alley. He had evidently just got mp,
having been awakened by the noise and
confusion of the fire. He quietly went to
work to dress and make his toilet, and
when completed packed bis gripsack and
laid it on the window-sill, and waited
1 patiently without a word until ladder
/ was hoisted for his relief. There was
great confusion among the guests, but all
] reached the street in safety. The damage
by the fire is small, but the hotel was
| pretty well deluqed with water, and the
4 loss from this cause and smoke Will prob
l ably reach $4,000. At the corner spec
tators were very much interested in watch
ing Col. Morrison, recently recovered from
illness, rescuing his papers and personal
l property from the supposed impending
l destruction. When the first alarm came
Col. Morrison seized large trunk and
flung it out of the window on the street,
| the trunk bursting as it reached the brick
pavement. He then descended to the
! street, and from the outside directed the
movements OF several men as they pitched
his personal effects from the window.
The fire appears to have originated in a
l vault underneath the wash-room adjoin-
ing the office. The vault connects with
the dumb waiter shaft which runs all the
way from the basement to the roof. The
fire is said by some to have originated
from overheated steam pipes located neal
the wood work, and also that bundle OF
old oily rags in the vault first caught fire
The fire, it appears, burned some time be-
I fore an alarm was turned in, as the en-
ployes thought they could put it out
When it was sucked in the draft of the
long shaft, however, it passed out of theil
control. The fire burned away along the
shaft all the way to the roof.