The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-14
Another Account,

4 To the Western Associated Press
WASHINGTON May 13.-Fire broke out al
Wizards Hotel this morning 1t originated in a
| room in the basement Just north of the main
| office, and the flames, running between the
floors, reached the main part of the building,
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 seen huuiedly getting their valu-
| ables together, some fastening boxes, while 9th
ors. assisted by servants, were hauling their
baggage down stairs At the extreme northwest
corner of the sixth story appeared colored boy
and three servant girls, who were entirely cut
off by smoke from the stairway. They remained
at a window and kept their heads clear until
ladders were raised for their escape. The fire
men took two of the servant girls out of the top
most window, and u man from the third
story. A gentleman named Post, from Chicago,
who was sick in bed, was carefully removed. On
the 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 reach, and a
great many valuables were saved in this way
from injury. From the porticos on the Four
teenth street side sheets filled with clothing
tumDled to the ground and taken care OF, ana
those who remained came to the ground by
means of ladders, which were furnished in
abundance. While the smoke was pouring out
from nearly every part of the building the famil-
lar figure of Mr. Joslyn, Assistant Secretary of
the Interior, appeared at one of the Fourteenth
street windows carefully carrying three ladies
hats, which he dropped safely 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 up, hav-
ing been awakened by the noise and confusion.
He quietly went to work to dress and make his
toilet and when this work was completed
packed his grip sack, and resting it on the
window sill, waited patiently, without saying a
word, until ladder was hoisted for his relief
There was quite II panic among the guests,
but all reached the street in safety. The dam
age by fire is SMALL but the walls were pretty
we'll soaked with water, and the loss from this
cause and smoke will probably reach $15 000
At the street the spectators were
very much interested in watching Col Nor
rison, rescuing his papers and personal property
from the supposed impending destruction.
When the first alarm came Col. Morrison seized
a large trunk and flung it out of a window on +.
street, the trunk bursting as it struck 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 vault underneath the wash-room,
adjoining the office. This vault connects with
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 near the woodwork; another state
ment is that bundle of oily rags in the vault
first caught fire. The fire. it appears burned
some time before an alarm was turned in, as the
employees thought they could put it out. When
it was sucked into the draft of the long shaft,
however, it passed out of their control The fire
burned its way along the shaft all the way to the
roof.