The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-03-28
A "EIRE TRAP" BURNED.

The Langham Hotel at Chicago Totally
Destroyed by Fire-Several Lives Lost
Miraculous Escapes of Some of the
Guests-The Dead and Missing.
CHICAGO, ILL, March 22.-The Lang
ham Hotel, formerly the Burdck House,
located at the corner of Wabash avenue
and Jackson streets, was entirely de-
stroyed by fire last evening, notwlth-
standing the persistent efforts of eleven
fire steamers, whose many streams OF
water seemed but to make the flames,
which extended from cellar to garrett, burn
6ercer and brighter. The fire originated
dn one of the lower rooms from kero-
sene lamp, which was accidentally over
turned. At the time the restaurant of
the house contained 100 guests at supper,
and as many more were in their rooms.
The people in the restaurant had no
trouble in getting out, but several per-
sons in the upper rooms had very mar
row escape.
Mrs. Belknap, an elderly lady, was
killed jumping from the fourth story
into the alley. Subsequently the cry
was raised that the walls were falling,
and that Bulwinkles fire ms urance pa
trolmen were inside the building. A por-
tion of the south wall was seen to to tier
and then it came down with a
crash. Two members of the fire insur-
ance patrol barely escaped the tumbling
bricks iand timbers. Two others we're
pinned fast, but after long efforts were
finally eXtricated. The legs of both
were severely bruised. Patrolmen A.
Jones and John Walsh are believed to
have been suffocated beneath the wall.
The firemen never ceased th cir efforts to
secure the two missing patrolmen and
about four hours afterward they were
found in the basement of the building
next to the hotel, buried under broken
flooring and fragments of the falling wall.
They were taken Out alive, ami will prob
ably survive their injuries.
The escape of Mrs. j. A. Murray ana
child was marvellous. The lady occupied
a room on the fifth floor and was I'M
aware of danger till it was too late TO at
tempt to descend the Stairways. She
reached the tire-eScape, but at each floor
found the hole in the grating too small
to admit the passage of herself and in
FAINT, and she was therefore compelled
four times, with the flames bursting
around her, to seat the child upon the
platform, lower herself over the edge and
reach up for the little one. Mrs. Murray
reached the ground without assistance,
and quarter of an hour afterward had
wholly recovered from the effects of her
terrible experience.
Policeman Marks saw two domestcs at
one of the second-story windows after it
was supposed all the inmates had been
rescued. He rushed up the burning
staircase, and few moments later APP
peared, dragging out both women, who
had been rendered unconscious by smoke.
The hotel, which is a total loss, was
erected Immediately after the great fire.
While substantial looking outside, it was
called fire-trap. TWAS formerly known
as the Burdick House, then as the Craw-
ford, and, recently, as the Langham.
Cummings & Howard, owners. Shaw &
Son leased the establishment. The lat
ter's loss is $4,000; insurance, $4,000.
The building was valued at Sl50,000 and
Insured for half. Kietz & Son, picture
trainers, and Harden's hand-grenade
agency suffer total loss; insurance un-
known.
CHICAGO, ILL, March 22.-Another
victim is added to the list of fatalities
connected with the burning of the Lang
ham House last night. The body of John
Hennessey, an employe of Faxou Co.,
was recovered from the ruins this after
noon. He was among the party buried
beneath the falling wall, and was found
crushed beneath a heavy piano. The
dead arr:
John Hennessey; single, twenty-eight;
Winthrop Place.
William Bean; married. seventy-two;
Van Buren, street
Mrs. Belknap.
Fire Insurance Patrolmen John Walsh
and Edward Jones; both single.
Mrs. Belknap might have been saved,
but became wild with fright and leaped
from fifth story window to the street
while ladder was being raised for her
rescue. Nothing is known of her identity
further than that she came from Alabama,
and had only been at the hotel few
days. Her neck was broken by the fall.
"A blind man named Thompson, an en-
ployc of the hotel, is missing. Also a
travelling salesman from New York, name
unknown. The travelling mans baggage
was saved from the hotel Office bears the
initials cd. X. b." which is all that is
known of him. He was seen to enter the
building when the alarm sounded, aud
has not yet appeared to claim the bag
gage.
Mr.. and Mrs. Hooly, of Cincinnati had
miraculous escape. Both are cripples,
and unable to walk. Mr.. Hooly is a
member of the firm of SNYDER & HonlY. OF