The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-03-27
FATAL FIRE.

Burning OF Five-Story Hotel in Chicago
A Failing Wall Buries Ten Men, of Whom
-Four are Taken Out Dead--FataI Lear
of a Lady Misunderstanding Escapes
Many Guests Missing-New Jersey State
House Burned,
i II 3TEL HORROR.
CHICAGO. Narch 23.-The Langham
Hotel, one aS the most popular European
hotels in Chicago, was burned Saturday
night, and five persons persisted in the
ruins. The names of the dead are: Mrs.
G. v. Belknap, a guest in the hotel;
William Bean. a piano-tuner; John
Hennessy, a clerk in Faxons wallpaper
store, and John Walsh and Edward
/ Jones, members Of Bullwinkles fre-insur-
ance patrol These men lost their lives by
the falling of the south wall of the hotel,
| and four other members of the patrol Gap
tain Shepherd, Patrick. Mullins, Kurd
Thine and John Boyd were caught under
the avalanche of falling brick and timbers
| and dangerously injured Mrs. Bel
KNAPP was killed by jumping from
| window. Upward of one hundred and thir-
| ty people, guests and servants, it is es.
| timated, were in the hotel and restaurant
when the fire started Owing to peculi-
/ arities in the construction Of the basement,
| where the flames originated, they were
under full Roadway before the danger was
! discovered. A quick-running fire within
the short space of two hours converted the
building into pile of ruins, and destroyed
some $3.50, 600 worth of property.
The Langham was an imposing fiye-story
brick building at the corner of Adams street
and Wabash avenue, with stone front fac
| ing on the latter thoroughfare. 1t had orna-
| mental fnishings in iron on the outside,
| snowy holdings and c0rnices of tin and gal
vanized iron. The interior was finished in
light pine and oak. The building extend
| ed from 80 to SO on Adams street and from
| 203 to 205 on Wabash avenue. The build
| ing was not originally intended for hotel.
1t was put up in 1872 by Burdick and
Mead, at a cost of 100000, the intention
being to rent it as business block.
| Mr.. S. w. Sears, of Salt Lake City, and
| his wife occupied rooms 81 and 6711S, on the
| top floor, and when notified Of the fire were
engaged in dressing to visit some friends.
'Iopened the door leading into the hail."
said Mr.. Sears" and found the corridor full
| OF smoke. 1t was simply Sitting. My
wife threw her arms about my neck and
wanted us both to swallow the contents
VI q pObtlO VI tlldU WIS III
| our room, SO we could both die together.
| 1T is certain DEATH, said she. 1 thought
| so too, and tried to calm her. 1t
| began to look as if we would never leave
| that room alive when | heard a noise at the
| easement. | ran to the window and in a
| minute | lifted the sash and fireman
| stepped in. He carried my wife down the
| ladder in safety, and | reached the ground
| a few minutes later. Our wardrobes, which
| Were worth $4,000 were lost, and besides
| that l did not have time to get package
| out OF my overcoat containing $1,000 in
bills. We escaped with just what we had
On"
Mrs. Murray, wife of j. A. Murray, tray
| cling agent of the West Shore Road and
| now in st. Paul, was in her room on the
| fourth floor with her esyear-old son,
| when the commotion downstairs caused her
| to open the door. Looking out she behold
| the corridor full of smoke, and the fierce
flames We're leaping up the stairway leading
| to the floor below. Escape down these
| stairs was impossible" said Mrs. Murray.
my boy Roy was asleep in bed. / caught
| him up in his nightgOWn and rushed into
the hall. had to grope my way, the
smoke was so dense. just then l ran into
| somebody. 1t was servant-girl This
L
| the girl knew where the fire. escape was
| and I followed her. She led ME into
another room and got out the window first
| and let herself down. The smoke followed
us into the room, and Icould not see her
| the moment she took hold of the ladder
| 1t was an awful moment. The smoke kept
| getting thicker. / could hear the flames
| crackle and hiss in the corridor out
! side, and the people cheering down in the
| street. / think if it had not been for my
| boy should have lost all control of my
| self and tainted right there on the spot
! My little boy tugged at my dress. I told
| him we were going to see papa, and that
| he must do what said or we would die.
/ stopped down and he took hold of my
neck, and with my little Roy hang
ing to my back / climbed out on
the window landing and made my
way down the ladder. l found it hard
| to get through the openings in the
balcony floors with my boy on my back, and
at the second floor | was stopped by the
| small size of the passage. Roy cried a
\ little at first, but seemed to realize tile dam
I ger and soon became self-possessed and
obedient. | made him stand on the iron
work encircling the passage while / went
| through, then | lifted him down md safely
| descended the rest of the way to the first
| hoor. There ladder was put up and the
| firemen took us to the ground"
| Firemen are still at work amid the ruins,
| it being feared that there are other bodies
! buried in the debris as several parties known
to have been guests of the hotel are missing.
The Langham Hotel building was insured
| for about sos, 900. The business firms
| that were burned out carried an insurance
aggregating about $25 O0o The Lang
ham was originally called the Burdick
House, and afterward named the Crawford.
/ A STATE HOUSE BURNED.
| TRENTON, n. j., March 23.-Two ex-
| plosions were heard in the Quartermaster-
Generals office on the first floor at the
! Northwest corner of the State-house at three
o'clock Saturday morning The explosions
! were followed by flames that shot through
! the windows. In ten minutes the apart
ments were in ruins. The flames followed
!! the steampipes to the floor above and quick
| ly set fire to the offices of the Clerk in
Chancery. From there the confagration
extended to the Geological Museum, on the
4 third floor. In this were many valuable
State relics but the most valuable were sent
| to the New Orleans Exposition month
| ago. The battle-fags were rescued by the
| firemen at the risk of their lives The
sword and the saddle of General
| Kearney were destroyed The fire
then moved back toward the
dome and it looked as though the Supreme
Court room, the Chancery Court room and
the Legislative Chambers would have to-
go. The books and documents were re-
moved hastily from the Offices Of Comp
troller, State Treasurer and Secretary of
State. The fire was finally checked at seyen
o'clock.
| "A cantilever bridge, 40 feet long,
| has been completed over the St. Johns
River, which connects the Colonial and
American railway systems and reduces
the distance between New York and
Halifax by rail to GAO miles. It is ex-
| pected to greatly reduce the ratio of
| freight between Philadelphia, New