Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-04-01
ANOTHER FIRE TRAP.
Destruction Of the Langham Hotel, CHI
CagOeSeveral LIVES Lost.


destroyed by fire on the night of the
2lst. The fire originated in one of the
lower rooms from a kerosene lamp
which was accidentally overturned.
At the time, the restaurant of the
house contained 200 guests at supper
and as many more were in the rooms.
The people in the restaurant had no
trouble in getting out, but several per-
sons IN the upper rooms had very
narrow escapes. The flames spread
with marvellous rapidity and before
the second alarm was turned in they
were bursting through the roof. A
general alarm was given half an hour
after the fire broke out, but all
the engines which could be
brought to play on the flames
could not get the fire under con-
troll. Dense volumes of smoke and fire
poured up the elevator shafts and
filled every portion of the building.
Guests and servants rushed wildly
down the stairs and into the street.
In fifteen. minutes the entire building
from basement to roof was a red hot
furnace, and the effect of thirty streams
from the engines, which quickly re-
sponded to the double alarm, seemed
only to intensity the heat. At win
dow in one OF the upper stories a lady
and two children appeared. A ladder
was run up and they were rescued.
Behind them stood Mrs. Belknap, a
transient guest from the South. She
was frantic with fright, and before the
tiremen could seize her, jumped from
the window and was instantly killed.
Two members OF the fire insurance
patrol barely escaped the tumbling
bricks and timbers. Two others were
pinned fast, but after strenuous efforts
were finally extricated. The legs of
both were severely bruised. Patrol
men A. Jones and John Walsh were
sutfocated beneath the wall. Police
man Marks saw two domestics at one
OF the second story windows after it
was supposed all theinmatesh had been
rescued. He rushed up the burning
staircase, and a few minutes later ap-
peared, dragging out both women, who
had been rendered unconscious by the
smoke. The hotel, which is g. total
loss, was erected Immediately after the
great fire, and while substantial-look-
ing from the outside, has been called a.
fire-trap. It was formerly known as
the Burdick house, then as the Craw-
ford and recently as the Langham.
Cummings & Howard are the owners.
Shaw Il Son leased the establishment.
The latter's loss is $4,000; insur-
ance, $4,000. The building was valu-
ed at $15O,OOO; insured one-half.
Kietz & Son, picture frames and Har-
denis hand grenade agency, suffered a
total loss. Insurance unknown.
A dispatch of the 22d gives the fol-
lowing additional details: ''The fire
which destroyed Langham Hotel, last
night proved much more dreadful in
in the loss OF life and physical injuries
entailed than was supposed, until a
late hour, last night. It is now known
that at least five persons were killed
and four injured. Just before the
south wall of the hotel fell upon the
Faxon building, a number OF persons,
besides those of the fire insurance
patrol, were inside the latter building,
assisting to save goods, as no imme-
diate danger was apprehended. There
is no means OF knowing just how many
OF these volunteer helpers were in the
structure at the time, but utexcavations
have proceeded to an extent which
iustifies a hope that all the dead have
been found. AS far as known those at
work in the Faxon building when it was
crushed by the falling hotel walls, were
the following: Cap. Edward Shepard,
James Boyd, Knute Thine, Patrick
Mullins, John Walsh, Frederick Jones.
All of these belonged to the fire insur-
ance patrol. William Bean, piano
tuner; John Hennessy, clerk. Both
were employed in the building. Mullins
and Thine being nearer the rear of the
building. were forced out through one
OF the windows by the rush of air as
the building fell, and were not danger
ously hurt. Cap. Shepard and Boyd
We're pinned down by the fallen tim
bers, and we're rescued alive, about 12
O'Clock. Both hwere seriously hurt, but
it is believed they will recover.