The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-08-23

IN OVorpurnou lamp,
CHICAGO, Aug. 16--In a fire which de.
stroyed the two upper stories Of the
three-story Senate hotel at 1874 Madi.
son street yesterday morning, FIVE peo-
pie were killed and five others were SO
badly injured that they can scarcely
recover At the Cook county and
Mercy hospitals six others are moaning
with pain in the wards so badly injured
as to be unable to tell their names.
One man jumped from q, third-story
window and was killed. The others
were suffocated and burned to death.
The first body to be recovered was that
Of Harry Godfrey, the 7-year-old son of
]. Godfrey, of Buchanan, Mich. Loss
on the building and contents is practi-
cally total, but as the structure was old
and the furnishings cheap the amount
will not exceed $4,000.
A restaurant occupied the ground
floor and the Senate hotel the two
upper ones. II contained thirty-six
rooms and held thirty guests Sunday
night.
The fire started in the office of the
hotel and is supposed to have been
caused by the overturning of an oil
lamp. by the time the night clerk had
discovered that the building was on
fire the flames were climbing from the
starting point on the second floor up
the stairway to the third floor and
smoke was pouring from the windows.
He raised the cry of fire and then made
his escape down the front stairway. As
the guests awoke their shrieks were
heard and half-dressed forms began to
appear at the windows.
Ladders were run up by the fremen
to the second and third stories, but be-
fore they could begin the work Of res
cue a number Of the panic-stricken
guests had leaped to the pavement be-
low. The fight with the fire did not
last long, the flames being subdued in
the course OF thirty minutes. The day
clerk, who is supposed to be RESPONSE
BILE for the accident, Immediately dis
appeared after the fire broke out.
The dead are:
Harry Godfrey agedT, son OF Jay Godfrey, Of
Buchanan. Mich, face and chest burned and
sufiocated. Found dead on the floor OF his room
Edward Short % years old, Chicago, fell from
q third-story window and died at once
Mrs. Fannie Reed, an employe Of the Great
Eastern hotel, taken from third-story window.
Philip Cronberg, 81 years old, OF Little Rock,
Ark, skull fractured by Jumping from q win
dow; died at the county hospital in the after
noon.
William Ullery, II years old. nephew Of Jay
Godfrey Of Buchanan, Mich, died az the county
hospital in the afternoon
Unknown man, about IS years old, dark hair
and mustache, medium height May be G A.
Taylor, Of Hot Springs, Ark Died at the ooun.
ty hospital
Unknown man, about % years old FIVE feet
and seven inches In height, clean shaven and
dark hair Found dead in hallway.
Fourteen others were injured, q num-
Der of whom will probably die.
"The fire was one of the most horrible
] have witnessed in all my experience
in the fire department" said Assistant
Fire Marshal Musham, after he re-
turned from the scene Of the accident.
"At o'clock in the morning, with the
streets alive with people, and on one
Of the principal streets in the city, II
seems incredible that so many persons
could lose their lives. Had there been
any fire escapes on the building the
loss would not have been so great.
But the law does not require
that fire escapes shall be built on
lodging houses less than four stories
high. Hence there was none,
and the poor people in the building
who succeeded in reaching the window
had either to jump or to wait until
taken off. That the loss was not greater
was miraculous. People are not quick
usually to heed warnings TO remain on
window lodges until a ladder can be
thrown up TO them when a fire is
raging behind them. Yet when | got
there three persons were clinging tc
lodges on the rear and a woman and a
boy to a window sill in front. We
Shouted TO all to remain where they
were and they bravely stuck it out
unit! the ladders were raised. ex-
pected every moment some of them
would jump, The law requiring the
erection of fire escapes should be
changed o us TO include at least build.
ings used as lodging houses.
Zone poor fellow found dead just
in front OF a window from which
large transparent sign projected over
the street. Had he chosen any other
room he would probably have escaped,
but that window was blocked com.
pletely by the huge sign. We had To
cut the partition from the next room
TO get him out. There is another law
prohibiting the hanging Of these signs.
Why II is not enforced 1 do not know.
Had II been one life at least would
have been saved"
A FrIghtful Disaster.
ALMovA, Wash, Aug. 15.-The Union