The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-08-15
Seven Persons Killed and Many
Injured.
WORST KIND OF FIRE TRAP
The Victims Caught Like Rats in
Trap.
There Were Thirty Guests in the Building
When the Fire Broke Oar-Two OF
Them Jump from the Third
Story Window.

CHICAGO, Aug. IA hotel fire result
ing in the deaths OF number of guests
occurred this morning in three story
structure on Madison street. near Fifth
Avenue. a man who jumped from the
top story of the building was killed and
about half dozen others were suffocated
or burned to death. The body of Harry
Godfrey, years old, has been recovered.
The building, delapidated structure,
was occupied as restaurant on the first
floor and the Senate hotel on the upper
floors. Thirty guests were in the build
ing when the fire broke out. Those who
persisted in the fire were caught like rats
in trap, unable to make their escape.
When the fire was gotten under control
and search OF the premises completed it
was found that five people had been
killed outright, and two others SO
severely injured that they died this after
noon at the hospital. The dead are:
HARRY GODFREY, the 7-year-old son
Of Jay Godfrey of Buchanan, Mich.
EDWARD SHORT, aged rs, OF Lafayette,
Ind.
Mrs. FANNIE REED, recently from
New York, widow aged q.
PHILIP CRoNBERG, aged II, Of Littlo
Rock, Ark.
WILLIAM UL1ERY OF Buchanan, Mich,
aged II.
Unknown man about 30.
MAYBE G. TAYLOR OF Hot Springs,
Ark.
Unknown man % years of age.
The injured are:
JAY GODFREY and wife.
Mrs. f. A. CooNS and her 15-year old
daughter, FLORA.
GRACE GODFREY O'PALMER.
L. MEYER.
FIR. S. MORTON OF Syracuse, NY.
None of these suffered more than pain.
full injuries and cuts. Two unknown
men, however, were removed to the hos
pital unconscious and have not been
identified. They may not recover.
The origin of the fire is q mystery, but
! is supposed to have been caused by the
oyerturning or explosion of stair lamp.
The night clerk had just gone to the
wash room to clear up preparatory to
leaving his watch when he heard slight
noise outside the Office, and by the time
he returned to it the place was filed with
smoke and he had barely time after
shouting fire few times to escape down
/ the stairs.
Edward Short and one of the unknown
dead would have been saved had they
obeyed the fremen who were getting
/ ladders in position while the men we're at
the windows and shouted to them TO keep
cool. The men seemed crezed with fear,
however, and jumped from the third
floor to the fagstones below, sustaining
fatal injuries. Soma others inhaled the
4 flames and died in horrible agony and
two were 5uffocated.
F. A. Coons, of Minnesota, with his
wife and two daughters, had rooms on
the second floor when aroused by the cry
of fire. He and his wife dressed hur
riedly and he fastened into the hall to go
to his daughters room. He met one girl
in the hall, and sending her to join her
mother tried to make his way to the
room in which the other daughter was.
The smoke was SO binding that he could
not, and he almost succumbed in the hall
himself. Finally he made his way back
to the other members of the family and
took them to the third floor, whence with
much difficulty they escaped TO building
OF similar height next door. When taken
from the roof by the fremen they told
them of the other child in the burning
building, but gave up hope Of seeing her
alive.
The firemen made rush for the front
of the building with ladders and in few
minutes brought the girl out safe, with
the exception OF slight burns and lung
trouble, caused by inhalation OF the
smoke. The tiremen say the place was
the worst kind of a fire trap. Owing to
the fact that it was but three stories high
the law did not compel the owneEs to put
fire escapes on the building, and shis fact
is accountable for most of the loss Of life.