The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-08-15
Seven Guests of the Senate House Per.
ish and a Dozen Receive Injury.
Three or Four Of the Latter Lying in the Hos
ptal Suffering from Burns and Wounds
that Will Probably Cause Their Death.
No Means of Escape, Except Stairways
Which We're Soon Dark with Smoke.
The Fire Due 10 q Falling Lsmr-Seven Per.
sons Killed By the Blowing Up ofs Steamer
on Snake River. Near Lewiston, Ida
FATAL HOTEL FIRE.

FATAL HOTEL FIRE.
Seven Persons Meet Death and Twelve seri.
Gus Injured in Chicogo.
CHICAGO, Aug. IA hotel FIRE. resulting
in the death of seven persons and the in
jury Of many Others occurred this morn.
ing. The fire was in the Senate Hotel, q
three-story structure on Madison street.
near Fifth avenue. A restaurant occupied
the ground floor and the Senate Hotel the
two upper ones It contained thirty six
rooms and held thirty guests when the fire
broke out shortly after A. NJ. The rooms
were separated by fiimsy wooden psrtl.
tions and proved frst-olsss food for fire.
The blaze started on the second floor. and
spread rapidly through the upper rooms
Before the guests could be warned the
flames had cut off the escape of q number
from the stairways. and they were caught
like rats In trap. j. Gooche 10 landlord
of the Senate and j. Ahrens manager.
The scene during the fire was an exciting
one. Mrs. Ahrens and her daughter Annie,
who slept III the front part of the third
floor. discovered the fire first. mo-
ment later they and the other
occupants were flying about seeking
an avenue of escape. Annie and her mother
CROPPED their way through the stifiing
smoke to the window and stood out on the
sill The crowd below yelled TO them not
to jump. With desperation the women
clung to the frame work. keeping as far
out as possible, while the smoke and flames
burst through the windows around them.
Although badly burned. they retained
their position until the arrival OF hook
and they were rescued. A man next
reached the window. The flames were
already ecorching his almost nude
body and he jumped to the stone
pn uneensoious eondssion. IL wa. at thi.
Jnncture the tremen arrived. ladders were
raised and the ork OF rescuInR the imper-
lied inmates systematically began. For
some. hemmed In by flames. overpowered
rescue was too late. however. The fire-
men found dead bodies rather than living
ones. The fire is supposed to have started
from an overturned stair lamp. The coms
plete list Of the dead is rs follows:
HARRY GODFREY, aged seven. OF Little
EDWARD SHORT. aged twenty-five. of Ohi-
MRS. FANNIE REED. twenty-sevsn years old.
q widow, and recently from New York.
PHILIP CRONBERG, aged twenty-one. OF
Little Rock. Ark, died at the county hospital
In the afternoon.
WILLIAM ULLERY. aged seventeen, of Bu-
chanan, Mich, died in the afternoon.
May be c. A. TAYLOR, OF Hot Springs, Ark.
Unknown man, about thirty years old
The injured. most of whom are at the
Mercy and Cook County hospitals. are:
JAY GODFREY, hardware merchant, Little
Rock, Ark, burned about head and shoulder;
will recover.
MRS GoDFREY, wife of above, slight burns on
shoulder; wounds dressed in drug store.
GRACE GODFREY, aged thirteen years, ex-
tensive burns; Will probably die.
Unknown man, about twenty-eight years OF
age; very badly burned can scarcely recover.
Unknown man, about .tweDty-four years OF
age; terribly burned about head and face. La
unconscious and will die.
WILLIAM MILLERY, aged seventeen years,
nephew of Jay Godfrey; burned about head and
arms; cut by glass In breaking window for air
Will recover.
F. A. CooNs, Lake City, Minn., cut by glass
about head. Will recover.
MRS. f. A. CooNs. burns and cuts about shoul-
der and breast. Will recover.
FLORA CoONs, aged fifteen years, found al
most suffocated. VIII recover.
r. L. MORTON. Syracuse. \. Y, cut abous
shoulders. removed to Mercy Hospital. WIZ re-
cover.
MATTE AHRESs. Chicago, aged eighteen, arms
burned. VIII recover.
+. MYER. Of Chicago, aspectator, head cut by
falling glass.
L. NJ ROGERS. Chicago. seriously burned about
body and arms.
William Barabino, the night clerk, was
waiting for the day clerk 10 relieve him,
shortly before o'clock. He stepped into
the wash room and. while there. says he
heard q queer rafting noise In the office.
which might have been caused by the fall
ing of O lamp. He continued his ablu-
tions. however. thinking. for the moment.
the noise was caused by q passing wagon.
Soon he caught the Odor of smoke. On
opening the wash-room door he found
the hallway and office full of smoke.
IA
made his escape do wn the front stairway.
BY this time the flames were climbing from
the starting point on the second floor M
the stairway up to the third floor. Smoke
alarm soon brought the clsngin engines 10
the spot. AS the guests awoke their
sbrieks were heard and half dressed forms
began 10 appear at the windows.
"The fire was one of tho most horrible
have witnessed in all my experience In the
Marshal Musham, after bo re-
turned from the scene of the
accident. "At o'clock in the morning. with
the streets alive with people. and one OF
incredible that SO many persons could lose
their lives. Had there been any fire escapes
on the building the loss would not have
bocn SO great But the law does not re.
quire that fire escapes shall be bulls on
lodging houses less than four stories "a
height. Hence there were none. and thu
poor people in the building had
ssnea we could " take s them of. Tsa. the the
loss was no greater is marvellous too I
think. People are not quiok usually to
heed warnings to remain on window ledges
until q ladder can be- throwa mp to them
when a fire is raging behind them. Yet
when got there three persons were cling.
ing to ledges on the rear and q woman and
n boy to a window sill. We shouted to all
to remain where they were. and they
bravely stuck It out. until the ladders
were raised. / expected every mo-
ment some Of them would jump.
The law requiring the erection OF
fire escapes should be changed to in
clude at least buildings used as lodging
houses. One Door fellow i found dead
Just In front of q window. from which q
large transparent sign projected over the
street. Had he chosen any other room he
would probably have escaped. but that
window was blocked completely by the
huge sign. We had TO cut the partition
from the next room to get him out. There
is another law prohibing the hanging or
these signs. Why It is not enforced do
not know. Had 1t been; one life. st least
would have been saved"
Cth-r Fires
DENVER, Col, Aug. IA Are which
started shortly after noon to-day destroy ed
the Crescent fiour mill and elevator at STAN
ton avenue and Montgomery street. The
total loss. including q large quantity OF
-four In sacks and the grain in the elevator.
will foot up from 2250.0U0 TO eS00.0O0. Tho
insurance 10 about 70 per cent. OF the loss.
Al