The Portland daily press., 1893-08-15
FLAME BARRED THE WAY.
Guests Ran Through the Blazing
Hotel Trying to Escape.
LIVES LOST in A WINDY CITY FIRE
TRAP.

1t Was at an Hour When the Streets We're
Full of People, Yet All the Unfortunates
in the Burning Building Could Not Be
Sayed-One Man Was Found Burned in
His Bed.
Chicago, August IA hotel fire, re-
sulting in the death of number of the
guests, occurred this morning. The fire
was in the Senate Hotel, three story
structure on Madison street, near Fifth
avenue. One man jumped from a window
in the top story and was killed. About
half dozen others were suffocated or
burned to death. The first body TO be
recovered was that of Harry Godfrey, the
seven year old son of J. Godfrey of Little
Rock, Arkansas The loss on the building
and contents is practically total, but as
the structure was old and the furnishings
cheap, the amount will not exceed a few
thousand dollars.
A restaurant occupied the ground floor
and the Senate Hotel the two upper ones;
1t contained thirty-six rooms ana held
thirty guests when the fire broke out,
shortly after am. The rooms were
separated by fimsy- wooden partitions, On
and proved good food for the ire The
blaze started in the office on the second
floor and spread rapidly through that and
the upper rooms Before the guests could
be warned the flames had cut off the es-
cape of a number from the stairways and
they were caught like rats in trap. j,
Gooche is the landlord of the Senate, and
J.Ohren manager.
AS the dead bodies were taken from
the ruins they were carried to the
morgue Four bodies were soon re-
covered They were those Of the Godfrey
boy and two men and woman. The
scene during the fire was an exciting one.
Mrs. Aherns and her dauhgter Annie, who
slept in the front part of the third floor,
discovered the fire first. A moment later
they and the other occupants We're run
ming about seeking an avenue OF escape.
Annie and her mother CROPPED their way
through the 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
Although badly burned they remained
there until the arrival of hook and lad
der company A ladder was raised and
they were rescued.
"A man, whose identity is unknown,
next reached the window The flames
were already scorching his almost naked
body, and he jumped to the stone pave
menJ. He was picked up in an uncon-
scious condition. Ladders were then
raised and the work of rescuing the inn
prisoned inmates was Systematically be-
gun.
For some, hemmed in by flames, over
powered by smoke and with all egress
Shut off, the rescue was too late. The
firemen found dead bodies rather than
living ones The fire is said to have
started from an overturned stair lamp.
In all five people were killed and three
others were SO badly injured that they
can scarcely recover. At the Cook County
and Mercy hospitals others are moaning
with pain in the wards, SO badly injured
as to be unable to tell their names.
The Killed.
The list of killed is:
Harry Godfrey, seven years OF age, son
of j. Godfrey of Little Rock; burned to
death.
Edward Short, Chicago; burned and
Jumped from rear window.
Unknown woman, 5 feet, 6 inches in
height; burned to death.
Unknown man, feet inches in height;
burned in bed.
after arrival.
Injured.
The list of injured is:
Jay Godfrey, hardware merchant,
Little Rock, Ark, burned about the
head and shoulders; removed to Mercy
hospital; will recover. Mrs. Godfrey,
wife of above, slight burns of shoulders;
wounds dressed in drug store.
Matte Aherns, IS, arms burned; will
recover.
#. Mver, head cut by falling glass;
LIN. Rogers, burns on body and arms;
Grace Godfrey, 49, extensive burns; will
probably die; taken to Mercy hospital.
Unknown man, supposed to be VIM.
Kronberg, stage hand at the Schiller
theatre, badly burned about the head
and face; delirious and will probably die.
Unknown man taken to County hos
pitl: is about 25 years of age and very
badly burned; he can scarcely recover.
Unknown man about "a years of age:
terribly burned about the head and face;
is unconscious in the County hospital
and will die.
William Millery, II, burned about the
head and arms, cut by glass In breaking
window for air; will recover.
IF. A. Coons, cut by glass about the head;
taken to Mercy hospital; will recover.
Mrs. F. A. Coons burns and cuts about
the shoulders and breast; taken to Mercy
hospital; will die.
Flora Coons, IS, found almost suffo-
Gated; removed to Mercy hospital.
"The the fire was one of the most horrl-
BILE have witnessed in all my experience
on the fire department, said Assistant
Fire Marshal Musham after he returned
from the scene of the accident. "At
O'Clock in the morning, with the street
alive with people, and one of the princi-
pal streets in the city, it seems incredible
that SO many persons could lose their
lives.
ssHad 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
house buildings less than four stories in
height. Hence there were none, and
the poor people in the building who
succeeded in reaching the windows had
either to jump or wait until we could
take them off. "
Its Capital Reduced