St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-08-15
A HOTEL HOLOCAUST.
SENATE HOTEL I'M CHICAGO GOES 62
IN FLAMES.
SEVEN PEOPLE LOSE LIVES
Fifteen People Very Badly In.
jured-Among the Number the
Coens Family, of Goodhue
County, Minnesota-St Story of
the Fire Told by Mr.. Coons-
Some Terrible Experiences.


the Fire Told by Mr.. Coons-
Some Terrible Experiences.
CHICAGO, Aug. IA hotel fire, re-
sulting in the death of number of the
guests, occurred this morning. The fire.
was in the Senate hotel, three-storv
structure on Madison street. near Fifn
avenue. One man jumped from WIN
dow In the top story and was killed.
About half dozen others were suff',-
Gated and burned to death. The fir
body to be recovered was that of Harry
Godfrey. the seven-year-old son of 5.
Godfrey. of Buchanan, Mich. Loss ON
the building and contents is practically
total, but, as the structure was old and
the furnishing cheap, the amount will
not exceed a few thousand dollars.
A restaurant occupied the ground
floor and the Senate hotel the two up
per ones, 1t contained thirty-six rooms,
and held thirty guests when the fire
broke out, shortly after 6 a. IN. The
rooms were separated by fiimsy woode"
partitions, and proved first-class food
for fire. The blaze started IN the Of
flee 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 lii :.
trap. j. Goeche is landlord of the
Senate, and j. Ahrens manager,
AS fast as the dead were taken
From the F2ufns
they were taken to the morgue. -Four
bodies were soon recovered. They were
those of the Godfrey boy and two men
and woman. The scene during The
| fire was an exciting one. Mrs. Ahrens
and her daughter Annie, who slept in
the front part OF the third floor, discov-
cred the fire first. A moment later
| they and the other occupants were fly
ing about seeking an avenue of escape.
Annie and her mother CROPPED their way.
| through the sitting smoke to the WIN.
| dow and stood out on the sill. The
| crowd below yelled to them not to lump.
| With desperation the woman clung to
| the framework, keeping as far out as
| possible. while the smoke and flames
| burst through the windows around
them. Although badly burned, they re-
tanned their position until tine arrival of
| hook anu ladder company. A ladder
| was raised and they were rescued.
A man whose identity is unknowh
next reached the window. The flames
! were already scOrching his almost nude
body, and he jumped to the stone pave
ment. He was clicked up in an uncon-
| sclous condition. 1t was at this jung
| ture the firemen arrived. Ladders were
raised, and the work of reScuing the iBi-
| periled inmates Systematically began.
For some, hemlned in by flames, oyer
| powered by smoke aDd with all -
Egress Shut on,
| the rescue was too late, however. The
| firemen found dead bodies rather than
| living ones.
The fire is said to have started from
an overturned stair lamp.
| In all seven people were killed, the
complete list Of the dead being as fol-
| lows:
Harry Godfrey, seven years of age,
son of j. Godfrey, a hardware merchan
of Little Rock, Ark, burned. Edward
! Short, of Chicago, gambler. burned and
| jumped from rear window. Mrs. Fanny
Reed. twenty-seven years old, widow,
and recently from New York. Philip
| Cronberg, aged twenty-one, of Little
Rock, died at the county hospital this
| afternoon. William Uliary, aged seven
teen years. of Buchanan. Mich. nephew
! of Jay Godfrey, died in the afternoon.
! Unknown man, about thirty five years
old may be G. A. Taylor, of Hot
Springs. Ark. Unknown man, about
twenty-three years OF age.
Injured: Jay Godfrey. hardware
merchant, Little Rock, Ark, burned
about head and shoulders, removed to
| Mercy hospital: will recover. Mrs.
Godfrey. wife of above, slight burns on
shoulders, wounds dressed in drug
store. Grace Godfrey, aged thir-
die; taken TO hospital. F. A. Coons, Lake
City, MIMI, cut oY glass about head, ia
ken to Mercy hospital. will recover. Mrs.
f. A. CoonS, burns and cuts about
shoulders and breast. taken to Mercy
hospital: Will die. Flora Coons, aged
fifteen years. found almost suffocatei
removed to Mercy hospital; recovery
doubtful. S. l.. Morton, Syracuse, n.
y, cut about shoulders, removed TO
Mercy hospital; will recover. Matte
Ahrens, Chicogo, aged eighteen years.
| Chicago. a spectator, head cut by falling
glass. l.. NJ. Rogers. of Chicago. burns
on body and arms, taken to Unity hos
| pital; serious. o. Palmer, Chicago
decorator at worlds fair, cut on head
| and arms; will recover. Mrs. +. A.
| Coons, of Lake City, whose Injuries
were at first reported as fatal. will re-
cover. She and her eleven-year-clG
| daughter Anna are at Mercy hospital
and are suffering only slight injuries. :
COons, Story.
| T. A. COOnS, a prosperous farmer OF
! GoOdhue county, Minu., who was st5p :
! ping at the Senate hotel, and who's,
wife aud eleven-year-old daughter wers
slightly Injured, gave the following acs
| count of the contiagraJiOn:
II had been lodging at the Senate for
| about a week with my wife and tive
daughters Flora, sixteen years old, aud
| Anna, eleven years old. My wife and
OCCUPIED room 5, on the second floor.
and my two daughters room 4. adjuins
ing, both rooms being on the front. :
About half-past this morning nv
| wife and l were about TO rise, when we
| heard cOmmotIon in the Office and the
cry of 'Firen 1 Immediately Thought OF
my daughters. and rushed into the hall
in my night robe to rescue them.
| Strangely enough. had not noticed
any smell of smoke, but on opening fny
door l found the corridor so full es
| smoke that | could not see, and was
| nearly SuffOcated. | ran on to the door
of No. 4,where | found my elder daugli-
ter, Flora, coming out in her night
dress, and crying to me to save Anna
| her sister. !
Several times 1 tried to get throug b
the door and find my little girl. but *
strong draft blowing up the stairs from
below filed the hall and room with the
| most sitting, strangling smoke, and [
was unable to see OF breathe. At last
gave it up in despair and returned to
/ my own room, weak and almost suffp-
Gated NV throat felt
Like Fire Itself.
| And got these burns"-pointiUg 10
| several scars on his nose and forehead.
I'm the room were my wife and daugh-
ter Flora. both badly frightened and
screaming. but neither injured as yet.
| knew that we were saTe In the room
for while at least, and 1 waited for the
! hreeinen 10 run up ladder and takesus
| out. Presently man on the opposite