The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-10-27
twelve BURNED.
Fire Breaks out in Il Hotel at
Seattle.
1t Spread SO Quickly That Few
COuld Escape.
WAS A WILD PANIC.
l WILD PANIC.
People Jumped from Windows
in Their Night Clothes.
One Woman Drops Her Baby
from Window.

SEATTLE, Wash, Oct PA fire
which resulted certainly in twelve deaths
and the injury of three more broke out
in the West Street house, au Columbia
and West streets, about ] o'clock this
morning. All the dead are burned be
yond recognition and the coroner decided
to let the dead remain where they are in
hopes that the proprietor could Identify
the bodies by the location of the rooms,
the hotel register being saved. The
flames broke out SO suddenly and so
hercely that the occupants were taken
by surprise. and there was a wild panic,
men and women jumping from the win
dows in all kinds of attire.
A sharp explosion WIS heard in the
kitchen in the rear part Of the second
story. by S. +. Butler, a son of the pro-
prietOr, and Immediately the flames be
gan to spread rapidly through the dry
inner timber OF the corrugated iron
story structures owned by J. u. Coleman
on the east side Of " est street.
Butler raised cry Of fire, which
aroused guests with whom the house was
crowded, and rush for life followed. 1t
was not any too soon, for the flames were
like invading soldiers sacking d city.
In the meantime Officer +. E. Bryant
had discovered the flames and turned in
an alarm. which brought the fire depart
tention to saving the terrified people who
peered from every window. with the
flames fast creeping up behind them He
found Mrs. Susie Allen aud her tzyO-y year
old child at q window on the West street
side, the woman crying fer some one to
save the child.
drop the child" shouted the officer.
She did so. and he caught II safely in his
arms. Depositing it on the ground he
snatched plank and set it against the
window. The woman slid down it, and
suffered no further injury than a few
VI f. Butler. proprietor of the hotel,
in bed when the fire was discovered
and esca ped IN scanty attire
His son, ;. +. Butler. was night clerk
at the hotel. He says the fire undOuDt-
eddy originated from q kerosene lamp ia
the kitchen, which was located on the
upper floor near the rear wall Tbs
flames made such rapid progress that be-
fore the inmates could possibly be aroused
the fire was upon them Then the peo-
pie began 10 drop from the windows on
both sides. the flames closely following
them.
c. R Lewis, who was in room A, at the
corner, dropped twenty feet to the ground
and escaped unhurt
Joseph A Day. who was in room Ga,
tied the sheets together and used them
a. rope to slide down on.
ID. B. Glass jumped ont Of q window.
but not till his hair burned He struck
on his back and lay struggling on the
ground. he was picked up and carried
to the Northern Pacific passenger station
and with two others taken TO the
hospital Oae poor fellow, whose iden-
tity is not known, was caught in the rush
of the conhagratiOn n0ar the top of the
West street stairway and sank down
overcome with the smoke and flames
The firemen fought to keep the fire
away from his body, but were driven
back and when last seen the victims
right arm had been burned to a blacken-
ed cinder. The streams Of water were
kept trained on this place and the
water fell in torrents on the stairway and
Was hot enough almost to scald- II was
pay af4cf lie hrs department had got