Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1894-11-03
VICTIMS OF FIRE.
They Perish In a Death-Trap at
Seattle, Wash.
Fire Breaks Out In n Hotel While the
Quests Arc Asleep-sixteen of Them
Lose Their Lives In an Eff
fort to Escape.

fort to- Escape.
SEATTLE, Wash, Oct. 30. "A FIRE,
which resulted in the death of at least
sixteen persons and the injury OF three
others, broke out in the West street
hotel, at Columbia and West streets,
about o'clock Saturday morning. At
3 o'clock the fire was under control
and an investigation of the ruins
was made. Thirteen bodies have been
identified They are as follows:
John +. Anderson, aged %; +. Ballmnm G.
Grahm, laborer; Mrs, J. H. Hancock, OF Rolfe.
Ia, and her three children. two girls, nged o
and years. and boy aged 4; Mrs j. w. Hufs
man. wife of q well-known farmer of Fall City,
Wash; Angus Mcdonald, NJ McSorley,
Andrew Otterman, aged IS; Mrs. Otterman, of
California, his mother; c. Wilson.
A. G. Butler, brother Of the proprie-
tor, is missing. Richard Havin was
badly injured about the head and
back by jumping; D. b. Glass had
leg broken and his back injured, and
c. b. Anderson was burned and badly
bruised.
The fire was undoubtedly caused by
the explosion of lamp in the kitchen.
The proprietor's son was aroused by
the noise of the explosion about /
o'clock, but before he could investi-
gate the flames had spread all through
the house. The corrugated iron sheet
ing kept the flames hid until nearly
the whole interior was a furnace. The
thin partitions were of resinous pine
covered with cheesecloth and burned
furiously. The sixty guests were
aroused and the rush for life followed.
At a. IN. the fire was under control
and the firemen were able to enter the
shell of iron. At the head OF the stairs
they found the body of man pinned
to the floor by the ruins of bed The
body was terribly burned. One poor
fellow was caught in the rush of the
contiagration near the top of the West
street stairway and sank down over
come with the smoke and flames. The
firemen fought to keep the fire away
from his body but were driven back.
In one of the Railways a body,
charred, blaclSened and without a YES
tige of clothing, was found. A little
farther on in the same passageway
was another body, evidently that of a
woman, face upwards and hands
stretched as if fighting for her life
and appealing for assistance which
never came. There was little left of
the woman's form, for part of the body
was charred and the burned bones lay
arou nd it.
The saddest sight of all was found
in the inside room off the passageway
which led to West street. There calm
ly lying in charred and blackened
bed was evidently an entire family.
The father lay on one side, the wife
next to him and little burned and
blackened arm, the flesh falling in
shreds from it, the small fingers
clutched, showed that child was
among the victims.
In corner of small inside room
two charred and naked skeletons met
the gaze of the lockers. The clothing
was burned from each, and the first,
that of man with blacllened stumps
OF arms seemed to be fighting an i'm
pending danger, Immediately beyond
him, also bolt upright and clutching
her waist, was the skeleton of a
woman. Startled, they had risen
from their couch, the smoke and
flames had rushed in upon them, and
before they had realized their awful
danger they were overcome and met
the most horrible of deaths.
The arrangement of the halls of the
hotel made such labyrinth in the
daytime one unfamiliar with the place
would have had difficulty in finding
his way about without several at
tempts, and as the halls were filled
with smoke there was little chance for
any of the victims to make their way
out before suffocating. Some of the
dodgers were asleep and We're over
taken in bed, while others rushed into
the halls and were suffocated and
burned