The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-10-27
TWELVE DIE BY FIRE
Early Morning Blaze De-
st0Ys a Crowded Hotel
in Seattle.
STARTED BY KEROSENE
A Mother Throws Her Child From
WindoW-Many Hair
breadth Escapes.

SEATTLE, Wash. Oct q, 1Ss4.-A. fire
which resulted in the death of at least
twelve persons and the injury of three
more broke out in the West Street House
at Columbia and West streets about one
O'Clock this morning. At three o'clock
the fire was under control, and an in
vestigation of the ruins was made. All
the dead were burned beyond recognition,
and the coroner decided to allow the
bodies to remain where they were in
hopes that the proprietor the house
could identify them by a location by
means of the hotel register, which was
saved.
The flames broke out so suddenly and
so fiercely that the occupants of the
building were taken by surprise, and
there was wild panic. men and women
jumping from the windows in their
night clothing An explosion was heard
in the kitchen in the rear part of the
second story by s. F. Butler, son of
the proprietor, and Immediately the
flames began to spread rapidly through
the dry inner timber of the corrugated
iron building, which is one of a range OF
two-story structures owned by J. N.
Colman on the east side of West street.
IHI ALARM Civ EN-
Butler raised a cry of fire which arous-
ed the guests with whom the house was
crowded and q rush for life followed.
The flames were already rushing through
the long, narrow halls. Finding exit
by the stairways cut off, the people be-
gan to drop from the windows on both
sides Of the building, the flames closely
following them. w. G. r. Lewis, who
was in room ''A'' at the corner, dropped
20 feet to the ground and escaped un-
hurt. Joseph A. May, who was in room
No. g. tied the sheets together and
used them as a rope to let himself
down. C. B. Class jumped out Of a
window, but not until his hair was
burned.
He struck on his back on the ground.
He was picked up ana carried to the
passenger station, and. with two other
injured persons, was taken to hos
known, was caught in the rush Of the
flames near the top of the West street
stairway and sank down overcome with
the smoke and heat The fremen fought
to keep the flames away from his body,
but were driven back.
FIRE DEPARTMENT SLOW
It was only after the IRE department
had got well to work that the full seri-
BUSINESS of the affair began to be sus-
pected. There was some unaccountable
delay in getting the water ON owing 70
the sloWness of the fire boat getting up
steam. When at last the pressure did
come the building was raging furiously,
and all that could be done was TO conIlne
the flames to the block where they
started.
The first dead man was taken out from
a room over the Hill Syrup CompanyS
store and was found with one leg in his
trousers and his shoes half laced. The
body was discovered with the head CO.
cred with the bed clothes under the
bed 1t was so badly burned as to be
unrecognizable, as were all the other
bodies
THREW OUT HER CHILD.
police officer, e. E. Bryant had dis
covered the flames soon after they
burst forth, and turned in an alarm,
which brought the Fire Department to
the scene. The officer then assisted in
saving the people who appeared at the
windows.
He found Mrs Susan Allen and her
two-year-old child at a window on the
West street side, the woman crying for
some one to save the child. Bryant
shouted to her to drop the child. She
did so and he caught it safely in his
arms. Depositing it on the ground, he
snatched a plank and set it against a
window The woman safely slid down it,
H T. Butler, the proprietor of the hos
tel was in bed when the fire was dis
covered and narrowely escaped. His SON
s. F. Butler was night clerk. He says
the fire undoubtedly originated from q
kerosene lamp in the kitchen which was
located on the upper floor near the rear