Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1894-11-03
Sixteen Guests in a Seattle Hotel
Lost Their Lives.
THE BUILDING WAS A FIRETRAP
Ths Fire L. Thought 20 Have Origin
assd From the Explosion Of
lamp In the Kitchen.


teen bodies have been identified. They /
are:
Mrs. o.terman, OF California. aged |
90; Andrew olterman. her SON. aged
IS; Mrs. J. W. Huffman, wife Of well
known farmer OF Fall City, WASH.
Mira J. III. Hancher, OF Rolfs. Town.
and her three children; John +. An
derson, aged IS; II. Bali,nsn; Q. Gsahn.
iaboref; Angus Mcdonald. G. VIII
son. AZ. Mc6orIey.
The Hetei . Fire Trap.
The Nest St rect house occupied the
upper floor of two-story corrugated
iron building that covers a quarter Of
block Of ground at Colambia and
wcst streets. one block from the North
ern Pacific depot. and near the DrsI-
ness center Of the city. The building
was mere shell of wood, covered with
iron. There were several exits 10 the
street, but they were narrow. The FIRE
was undoubtedly caused by the explo-
sion of u lamp In the kitchen. The
corrugated iron sheetinr Kept the
flames hid until nearly the whole ln-
terior was furnace. The thin parti-
tions were Of resinous pine, covered
with cheese-cloih. aud burned furI-
ously.
| IL was not until the flames were seen
burning Ia the windows by people In
the street that the alarm of fire was
turned In. When the flremen arrived
the Dire did not present an alarming as
peci. People ut the windows were
rescued with ladders and boards. some
escaping with hardly any clothes. ID.
ID. Glass;, Edward Havelin and G. II.
johnson Jumped to the ground and
were Injured 30 badly that they were
taken TO the hospital. All will recover.
The crowd In the street then supposed
all tho iodgsrs had escaped. The fifc-
men played water through the VIM
dows and were reinforced by the fire-
boat. the building being oniy a short
distance from the water front.
III esver.d the Bodies.
AT 2:f5 o. ni. the fire was uader con
troll and the flremeu were able 10 enter
the shell Of Iron. At The s'airs they
found the body OF n man. pinned 10 the
floor sy the ruins Of bed. lie had
apparently just heard the alarm aud
was dressing when overcome by smoke
and suffocated, for the only clothing
he had on was his trousers ani boo.s
fhe body was terribly burned. Con-
tinuing their search tile firemen die
covered CORPSE alter corpse, until at 4
o'clock they had counted Ia Subse
quently another was found. Most OF
the bodies were lelt where they lay
until daylight In The hope that the
proprietor might Identify them By
} locating the loom ON the reglsier,
for oil! the bodies except two were
charred beyond possibility Of reeogni-
ton.
In one OF the Railways O body,
charred black and without vessige oil
clothing. was found. A little further
on In the same passageway was anoth.
er body, evidently that of u woman,
Wilt face upward and hands OUT.
stretched ~ II fighting for her life.
There was little left OF the wnmah's
form; part OF the body was eliarred
and burned bones lay around Ii. In
. another hall or rassagewny was an
other body. evidently that of IN sged
woman. Her body Was fearfuliy con-
torted. the burned arms and hands
were upltfted, and In ono blaekened
hand was u handful oil hair, as if she
In her agony had cintched IL In despair
when the tire came upon her.
The saddsst Sight OF All.
The saddest sight of all was fonna In
, an Inside room, oil the pnssarew az
"a nh laft N
calmly lying In the charred and slack !.
! ened bed. vas evidently TN entire FAM
lily. The father lay on one side. the
! wife next to HIN aud q little burned
and blackened arm, the tiesh failing In
shreds from II. the small fingers
elutched, showed that little child
! was among the victims.
In an adjoining room was stlll more
horrible sight. In corser of q small
inside room two charred and naked
skcietons met the gaze. The hesh was
burned from each aud the firss, that OF
man, with blackened slumps OF
arms. seemed TO be fighting impending
danger. Immediately beyond him.
also bolt upright and eiuichinr hIs
waisi, was \ skeleton Of a woman
Startled. they had risen from their
couch. the smoke and flames hnd
rushed In upon them and befurs thev
had realized their awful danger they
were ovsrpovered and met nlosf hor-
rible death.
In the portion Of the hotel where The
flames did not destroy the wood " ork.
the bodies Of Two nioTs we're found.
One man was completely dressed ana
another VISA la hrs nightrIothes. they
were suficcatad by The smoke.
4 Terrible scenes Afssr the Ffrs.
l In some Of the ruined roon,s M the
end OF the narrow hall, where one man
vas found dead. Is q white streak ON
she wall. untarnlshed by smoke. kent
thus by the appraised arm Of :his We
tim. where that arm rested against the
wall when, Ia the last struggle. he
reached upward for help in his awful
agony. In this corner Of the room
where tho upper parfa OF the walls are
burned away ls an enormous spot up-
on tue fioor and on both corner walls.
In that place. against the wall. sat the
Siie, Dead her arms about the Halss Of
her dead husband. who sat before her
on the fiooF, his feet and arms burned
OF, his eyes burned out, and hes hands
burned oil.
ln another room Is long, uni urned
spot, the shape 81 a man. where one
was found dressed and dead. with his
face badly burned. The bodies were
taken 10 the morgus thls morning In
boxes or canvas sacks. Most Of ths