Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-10-29
sEATrue.s HORROR.
Seventeen Lives Lost In the Hotel Fire
There.

There.
SEATTLE, Wash, Oct 29.-Seventeen
2ersons-ten men, four women, and three
childrcn-were burned to death in the
West Street hotel fire Thirteen bodies
have been identified. They are: Mrs. OF
terman, of California, aged 50; Andrew
Ottcrman, Eer son, aged IS; Mrs J. w.
Huffman, wife of a well known farmer of
Fall City, Wash; Mrs. J. H. Hancock, of
| Rolfe, Ia, and her three children, two
girls aged and years, respectively, and
| a boy aged 4; John F. Anderson, aged %;
+. Ballman; G. Grain, a laborcr; Angus
Mcdonald; c. Wilson; NJ McSorley The
bodies OF three men and one woman are
| unidentified. All are SO badly burned that
| recognition is almost impossible.
Building n Mere Shell of Wood.
The West Street hotel occupied the mp
per noor of two-story corrugated iron
building that covers a quarter of a block
OF ground at Columbia and West streets,
one block from the Northern Pacific sta
| ton and near the business center Of the
city. The building was a mere shell Of
| wood covered with iron. There were
| several exhits to the street, but they were
| narrow. The halls were narrow and the
| rooms small. Wholesale business houses
occupied the first floor. The fire was un-
doubtedly caused by the explosion of a
lamp in the kitchen The proprietor's
son was aroused by the noise Of the ex-
plosion about l O'Clock, but before he
could investigate the flames hal spread all
| through the house. The corrugated iron
shecting kept the flames hid until nearly
| the whole interior was furnace. The
thin partitions Were of rcsinous pine COW
cred with cheesccloth and burned furi-
ously.
Horrible Scenes Inside the House.
n number of people were rescued from
the windows by the fremcn, aud when the
fire was under control the lookers-on
thought everybody was safe. But on en-
tcring the building the firemen found
that this was a terrible mistake. The
building was dead house. Corpscs were
everywhere, and in short time fifteen
were found. Most OF the bodies were left
where they lay until daylight in the hope
that the proprietor might identify them
by locating the room on the register, for
every body except two was charred beyond
possible recognition. One poor fellow was
caught in the rush of the conflagration
near the top of the West street stairway
and sank down overcome with smoke and
flames. The iiremcn fought to keep the
fire away from his body, but We're driven
back.
Some of the Sights Witnessed.
In one Of the Railways body. charred
blackencd and IA vestigc was found A
little farther on in the same passage way
was another body, evidently that of a
woman, face upwards and hand 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 charrcd and burned bones
lay around il. In another hall or passage
way was a body. 1t was evidently that
of an aged woman. Her body was fear
fully contortcd and her face was upward
and the form presented was of one who
had died in the most violent agony.
The Snd,lcst Sights of All.
The saddcst sight of all was found in an
inside room of the passagcway which led
to West street. There calmly lying in IA
charred and blachcned bed was evidently
an entire family. The father Law on one
side, the wife next to him, and little
burned and blackencd arm, the flesh fall
ing in shreds from it, the small fingers
clutchcd, showed that a little child was
among the victims. In an adjoining
room was a still more horrible sight. In
a corner of a small room two charred and
naked skeletons met the gaze OF tookers.
The clothing was burned from each and
the first, that of man with blackened
stumps of arms, seemed to be fighting an
impending danger. Immediately beyond
him, sitting upright and clutching her
waist, Was the skeleton of woman
1t would require columns to graphically
describe what the firemen saw that told
of agonizinE death. The arrangement of
the halls of the hotel made such laby-
rinth that in the day time one unfamiliar
with the place would have had difficulty
in finding his was about without several
attempts, and as the halls were filled
with smoke there was little chance for
any of them to make their way out before
suffocating. Some of the dodgers were
asleep and were overtaken in bed, while
others rushed into the halls and were suf-
located and burned.