The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1894-11-01
Sixteen Guests il Seattle Hote
Lost Their Lives.
THE BUILDING WAS A FlRETRAP
The Fire Is Thought "a Have Origin
nted From the Explosion orr
Lamp la the Kitchen.

ren-were burned TO death In the West
Street hotel early this morning. Thir-
teen bodies have been identified. They
are:
Mrs. Oslerman, of California, aged
go; Andrew Olterman. her son, aged
Is; Mrs. J. w. Huffman, wife of a we'll
known farmer OF Fall City, Wash.
Mrs. j. II. lIancher, of Role, Iowa,
and her three children; John +. An
derson, aged 2S; f. Ballman; Z. Gtahn.
laboref; Angus Mcdonald, c. VIII
son, NJ. McSorley.
The Hotel Fire Trar.
The West St rect house occupied the
upper floor of a two-story corrugated
iron building that covers quarter OF
block of ground ut Columbia and
West streets, one block from the North
ern Pacific depot. and near the busl-
ness center OF the city. The building
was mere shell of wood, covered with
iron. There were several exits TO the
street, but they were narrow. The fire
was undoubtedly caused by the explo-
sion of lamp IN the kitchen. The
corrugated iron sheeting kept the
danes hid until nearly the whole in
terror was furnace. The thin parIi
tons were of resinous pine, covered
VITA cheesc-cloih, and burned furl-
ously.
1t was not until the flames were seen
burning IN The windows by people in
the street that the alarm Of fire was
turned In. When the firemen arrived
the fire did not present an alarming az.
pect. People ut the windows were
rescued with ladders and boards, some
esca ping with hardly any clothes. ID.
b. Glass, Edward Havelin and G. b.
johnson jumped to the ground and
were Injured so badly that they were
taken to tie hospital. All will recover.
The crowd In the street then supposed
all the dodgers had escaped. The fire.
men played water through the win
dows aud we've reinforced by the fire.
boat the building being ouly short
distance from the water trout.
Di covered the Bodies.
( At 2:45 a. M. the fire was under con-
troll and the firemel were aLle TO enter
/ the shell of iron. AT the stairs tley
found the body oil man. pinned 10 tie
floor BY the ruins of Il bed. lie had
apparently just heard the alarm and
was dressing when overcome 10y smoke
and suffucated, for the only clothing
he had on was his trousers and boots
The body was terribly burned. Con.
tinuing their search the firemen dis
covered CORPSE alter corpse, until at
o'clock they had counted 10. Subse
quently another wa, found. Most o
tie bodies were lett where they lay
until daylight in The hope that the
proprietor might identify them ~
Locating the room on the register
for all the bodies except two wer.
charred beyond possibility Of recogni
ton.
In one Of the Railways body
charred black and without ves,ige o
clothing, was found. little fur!he
on in the Same pussageway was anoth
er body, evidently that Of woman
with face upward and hands out
stretched as if fighting for her life
There was little left of the womaL'
and burned bones lay around it. Ii
, another hall or passageway was All
other body, eylde nlly that Of an ago
woman. Her body was fearfuliy cou
torted, the burned arms and hand
were uplifled, and in one blackene
, hand was II handful of hair, as II sh
8 Ia her agony had clutcbed 1t in despai
" hen the fire came upon her.
The saddest Sight of All.
TIE saddest sight of all was found /
an side room, oil the passagewa
which led 10 West street. Their,
, - calmly lying in the charred and blacl
+ ened bed, was evidently an entire fan
5 lily. The father lay on one side, III
= wife next to him and little burne
n and blackened arm, the flesh falling |
Y slreds from it, The small fingel
clu ched, showed that a little chill
was among the victims.
In all adjoining room was still MOI
:, horrible sight. In a corner of O sma
inside room two charred and make
V skeletons met the gnze. The flesh ";
!, burned from each and the first, that
r man, with blackened slumps
W arms, seemed to be fighting lmpenGin
al I Jan gtIs ICY Oud mn
II ul.o bolt upright aud cluiching l.
walls, was skeleton of a womal
Startled, they had risen from the
couch, the smoke and flames hl
rushed in upon them and before the
had rea'iz their awful danger The
were overpowered aud met most ho
II rib,e death.
= In the portion of the hotel where Il
Y, flames did not destroy the woodwor
is The bodies of two more were foun
IA One man was completely dressed al
~ another was 10 his nightclothes. The
: were sufiocated by the smoke.
(. Terrible Scenes After the Fire.
ID In some of the ruined rooms at Il
y, end of the narrow hall, where one mi
d was found dead. is white streak I
&c The wall, untarnished by smoke, Ike
- thus by the upraised arm of this V.
~ tim, where that arm rested against {
wall when, in the Inst struggle,
reached upward for help in his awl
~ agony. In the corner OF the roc
an where the upper parts Of tile walls Q
49, burned away Is an enormous spot u
20 on the floor and on both corner wal
he In that place. against the wall. sat l
wife, dend, her Rrme about The waist