The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-28
Halls Of the Building Narrow ana
Labyrinthian, and a Puzzle to
Guests Even I'm Daylight.
HOW THE VICTIMS DIED
SCENES IN THE ROOMS WHERE THE
BODIES WE'RE FOUND.
Wharf Fire at Pensacola and Loss of
$I25, Building
"a New York Gutted.

SEATTLE, Wash, Oct. 27.-Sixteen per-
sons-ten men, three women and three
ctildren-were burned to death In the West
street Hotel about / O'Clock this morning.
Thirteen bodies have been identified. They
are:
MRS oTTERMAN. of California, aged
ANDREW orTERMAN. her SON. aged
MRS ]. w. HUFFMAN, wife of a farme,
of Fall City, Wash.
MRS. j. II. HANCOCK, OF Rolfe, Ia-
and her three children. two girls aged six
and two years. and boy aged four.
JOHN F. ANDERSON, aged twenty.
F. BALLMAN.
GNGHs &. GHshFf MboNAEp. 5 lzfI5er
G.. WILSON.
NJ. MSORLEY.
The hotel occupied the upper floor or q
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 depot and near the
business center of the city. The building
was a mere shell of wood covered with
iron. There were several exits, but they
were narrow. The hotel being near the
railroad depot and cheap house, was
much patronized by country people. The
fire was undoubtedly caused by the explo-
sion Of lamp in the kitchen. Before any
warning could be given the flames spread
through the house. The corrugated iron
sheeting kept the flames hid until nearly
the whole interior was a furnace. 1t was
not until flames were seen in the windows
that an alarm was turned in When the
iremen arrived the fire did not present an
alarming aspect and the people at the win
dows were rescued with ladders. Three
men jumped and escaped with severe
bruises and some broken bones. The fire.
men played water through the windows
and were reinforced by the fire boat
AT 2:b a. m. the fire was under control
and the fremen were able to enter the shell
OF iron. At the head of the stairs at the
West-street entrance they found the body
of a man pinned to the floor by portions Of
bed. Continuing the search the fremen
discovered corpse after corpse. until at
o'clock they had counted fifteen. Subse-
quently another was discovered. Most of
the bodies were left where they lay until
daylight in hope the proprietor might
identify them by locating the room on the
register, for every one but two were
charred beyond recognition. One poor fell
low was caught in the rush OF the con-
fiagration near the top of the West-street
stairs and sank down overcome with the
smoke. The firemen fought to keep the fire
from his body, but were driven back. In
one of the Railways a body charred and
without bit of clothing was found A lt-
tie further on In the same passage was an
other body, evidently that Of woman,
face upwards and hands stretched as IL
fighting for her life and appealing for as
sistance which never came. There was lit
tie left of the woman's form, for part OF
the body was charred and the burned bones
lay around IL. In another hall was the
body of an aged woman, fearfully comfort.
ed. face upward and presented the appear
ance of one who had died in the most hor-
rible agony.
The saddest sight of all was found in an
inside room off a hall leading to West
There. calmly lying in a charred and
blackened bed, was 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 ii. the
small fingers clutched, showed that a little
child among the victims. In adj
joining room was a still more horrible
sight. In a corner of a 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 a
man with blackened stumps of arms.
seemed to be fighting an impending dam
ger. Immediately beyond him. also upright
and clutching her waist, was the skeleton
of a woman. Startled. they had risen from
their bed. the smoke and flames had rushed
on them and before they had realized their
awful danger they were overcome and met
the most horrible OF deaths In a portion
stroy the woodwork the bodies OF two more
were found. One man was dressed and the
other was in his night clothes. They were
suffocated. In the corner Of room where
the upper parts of the walls are burned
away is an unburned spot on the floor and
on both the corner walls. In a place
against the wall sat wife, dead her arms
around her dead husband who sat before
her on the floor. his eyes burned out and
her hands burned of. All the bodies were
taken to the morgue this morning in boxes
or canvass sacks. AS the rigor OF death
had long before set in 1t was almost i'm
possible to straighten out the distorted
limbs OF some of the dead.
The arrangements OF the halls OF the ho-
| tel made such labyrinth that In the day.
time one unfamiliar with the place would
have had difficulty in finding his way about
and as the halls were filled with smoke
there little chance for any OF the un-
fortunates to make their way out
| fortunate to make their way out Late to-
night all but three OF the bodies had been
| identified.
The financial loss is less than $4,000 well
insured. The building belonged to J. NJ
| Coleman. who loses 5000. The other losers
| are: c. G. Sanborn, grocer; William +,
| Butler. proprietor of the hotel: the Hill
Svrup Company and the California Commits