The record-union., 1897-04-09
Entailing Loss of Probably a Million
and Half Dollars.
Four People Known to Have Perished
in the Flames, While it is Be-
lieved Several More Bodies Will be
Found in the Ruins When the
Search is COmpleted-A Number of
Other People Were Also Badly
Injured.
Injured.


the city suffered such a loss by fire as
it did to-day, following the breaking
out of flames at an early hour this
morning in grocery store adjoining
the big Knoxville Hotel. The hotel and
adjoining buildings were soon in flames,
and the heart of the city, including
some of the largest wholesale and re-
tail business houses in the South,
We're destroyed. The loss is variously
estimated at from one to one and a
half-mllion dollars, with about 60 per
cent. of insurance.
The loss of life is very uncertain, as
the register of the hotel in which fifty
six people We're sleeping was burned.
The proprietor Of the hotel says he had
five or sly, guests who have not put in
an appearance. a. e. Weeks of Locke.
n. Y, drummer for a Rochester stamp
ing company, is known to have persisted
in the. flames. r. w. Hopkins, a St
Louis drummer was last seen in the
burning building in q suff0cating con-
dition. ". II. Keppart, ex-Secretary of
the Chamber of Commerce, saved the
life of John Boyle, an old farmer, by
dragging him to q, window and letting
him out OH the roof of another build
ing. Keppart jumped one story, and
was injured.
When the firemen thought all the in
mates of the hotel had escaped, a
woman with an infant in her arms
rushed to the rear windows and
screamed for help. A net was quickly
stretched and the woman asked to drop
the child out, but, as the smoke almost
oh Ior CHI toll a
one had to die both would die. The
woman was finally rescued by the fire.
men.
From the hotel building, which is five
stories, the fire spread rapidly. A stiff
wind made the flames very ugly, and
the fire department was inadequate. In
the wholesale hardware house of w.
w. Woodruff & Co. a large dynamite
explosion occurred, and scores of peo-
pie were hurt by flying brick and glass.
1t became necessary at last to have
the walls of one building blown down
by cannon to stop the mad career of
the fire. A mountain howitzer of the
Knoxville Legion was called into play
and load of canister did the work, at
the same time tearing up some resi-
dences in a different portion of the
city.
The city authorities, realizing that
the fire del artment was unable to con-
quer the flames. telegraphed to Chat
tanooga for assistance. An engine was
placed aboard fiat car and started the
run of Iii miles, which was made by
Engineer Robbins in 100 minutes
breaking the record. When the engine
arrived mere the fire was about under
control, set the Chattanooga boys did
some good work.
x cabinetmaker named P. G. Dyer
fell dead on the street from fright. A
man named Robinson from Pulaski,
Tenn, is supposed to be another victim.
He was registered at the hotel and has
not shown up.
A large force of men is at work clear
ing the debris tonight and searching
the ruins. Street traffic is entirely sus-
pended.
Knoxville architects received orders
to-day for plans for eleven buildings to
take the places of the ones burned. All
the buildings are to be replaced at
once
The principal losses given tonight
are as follows: McNulty Grocery Com
pany, stock $4,000, on building $40
900; Hotel Knoxville, furniture and fix
lures, $12 1000; Daniel Briscoe, Brothers
& Co, dry goods, stock $500. 900, on
building, $40,0 00 McNulty e McGhee,
building $4,000; S. 3. Newman & Co.,
printers, $40, 900; w. w Woodruff &
Co, hardware. stock $4,000; Cullen &,
Newman, queensware $4,000; J. c.
Cullen, building $4,000; Henegar,
Doyle & Arnold, clothing, $4,000; NJ.
D. Arnold building $4,000; NJ. L. Ross
& Co., groceries, stock 100000, on
building $4,000; w. w. Woodruff &
Co, hardware, on stock 100000, on
building $4,000; Murphy & Robinson,
hats. S23 900; A. P. Lahr dry goods,
$40 900; r. S. Payne, building $50 600;
Steerchi Brothers, furniture. $50. 000 c.
b. McGhee, building 900; Sanford,
Chamberlain & Albers, drugs, stock
$40, 900, building $4,000: Cusick sta
bles, $4,000; E. f. Mcmillan. building,
$4,000
The list of the dead and injured, so
far reported, is as follows:
The dead: A. z. Weeks, Locke, n.
Y; r. w. Hopkins, st. Louis Robinson,
Pulaski. Tenn; S. e. Williams, Spring
Injured: j. c. Boyle Tennessee. burn
ed; D. NJ. Dean, Indianapolis, ankle
sprained: Tom S. Peck, Morrstown,
Tenn, ankle cut and spraned; Lieuten-
ant Hood, Knoxville police, cut on face
and head by glass from explosion;
Claude Harris, Knoxville, cut in dozen
places; Policeman Asquith, burned and
cut by flying glass: Policeman Duncan,
badly burned, and was carried home:
Fire Chief Mcintosh, bruised from fall:
w. Fl. Keppart, Knoxville, internally
hurt.
In addition to the destruction of sew
eral smaller buildings and losses to
small dealers, heavy losses to plate
glass were caused by an intense
heat and water.
It is more than probable that ]. G.
Boyle, the old gentleman hurt in the
hotel, will die. He inhaled flames, and
cannot speak nor swallow
The last man to leave the burning ho-
tel says that he has positive proof that