Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1897-04-09
HOLOCAUST
Knoxville tennessee Burned
Flames Defy the Firemen 10 Spite
of Their Utmost Efforts

day, in a grocery store adjoining the
big Knox hotel. The hotel and adjoiu'
ing buildings we're soon in flames and
The very heart of the city, including
some OF the largert wholesale and re-
tail business houses in the South
were destroyed. The loss Is e. mated
at from o. 5000 0 to 1000 with
about 60 per cent, Of INSURANCE.
The loss of life is uncertain, as tie
register Of he hotel, in which fifty
six people we're sleeping, was burned.
The proprietor Of the hotel sa's had
fye or six guests vino have not put 10
an appearance. A. Z Weeks, oi
Locke, \. y, drummer from Roch-
ester stamping company. is known to
have perished in the flames. r. W.
Hopkins. st. Louis drummer, Was
last seen 10 the burning building in a
sufTmating condition. W. II. KEEP
part. ex-secretary OF the chamber Of
commerce, saved the life Of John
Boyle, an old farmer, by dragging him
toa window and letting him out on
the ru1f Of another building, Keppart
in.np.d one story and was uninjured.
When the tiremen thought all the
inmates ~ the hotel had escaped, a
woman. with an infant Ia her arms,
rushed TO the rear window and
s.reamed for help. A net was
stretched and the woman was aske d
70 drop the child out, but as the
smoke chOked she told them II some
one had 70 die, both would die. The
waman was finally rescued by the
firemen.
From the hotel. which is five sto-
ries high, the fire spread rapidly, a
stiff wind made the flames very ugly,
and the fire department was very in-
adequate. In the wholesale house Of
w. w. Woodruff & Co, large dyna-
mite explosion occurred and scores OF
people were hurt by flying brick and
glass. IL became necessary at last TO
have the walls OF one building blown
down by cannon to stop the mad ca
reer OF the fire.
The city authorities, realizing that
the fire department was unable TO con-
quer the flames, telegraphed to Chat
tanooga for assistance. An engine
was placed aboard fiat car AMI
star ted on the run OF III miles, which
was made by Engineer Robbins in 100
minutes, breaking the record.
A cabinet maker named =. G.. Dyer,
fell dead on the street from fright. A
man named Robinson, from Pulaski,
Tenn, is supposed to be another vic
tim. He was registered at the hotel
and has not been seen. A large force
OF men Is at work clearing the debris
aud searching the ruins. Street
tratiic Is entirely suspended,
Knoxville architects received orders
today for eleven buildings TO take the
place Of the ones burned. All the
building are 10 be replaced at once,
The losses gwen amount 10 81, 100,
600
In addition to the destruction OF sew
eral smalle. buildings, and the loss TO
sma dealers, heavy losses TO plate
glass were caused by the intense heat
and water.
IL Is more than probably that j C..
Boglc, the old gentleman who was
hurt la a fall, will die. lie inhaled
flames and cannot speak nor swallow.
The last man 10 leave the burning
hotel says he has positive proof that
five or six persons were burned, lie
ran over three or four men In the ball.
way Who were suifocaied. johnson,
a railroad baggage agent, came down
from the nth story OF the hotel hand
over hand on the water pipes, before
the first engines arrived, Only one of
the guests saved any Of his effects.
List OF dead, 81 far as reported, is as
follows;
Many of the largest wholesale
houses In the city were burned
The entire hlek between Union
and Reservoir Long and Gay streets,
with the excerilen OF the McGee
building, on one end, the handsomest