The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-04-09
COMPLICATION Ar KNoxrILAE.
Several Persons Killed and Large Num-
Der Injured.


the history of Knoxville has the city
suffered such q loss by fire as it did
to-day. The very heart of the city, in
Guiding some of the largest wholesale
and retail business houses in the south
was destroyed. The loss is variously
estimated at from one to one and a half
million dollars, with about go per cent.
of insurance. D
The loss of life is very uncertain, as
the register of the Hotel Knox, in
which tifty-six persons We're sleeping,
was burned. The proprietor of the
hotel says that he had five or six guests
who have not put in an appearance.
A. E. Weeks of Locke, N. Y, a drum
mer for a Rochester stamping com
pany, is known to have perished in the
flames. R. w. Hopkins, st. Louis
drummer, was last seen in the burning
building in suffocating condition. A
man named Robinson from Pulaski,
Tenn, is also supposed to be a victim.
w. H. Kephart, ex-secretary of the
chamber of commerce, saved the life of
John Boyle, an old farmer, by dragging
him to a window and letting him out
on the roof of another building. KEEP
hart jumped one story and was injured,
Wha, tho 6rar,a,, +bo,,ob+ oil tha in
mates of the hotel had escaped wo-
man with an infant in her arms rushed
to a rear window and screamed for
help. A net was quickly stretched and
the woman was asked to drop the child
her she told them that if one had to
die both would die. The woman was
finally rescued by the flremen. From
the hotel building, which was five sto-
ries high, the fire spread east and west.
A stiff wind made the flames very ugly.
In the wholesale harware house of w.
w. Woodruff & Goa dynamite explo-
eioIl oSSul Ieu oiu SSOleS VI pclSuilS
were hurt by flying bricks and glass,
1t became necessary at last to have
the walls of one building blown by
cannon to check the sperad of the fire.
A mountain howitzer of the Knoxville
Legion was called into play and load
of canisters did the work, at the same
time tearing up some residences in diff
ferent portions of the city. The city
authorities realizing that the fire de-
partment was unable to conquer the
flames, telegraphed to Chattanooga for
assistance. An engine was placed
aboard a flat car on the Southern Rail
way and started the run of Ill miles,
which was made by Engineer Robbins
in 115 minutes, with one stop for water,
breaking the record. When the engine
arrived the fire was about under con-
troll, yet the Chattanooga boys did
some good work
A cabinet maker P. c. Dyer fell dead
on the street from fright A large force
of men is at work clearing away the
debris tonight and searching for the
bodies.
The street car lines are completely
tied up and all the electric companies
have suffered. One Knoxville architect
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
1t is more than probable that J. C. M.
Boyle, the old gentleman hurt, will die
He inhaled flames. The last man to
leave the burning hotel says that he is
positive that five or six persons were
burned. He ran over three or four men
in the Railways, who were suffocated.
j. M. Dean of Kansas City, who
jumped from the burning building, told
a thrilling story of his escape. He
started out with only his night shirt
on and had that torn off before he
reached the street. The T. P. A. local
post took care of all the drummers. w.
I'll. Mitchell of Abingdon, Va, jumped
from the building to the bank build
gage master, came down from the fifth
story hand over hand on the water
pipes before the fire engines arrived.
Only one of the guests saved any of his
effects. The list of dead and injured so
far reported is as follows:
Dead-A. E. Weeks, Locke, N. y; R.
w. Hopkins, st. Louis Mo-; - Robin
son, Pulaski, Tenn; S. E. Williams,
Springfield, Mass.
Injured-J. c. M. Boyle, Tennessee,
burned, will die; D. M. Dean, Indian
apolis, ankle sprained; Tom S. Peck,
Morristown, Tenn. ankle cut and
sprained; Lieut.. Hood of Knoxville, cut
on face and head by glass from explo-
sion; Claude Harris, Knoxville, cut in
dozen places; Policeman Asouith.
burned and cut by flying glass; Police
man Duncan, madly burned: Fire Chief
Mcintosh, bruised from fall; w. H.
Kephart, Knoxville, internally hurt.