The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-24
Big FIRE At FRISCO
THE BALDWIN HOTEL, Is NOW A..
sMOULDERING MASS OF
RUINS
LOSS OF LIFE is SMALL

But Two Known Victims, Though
Several Persons Are Unaecounted
For-Amons the Latter Is a
Famous Race Track Judge, j. j.
Carter-An Alaska Merchant
Drops Dead From Fright.
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 23.-The
baldwin hotel, for almost thirty years
one OF the principal land marks of San
francisco, is no more A fire which
broke out in the east end Of the build
ings. shortly after o'clock this morn
ing, supposedly in the property room of
the Baldwin theatar, totally destroy
ed the immense structure, entailing a
financial loss Of nearly 81. SOC. 900. be-
sides destroying property that no
amount Of money or science can re-
place.
The loss of life, so far as reported.
has been miraculously light, but two
deaths having occurred as far as
known. The loss OF dead, injured and
missing, as Tar as known is as follows:
CAPTAIN J. l. WHITE. San Francisco.
LEWIS MYERS. skagway, Alaska, merch-
ant.
Injured:
F; P. Noon. St. Louis. No.. both ankles
George Hnber. San Francisco, cut about
body.
Miss Bridget Mitchell, San Francisco, badly
bruised.
Fire Marshall Towe. San Francisco. cut
about the head.
Missing:
]. NJ. Leighead, San Francisco. purser
steamer, City of Sydney.
Z. Weatherbee and wife. Haverhill, Mass.
Tate Pryor. OF st. Louis.
=. B. Andrews, cashier cafe.
Fred Webster.
Two ehambermaids
John J. Carter. race track judge.
Thomas Berkey and wife. assessor Saera-
mento county, Cal.
FINANCIAL LOSSES.
The financial losses are very far
reaching, almost every branch of COM
rcrcial trade being directly affected.
The ground floor of the hotel was d.
vided into a number of large stores,
and few of their occupants saved
anything worth mentioning, the ma
Jority reporting total losses. Two of
the most handsome cafes in the city
were Quilted, and the stocks destroyed.
The Baldwin theater, the fashionable
amuso menr place of the city, was to-
tally destroyed with the rest of the
building. and the Secret Service"
c0mrany lost all Of its paraphe1naIia
and accouuements. Many Of the mem
bers of the company lost most OF their
belongings. and trunks containing the
official papers CT the company were de-
stroyed.
GUESTS PANIC STRICKEN.
There were upwards of 200 guests in
the hotel when the fire was discovered
and the scene which followed beggars
description. The watchmen, bell boys
and other hotel employees worked nobly
in arousing sleeping residents 1t is
believed that every person in the
building was appraised Of the danger
within ten minutes after the fire broke
out, but runlorS are rife that many Of
those in the east wing, where the
flames were discovered, We're cut off
from escape and lest. How true these
runlors are cannot be told for several
days yet, as many parts of the building
have collapsed, buIying any who may
have been left in the building under the
debris.
Capt. ]. L. White, who occupied a
room on the fourth floor. was killed
while trying to escape by means of a
IcIe which dangled from the fifth floor.
almost to the street below. The rope
had previously done good service, be-
ing the means by which five persons
escaped from the burning building. The
story Of the rope is a thrilling one. For
eight years Kate Richardson has been
an employe Of the hotel, occupying a
room on the fifth floor. Five years ago
Miss Richardson, as a precautionary
measure for just such an emergency,
procured lengthy rope long enough to
reach from her room TO the street.
When the alarm was given Miss Rich
ardSon, with the assistance of Gussie
johnson, a companion, secured the rope
to piece Of heavy furniture and threw
the free eud out of the window. The
two girls were about to make the de-
scent to the pavement when three LADY
guests rushed into the room and begged
tc be saved. The two brave girls gave
precsdence to the guests, and then Miss
johnson took her position ON the rope
and went down hand over hand Miss
Richardson was the last to leave, and
she had gone down but one story when
Capt. White, who occupied room on
that floor, called to her appealingly,
begging her not To jump Miss Richard
son stopped and begged the captain to
take her place on the rope. This he
refused 10 do, and only after dint of
much persuasion could he induce Miss
Richardson to save herself, promising
TO follow in her wake. Miss Richard
SGl TtdGiltQ Tie ground IN SAFETY. and
Capt. White had launched himself in
the air when, suddenly, the rope broke,
and he fell TO the ground below. a dis
lance of nearly 100 feet. The rope.
weakened by the intense strain to
which it had been subjected and worn
by contact with window sills which had
become intensely hot, could not with
stand the strain Of Capt Whites
weight and broke. The other known
death was that of Louis Myers, a mer-
chant of Skaguay, Alaska, VITO was in
this city ON business connected with
his Alaska store. Mr.. Myers, who was
sixty-eig1t years Of age. had been
safely rescued. but the shock had been
so great that his heart, weakened by
fright and Old age could not stand the
strain, and he died.
SUMMING UP LOSSES.
The most sanguine hopes are express
ed that the loss of life VIII not be add
ed to, but the indications are that the
death roll must increase. The police de-
partment is busy computing a list of
the guests and checking them of as
fast as they are reported safe. Man
ager Lake, Of the hotel, feels certain
that all Of the eInploves have been
saved, though two chambermaids are
missing.