Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-11-24

jured and missing so far as known Is
as follows:
DEAD.
Captain J. L. White, San Francisco,
capitalist.
Lewis Myers, skagway, Alaska, mer-
chant.
F. P. Noon, st. Louis, Mo-, both
ankles broken.
George Huber, San Francisco, cut
about body.
Miss Bridget Mitchell, San Francisco,
badly bruised.
Fire Marshal Towe, San Francisco,
cut about head.
MISSING.
j. NJ. Leighard, San Francisco, pIrser
steamer City of Sidney.
F. Weatherbee and wife, Haverhill,
Mass.
Tats Pryor, of st. Louis.
F. R. Andrews, cashier cafe.
Fred Webster.
Two chambermaids.
John Carter race track judge.
Thomas Berkey, assessor Sacrament
to county, Cal, and wife.
The financial losses are very far
reaching, almost every branch of COM
mercial trade being directly affected.
The ground floor OF the hotel was di-
vlded into a number of large stores,
and few of their occupants saved any,
thing worth mentioning, the majority
reporting total losses.
There were 500 people, guests
and employees, in the hotel when the
fire broke out, and a number of these
people are thought to have lost their
lives. A. j. White is one of the vic
the gallant fellow saved the lives Of
three women. The fire is said TO have
started in the kitchen, located in the
basement on the Ellis street side. The
fire worked its way up through the flue
to the sixth floor and before the first
alarm was sent in the fire had gained
followed by others in rapid succession
until five calls had been sent in, sum-
moning every piece of apparatus at the
command of the department. ThOus-
ands of people were attracted by the
succession of alarms, and the glare
from the burning building and before
the police stretched ropes. almost
blockaded Market, Eddy, Powell and
Ellis streets.
For years the Baldwin has been re-
garded by the fire department as the
MOST DANGEROUS FIRE TRAP
in San Francisco. Built of wood, six
stories high, with narrow and tortuous
Railways, it is a wonder that half of
the people in the hotel this morning
escaped. They were slow TO waken.
Many were dazed and supplied by
smoke when the police. the firemen and
hotel employees, hurrying through the
Railways, kicked open doors and noti-
fed the people of their great danger.
When they managed to reach the win
dows and fire escapes there were no
ladders. Many attempted to jump
from the windows to the streets, but
were warned not to do so by the crowds
below. Then the firemen got up their
ladders and commenced taking people
to the ground, rescuing many in this
manner.
In the interior of the hotel an ex-
plosion in the theatre caused that por-
ton of the building
TO CAVE IN.
This explosion also extinguished the
electric lights throughout the building.
There were many people in the upper
halls and corridors at that time, and
fireman and policemen were trying to
lead them to the Market and Powell
kstreet windows. The entire top of the
otel was a blazing mass. Those in
e street below could see through the
Is in the smoke along the attic corn
De forms of men and women crouch
e and clinging to the wood work,
hitch was already beginning TO smoul-
Ter.
Streams from thirty engines were be-
ng poured upon the blazing building
rom every point of vantage, but with
out any apparent effect Explosion
>followed explosion. The roof of the
building collapsed. taking with it back
70 the building q number Of those