The herald., 1898-11-24

Five years ago Miss Richardson, as pre-
cautlonary measure in just such an emer-
gency, procured lengthy rope, long enough
to reach from her room to the street. When
the alarm was given, Miss Richardson, with
the assistance of Gussie johnson, her chum,
secured the rope to piece of heavy furni-
ture and threw the free end out of the win-
dow. The girls were about to make the de-
scent when three lady guests rushed into
the room and begged to be saved.
TWO BRAVE GIRLS
The two brave girls gave precedence to the
guests, and then Miss johnson took her po-
sltion 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 Captain White, who occupied room
on that floor, called to her appealingly, beg
ging her not to jump. Miss Richardson
stopped and begged the captain to take her
place on the line. This he refused to do,
and only after dnt of much persuasion could
he induce Miss Richardson to save herself,
promising to follow in her wake. Miss
Richardson reached terra frma in safety,
and Captain White launched himself in the
air, when suddenly the rope broke, and he
fell to the ground below, distance of nearly
a hundred feet. The rope, weakened by the
strain to which it had been subjected, and
chafed by the contact with the window
sills, which had become intensely hot, could
not stand the strain of Captain Whites
weight, and broke.
DIED FROM THE SHOCK
The other known death was that of Lewis
Myers, merchant of Skaguay, Alaska,
who was in this city on business connected
with his Alaskan store. Mr.. Myers, who
r was 63 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.
The most sanguine hopes are expressed
that the loss of life will not be added to, but
the indications are that the death roll must
increase. The police department is busy
compiling list of the guests and checking
them off as fast as they are reported safe.
: Manager Lake of the hotel feels certain that
all of the employees have been saved though
= two chambermaids are missing.
1 INSURANCE SMALL
: When seen by an Associated Press repre-
: sentative, L. j. Baldwin, proprietor and
e owner of the hotel, said that he could not
e figure up his losses for several days yet but
! said that the insurance was light in COM
parison to the loss. Owing to the extremely
heavy insurance rate charged on the build
ing and contents, he carried but little pro-
lection on his property and the high rate
= also prevented tenants OF the ground floor
, stores from securing their stock heavily
;, The insurance on the building may reach
!. 100000 and $4,000 of this is divided among
sixteen companies, the National of Hart
ford being the heaviest loser among the COM
u panies, $1,000 being carried with this con-
e Germ. The insurance on the contents of the
fnp n--
6O0 and is divided among twenty-three
- companies, the National of Hartford being
responsible for another $500.
QUENCHING THE EMBERS
Late this afternoon the fire engines were
being withdrawn from the scene, only one
: or two streams being left to subdue any fire
That may break out among the debris.
l. Estimates of Loss
y SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 23-A careful
:. estimate of the loss by the Baldwin hotel
s fire places the total at 81, 800 900, on which
l. at the outside there was not over sl5O, 600
insurance. Thd insurance, $4,000, carried
or the hotel, was ridiculously small. The
d reason for this lay in the high rate charged
= and the fact that the underwriters did nov
+ care to carry large line on such building
d built OF wood, with no brick dividing walls,
Il and but one outside wall of brick. The in
d surance on the stocks OF goods in the burned
J. stores and their fittings amounts to S72, $50.
S George A. Moss carried $22S00, Hylnan &
e Myers s30,50O Isaac Grant of the drug store
e $1,000, j. j. Groom, S3000 Moses A. Gunst
Il & Co. $4,000; j. Edlin $500, and smaller
/ sums were carried by other tenants. The
: smoke and water damage in the adjoining
= building was $4,000, so that Sl50,000 will
cover the insurance loss.
ACCOUNTED FOR
;, All the employees of the Baldwin hotel
! have now been accounted for, and late to-
= night there have been no developments to
A materially change the list Of dead, injured
and missing already given. 1t will be many
days before a complete search of the ruins
h can be completed and in the meantime the
q friends of those reported missing will spend
/ anxious hours.
V Tate Pryor, the racing book writer, at
d first supposed to have been lost was seen
# by some of his friends today but it seems
It almost certain that John Carter the well
n known race track judge, has perished. He
has not been seen around his usual haunts
n and is known to have slept in the hotel on
f. the night OF the fire
> huuJ stOiltS VI IdliON tScuJtS are tOl0,
l. but in each the experience was virtually the
o same: A sudden awakening from sumber, :
!. followed by wild dash for the open door,.
Madge Morris Wagner, the poetess, was one
of the last to leave the fatal fifth story.
o Just as She accompanied by her little daugt-
), ter and her husband, Herr Wagner, reached
!, the grand staircase she heard great crash
= and knew the fifth story was no more
h J. G. Walker, capitalist of Fresno, with
his wife and daughter Lottie, was among the
: fotunates who escaped with their clothes on.
s They had even time to go down on the ele-
vator. Mrs. Walker regretted last night the
$ loss of her wardrobe, valued at $4,000.
E DR.. J. Goodwin Thompson Of Qskdala