The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-24
INCIDENTAL TO
THE CONFEDERATION
Remarkable Fortitude of
Women in the Burning
Building.


| with his wife and daughter, Miss Lotto
! Ruth Walker. occupied rooms on the fifth
floor. Mrs. Walker, Thoughtful Of the ad
| vanced age of her husband. urged him tt
hurry on before her and their daughter
Mrs. Walker, with unusual fortitude
! stopped to dress, and Miss Walker not
! only got her clothes on, but managed to
save her sealskin sack. Mr.. and Mrs
! Walker were carried down to the land
! ing on the elevator.
The Walkers were on their way to Hon.
olulu and lost property worth $1,000.
Miss Minnie Sullivan and Miss Emily
Won Blomberg, both chambermads in the
hotel, occupied adjoining apartments in
the cunola at the Powell and Ellis street
end of the hotel. Miss Sullivan mourns
the loss of all her personal effects and a
trunk containing $500, the accumulated
earnings of many years of service.
Miss Katie Hart, Miss Kate Richardson
and Miss Gussie Johnson, the three
young women who owe their lives to the
bravery of ]. l.. White, escaped without
a scratch.
The first stuff removed from the burned
building were the trunks and valuables
of Mrs t. c. Black and Mrs Jones, who
occupied room 102. About $1,000 worth of
jewelry was recovered, and a sack con-
tanning nuggets and gold coin to the
value of $500 was found in a locker.
Starter James Caldwell was heavy loser
by the fire He escaped with nothing but
an old suit leaving behind $40 in coin and
a small fortune In jeWelry.
John Morrisey, manager of the Orpheu-l
Theater, occupied a room on the Powell
and Market street corner of the baldwin
Hotel and when the fire broke out had
an experience which he does not care to
have repeated. At first BE did not re-
spond to a call, but an oticer directed a
man to stand at the door or his room and
see that he was safely out of the building.
AS he assisted his wife along the corridor
the flames broke through the walls, and
for a moment 1t seemed as If every avenue
of escape had been closed. Plotted by q
messenger boy he finally made his way
to the entrance.
SO 600" he said. There were articles
destroyed which had been the result of
years of search and travel. We saved
practically nothing
Charles Alderman, of the law firm of
Naphtaly, Fredenrich & Alderman, esti-
mated his loss at 5000 all of the family
oil paintings, bric-a-brac, Jewelry, cloth
ing of himself, wife and children, besides
his library and other property went up
in smoke.
r g. Howard of the Central station the
roomers on the third floor owe their lives.
Howard was on his beat on Webster
tentfon and on looking eastward he saw
the sky light up with the reflection of the
burning building. On arriving at the hotel
he AT once dashed into the building, and
finding no person giving the alarm on the
third floor ran along the hallway and
kicked on every uoor
During the afternoon and while the men
from the fire patrol were searching the
burnt building for sueh property as had
not been destroyed Fire Marshal Towe
found in one of the rooms a hand satcheI
ench as might be carried by a physician
Among its contents, In which there was a
small sum of money, was card with the
name of DIR. j. Stow Ballard, 610 Hyde
telephone number, E 306.' DR.. Ballard
said the satchel was not his, nor did he
know to whom 1t did belong; he had not
been staying at the Baldwin Hotel
One of the fortunate individuals who re-
covered his property before the fire
reached his room was Jack Quinn the
horsenan. When aroused from sleep he
rushed to the street without stopping to
dress or secure his valuables. When he
reached the office he remembered a large
sum of money he had left In his trunk and
offered 500 reward for its recovery. The
night porter of the hotel rushed up the
stairs through the smoke to Mr.. Quinn's
room. He got the trunk containing the
money and started back. While the porter
was in the room the fire had gained great
headway in the corridor and he barely
escaped with his life. He reached the top
of the stairs on the second floor and sank
exhausted to the floor. Several men who
heard his cries for help dashed to his res
cue and succeeded in dragging him down
to safety just in the nick Of time.
Barney Schneider the well-known horse
man, occupied room on the third floor
of the Baldwin. fronting on Powell street.
His experience was similar to that of the
other guests, except that he was one of
overcome by smoke before he reached the
stairway. Mr.. Schneider was only scant-
fly attired when he reached the street.
Yesterday afternoon two men climbed up