The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-01-13
Reed Hotel at Ogden Damaged BY
Fire.
GUESTS WERE SCARED
FLED FROM THEIR ROOMS IN
SCANT ATTIRE.
But the Department Soon subdued
the Blaze and No Great Damage
Was Done-Caught From a F1ue
and Communicated to the Air
Sheft.
tspecial to The Herald.l

Ogden, Jan. 13.-Early this morning.
about 1890, fire was discovered in the
Reed hotel, and tremendous excitement
was caused among those in the hotel
All the guests were hastily reused and
many ran from their rooms in their
night clothes. Something like panic
ensued among the guests, and a gem
eral exodus took place from the build
ing.
The fire looked much more dangerous
than it really was. 1t started in a flue
and worked into an air shaft running
the entire height of the building. This
save it draft and this shaft was soon
a great column of flame that ran from
the basement to the top of the building,
and leaped high into the air so that it
could be heard for several blocks. The
people thought the structure was
doomed, not knowing that the fire was
confined to the air shaft
FLAMES SOON CHECKED.
The fremen arrived shortly after the
alarm went in, but their first line of
hose was ineffective, owing, it was said.
to frozen hydrant. Other lines were
laid and the water turned down the
air shaft soon checked the fierceness of
the flames, but volumes of smoke
poured out.
Meanwhile the fire from the air shaft
which was a cavity about two feet
square, had eaten into rooms which
touched it, and these were badly
scorched and smoked. The flames burst
out in the private billiard room of H
c. Bigelow and damaged the contents
good deal. The room of E. F. Bratz,
No. 216, and the room directly over lit
was damaged considerably, as both bor-
dered on the air shaft.
Mr.. Stilwell, manager of the hotel,
was sleeping in a portion of the house
near the fire. He ran out in very much
of an undress suit, and saw to it that
every guest was reused. Some of them
did not need to be awakened, as they
were already very much excited.
SOME OF THE GUESTS.
Among the prominent guests at the
house were the following and their
families: c. n. Strevell, Z. e. Stewart,
George G. THOMPSON D. H Adams. c.
G.Nikirk, H. c. Bigelow. All of these
got out safely, but many were pretty
badly frightened. Miss Jessie Bigelow,
who had thrilling experience at the
Worlds Fair, when she jumped three
stories from q burning hotel was much
unnerved, but for the most part the
regular inmates OF the hotel were out
in good order.
OCOl SC II. OOlSC, d l1COdlIOL, -
A Henry, D. H. Adams and w. H.
Newcome were among the guests who
were in the thick of the fire-fighting.
1t seems there had been a fire in the
flue early in the evening, and Mr.. Still
well called Chief Binford over, to have
him inspect the place. After eXamin-
ing the premises they left, satisfied
that there was no danger, but it seems
there was. as the fire must have been
smouldering at this very time.
THE DAMAGE.
At o'clock the fire was completely
extinguished, the damage being esti-
mated at 81, 800 or $1,000.
There We're about 100 guests asleep in
the hotel at the time the fire was dis
covered, and they appeared in all stages
of undress, dragging their trunks after
them, ard trying to escape from the
burning building.
The cause of the fire is supposed to
be from sparks falling from a burning
chimney into the wooden air shaft An
other theory is that it originated in
the f1ues leading from the boiler room,
the sparks finding their way into the
air shaft, and the flames rapidly work
ing their way uD it. In few minutes
after It was discovered, by the en-
gineer, the roof in the boiler room was
in flames, and as the fire worked it's
way I'D the shaft, rapidly spread on
each floor OF the hotel.