The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-24
Baldwin Hotel
Burned.
SMALL LOSS OF LIFE
One of San Francisco's
Landmarks Gone.

San Francisco, Nov. 23.-The Baldwin
Hotel. for almost 30 years one of the
principal landmarks of San Francisco,
is no more. A fire which broke out in
the east end of the building shortly
after o'clock this morning, supposedly
in the property room of the Baldwin
theatre, totally destroyed the immense
structure, entaiGing a financial loss of
nearly million and a half dollars. The
loss of life so far as reported has been
uliraculously light, but@two deaths HAY
ing occurred as far as known. The dead,
injured and missing so far s~known are
as follows: The dead: Capt ]. L.
White, San Francisco, capitalist; Lewis
Meyers, Skaguay, Alaska, merchant
The injured: F. P Noon of st. Louis,
both ankles broken; George Huber Of
San Francisco. cut about body; Miss
Bridget Mitchell of San Francisco, bad
ly bruised; Fire Marshal ToWe of San
Francisco. cut about head.
The missing: ]. M. Loghead of San
Francisco. purser steamer City of
Sydney; F. Weatherbee and wife of
HaVerhill, Mass. - Frier, racing
book writer; f. r. Andrews, cashier,
cafe; Fred Webster; two chamber
maids; John Carter, race track Judge;
Thomas Berley, assessor, Sacramento,
Cal, and wife.
The financial losses are very heavy,
almost every branch of commercial
trade being directly affected The
ground floor of the hotel was divided
into a number of large stores, and few
Of their occupants saved anything
worth mentioning. the majority report
ing total losses. Two Of the handsomest
cafes in the city were Quilted and their
stocks destroyed. The Baldwin theatre
the fashionable amusement place Of
this city, was totally destroyed with
the rest Of the building, and the Secret
Service Company, headed by William
Gillett, now playing an engagement at
the theatre, lost ali its paraphernalia
and accoutrements.
The flames We're confined to the Bald
win structure. but much adjoining pro
perty was seriously damaged by water
and smoke. The Columbia theatre
building on Powell street on the west
side Of the Baldwin building suffered
considerably, and the basement Of the
Columbia theatre was Quilted and much
valuable theatrical apparatus des-
troyed.
There were upwards Of 300 guests in
the hotel when the fire was discovered,
and the scenes which followed beggars
description. The Watchmen, bell boys
and other hotel employees worked nobly
in arousing sleeping residents. 1t is be-
IIeVed that every person in the building
was appraised Of the danger within ten
minutes after the fire broke out, but
rumors are rife that many of those in
the east wing, where the flames We're
discovered, were cut off from fire es-
capes and lost
How true this rumor is cannot be def
initely told for several days vet. as
many parts of building have collapsed,
burying any who may have been left
in the building under the debris Many
of the guests Of the hotel are eastern
turf men, many of whom lost all their
effects. What the loss of life will be
cannot be stated at this writing. but so
far only two deaths have been reported.
Captain j. L. White, who occupied a
room on the fourth floor was killed
while trying to escape by means of
rope which dangled from the fifth floor
almost TO the street below. The rope
had previously done good service, being
the means by which five persons es-
capped from the burning building. The
story OF the rope is a thrilling one. For
eight years Kate Richardson has been
an employee Of the hotel, occupying a
room on the fifth floor. Five years ago,
Miss Richardson, as a precautionary
measure for such an emergency, pro-
cured a rope long enough to reach
from her room TO the street When
the alarm was given Miss Richardson.
with the assistance of Gussie johnson,
a companion, secured the roDe to a
piece of heavy furniture, and threw
the free end out of the window. Two
girls were about to make the descent
to the pavement, when three lady
guests rushed into the room and begged
to be saved.
The two girls gave precedence 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 Captain
White. who occupied a room on that
floor, called to her appealingly, begging
her 10 jump. Miss Richardson stopped
and begged the captain to take her
place on the line. This he refused to do,
and only after dint of much persuasion
could he induce Miss Richardson to
save herself promising to follow in
her wake Miss Richardson reached
the ground in safety and Capt White
had launched himself in the air, when
the rope broke and he fell to the ground.
q distance of nearly hundred feet.
The other known death was that of
Louis Meyers, a merchant of SkAguay,
Alaska. Mr. Mayors. who was Sc years
Of age. had been rescued, but the shock
had been so great that his heart weak
ened. and death resulted. The most
,anguine hopes are expressed that the
loss of life win not be added to, but the
Indications are that the death roll
must increase. The police department
is busy computing a list of the guests
and checking them off as fast as they
are reported safe.
Manager Lake of the hotel feels GER
tain that all of the employees have
been saved, though two chambermaids
are missing. When seen by an Asso-
ciated Press representative, e. j. Bald
win. proprietor and owner of the hotel
said that he could not figure up his
bosses for several days yet, but sa d
that the insurance was light in compar-
ison to the loss. Owing to the eX-
tremely heavy insurance rates charged
by the insurance companies on the
building and contents, he carried but
little protection on his property, and
the high rate also prevented the ten
ants on the ground floor stores from
insuring their stock heavily The in
surance on the building may reach
100000 and $500 of this is divide d
among IS companies. the National of
hal, IA heaviest loser