The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-09-10
Big Hotel at Newport
Quickly Destroyed.
GUESTS AND HELP ESCAPE
Soldier Compelled 10 jump From a
Fourth Story Window.
BUILDING VALUED AT 100000

The Ocean House at newport, one
of the largest and best known hotels
on the Atlantic coast, and the centre OF
attraction TO visitors in the city by the |
sea for over half century,was burned
to the ground yesterday afternoon.
Sparks from the burning structure fell
all over the thickly settled portion or
the city and caused three or four root
fires on buildings along Bellevue ave-
nue., principally at the Casino. Fortu-
nately none of these caused very much
damage.
The destroyed hotel was owned by
Henry ]. Barley of New Yorksand was
valued at 100000. 1t was built entirely
of wood, and was four stories in helght
with a frontage on Bellevue avenue OF
nearly 200 feet, while two wings, also
| four stories in height, extended back
| for nearly the same distance. In one OF
I. these wings was the dining room. Inc
| heating and cooking plants were In
| brick building short distance away
| from the main portion OF the hotei.
The fire was discovered about 2:SO
4 O'clock by an employe, who saw smoke
| issuing from a window in the fourth
| story of the dining room wing. rms
| story was used entirely as servants
1 quarters, anu ~VV Va ehNa c~~~
pied rooms there.
An alarm was sounded, followed
few minutes later by general alarm,
| calling every piece of fire apparatus In
the city to Bellevue avenue. and in a
! few minutes the most fasnlonaple
street in Newport was filled with pun
ing engines The fire spread with great
rapidity working down in a short time
TO the third floor Urged on by south
west breeze. the flames jumped across
to the other wing, which was soon In
flames
From the wings the fire worked into
the main building, and by o'clock the
entire structure was wrapped In names
The department got 20 streams OF wa
4 ter on the fire, but none OF them SEEM
ed to have the slightest effect. Al
though making a brave attempt to ex-
tjng,Iish the flames, the attention or
greater portion OF the department was
directed to the secondary fires along
the avenue.
fortunately, nearly all the guests
were in vaescus parts of the hotel.
many having just finished lunch when
| the alarm came. They were therefore
| enabled to save many of their valua
bles, and number had the good luck
To get out their personal effects. With.
in five minutes after the fire started
| every room I'm the main portion or the
| building had been searched for per-
sons who might not have heard the
| alarm On the top floor one Of the SER
wants was found asleep and was res
cued with difficulty.
Just before the flames reached the
main building, there was a cry that
some one was on the second floor. Two
soldiers of the 47th New York regiment
u. s. ", stationed at Fort Adams
made a dash through the smoke into
the burning building. They ran up the
stairs to the second story, but founo
no one there. One OF the men managed
to escape down the stairs. but the 9th
er, corporal, found his exit from tn'
building cut on.
He ran through one OF the rooms
and started to jump to the piazza be
, low, a distance of over 40 feet. III
) ! crowd yelled for him to wait. but h
shouted back that he would jump. Hal
a dozen mattresses were piled up, AM
he leaped on top of them. escaping
j without injury th
4 The safe I'm the hotel office, contain
. ing large amount OF money and jew
elry, was closed soon after the fire be
gan, and at n late hour tonight Ii wa
| still i'm the smoking ruins. being TO
hot to handle.
r. The greatest excitement during tn
Il fire prevailed when the roof of the Ca
4 | sino caught fire. There was great con
!. sternation among the shop keepers /
" the building. nearly all OF whom ha
Is a large stock OF valuable goods O
l. hand. Fortunately the blaze was pr
n out by the employees of the Casino wit
a. but little damage.
Soon after this the roof OF the libra
u ry. at least half n mile down the av'
h nue.. caught fire, and there was a graz
I rush on the part OF the crowd in tn;
direction. Here again the blaze w,
.e extinguished without injury 10 u
81 building or Its contents. Sparks aligh
p ed on buildings still farther away. b'
H. the small fires which they started we
81 soon extinguished.