The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-03
GUESTS ROSE EARLY
SHERMAN HOUSE IS BADLY
SCORCHIsD IN AN EARLY MORN
ING FIRE.
PROPERTY LOSS OF $1,000
AND HIS GUESTS AND
HELP.
CLOSE CALL FOR MANY LIVES.
A Few Minutes Delay In Alarming
Sleeping Inmates Would Have
been Disastrous.


threatened with destruction by fire at
6 o'clock yesterday morning, but de-
spite the 1nf1ammable nature of the
frame building and the start obtained
by the flames, Chief Jackson directed
the efforts OF the fire department to
such advantage that the flames were
confined to the rear Of the building
and extfnguished with a probable loss
Of $4,000, about $1,000 Of which resulted
on the contents from smoke and water.
The loss is covered by insurance.
There were thirty guests and twelve
employees asleep in the hostelry when
the fire broke out, and upon being
rudely awakened from their slunbers
by the cry Of fire these rushed to the
streets scarcely half clad and badly
frightened. The building quickly filed
with dense smoke, and, the guests
thinking the entire structure was
ablaze, did not stop to save their per-
sonal effects. Men and women hurried
down stairs. with faces blancheed at the
thought CT possible holocaust, and
the fact that such did not occur could
not be established until some time after
the fire started, when Manager Edward
Norman checked UP the guests on the
register and took a census of the en-
ployes to find that all had safely es-
capped. Driven from warm rooms and
comfortable beds, those forced to the
streets watched the fire until the ex-
IRENE cold forced them to seek shelter
In Lorimer'S buffet across from the no.
tel, on Fourth street. Here they were
cared for as comfortably as possible
until able to find quarters later in the
day.
The appearance from the outside of
the hotel seemed to indicate that the
building was doomed. A three-story
frame structure-100x60--w smoke
pouring from every window on the
Fourth street side, indicated that only
the most efficient work of the fire de-
partment could check the flames ad-
vance. If. indeed. the fire had not al
ready spread throughout the interior.
The first relay Of apparatus had scarce
ly gotten to- work when Chief Jack
son ordered second alarm, calling out
more engines. The fire was the fiercest
In the rear Of Of the building, over the
boiler room, and, attacking the flames
from the front and both sides with
half dozen streams, the f1remen SEEM
ed to be mastering the blaze, when the
fire burst through the roof. Then the
big extension ladder was run up, and
from q portion of the roof not yet
reached by the fire several we'll direct
ed streams soon showed the advantages
Of this new point of attack. The fire
burned fiercely, however, for two hours,
before being finally completely drowned
out, and that. too. without extending
more than forty feet toward the front
Of the building.
The part suffering the greatest dam
age was the engine room and the apart
ments Of the help on the third floor. d.
rectly over the seat Of the fire. The
belongings Of half a dozen mattresses
were practically total loss. though in
several instances trunks, in which the
girls kept their valuables, in a meas
uTe protected their possessions from de-
struction. None Of the guests lost any
thing by fire. though the clothing and
trunks Of some were more or less dam
aged by smoke and water. In addition
to the frame structure, the hotel ex-
tends into the third and fourth floors
OF the adjoining brick block, but this
building was not in danger at any time.
The hotel buffet on the ground floor
OF the brick building. and H. e. Sleep
er's cigar store. in the corner of the
frame building, suffered slight damage
from smoke. The chief damage suffered
by Manager Norman was to furniture
in the dining room and the rooms of
the second and third floors Of the frame
part Of the hotel. which was largely due
to water.
near the boiler room from some I'M
known cause. John Hogfors, the night
engineer, left everything in the base
ment safe q few minutes before the fire
broke out, and went to call the day en-
gineer. Several lamps are used to light
the engine room, and it is believed that
either one Of the lamps exploded or that
the fire started from the hot ashes
which were removed from the fur
naces shortly before. Hogfors discov-
cred the fire when he opened the base
ment door on his return from arousing
the engineer to relieve him, and imme-
diately gave the alarm. Night Clerk
Peter Olson at once hurried to the up
per floors and awakened the sleeping
guests and help. Fortunately, he first
aroused the girls sleeping directly over
the seat Of the fire. Had they been al
lowed to wait until the guests had been
gotten out, some Of them might have
been suffocated, as, when Olson finally
aroused every occupant, the rear of the
building was fmpenetrable from the
heavy sitting smoke. Manager Nor
llldll, w no WILL Ills ldIlllly, Slept on the
second floor, says that when he was
awakened the building was so full of
smoke that he feared his wife and Baby
would suffocate before he could carry
them to the street. From the basement
the fire spread in few moments to
the roof and burst from beneath the
caves, but from this stage the firemen
gained the mastery, and soon had the
flames completely under control
The Sherman hotel was built thirty
years ago and shortly afterward passed
into the hands Of John A. Ten Eyck, of
New Jersey, whose heirs still own the
property. The fire will necessitate
closing the hotel only temporarily,
Manager Norman having expressed the
probability Of being again ready for
business within thirty days.
WERE DISAPPOINTED.
Tint