Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-24
FATAL HOTEL FIRE:
THE BALDWIN, AT SAN FRANCISCO,
ENTIRELY DESTROYED.
TWO LIVES THOUGHT LOST.
Theatre Goes with Caravansary and
all the Effects of the "Secret Ser
vice, Company with the Theatre
Thrilling Escapes.

Thrilling Escapes.
SAN FRANCISCO, November 23.-At 3:25
this morning the Baldwin Hotel caught
fire. and II has been entirely destroyed.
There were 300 people. guests and en-
ployees. in the hotel when the fire broke
out. and two Of these people are thought
10 have lost their lives. A. J. White and
a man named Meyer are the victims.
Before White gave up his life he saved
the lives Of three women.
The fire is said to have started in the
kitchen, located in the basement. on the
Ellis street side. The fire worked Its
way up through the fiue to the sixth
floor. and before the fire alarm was sent
In the fire had gained great Roadway
For years the Baldwin has been regard
cd by the Fire Department as the most
dangerous lre-trap in San Francisco.
Built Of wood. six stories high. and with
narrow and tortuous Railways. 1t is
wonder that any large proportion of the
people in the hotel this morning escaped.
SLOW TO wAKEN.
They were slow to waken. Many were
dazed and stupefed by smoke when the
police, the firemen. and the hotel en-
ployees, hurrying through the Railways,
kicked open doors md notified the people
OF their great danger. When they man.
aged TO reach the windows and frees
capcs there were no ladders. Many at
tempted to jump from the windows TO
the streets. but were warned not to DO
so by the crowds below. Then the fire.
men got up their ladders and commenced
taking people to the ground, rescuing
many in this manner.
In the interior Of the hotel an explo-
sion In the theatre caused that portion
Of the building TO cave in. This explo-
sion also extinguished the electric lights
throughout the building. Those in the
street below could see through riffs in
the smoke along the attic cornices the
forms Of men and women crouching and
clnging to the woodwork already begin
ming to shoulder Streams from thirty
engines were being poured upon the blaz-
ing building from every point of vantage,
but without any apparent effect. Ex-
ploslon followed explosion.
WHITES DEATH DRAMATIC.
The death Of White was most dramatic.
Three women appeared on the cornice Of
the fifth floor on the Market-street side
Of the hotel. The firemen could not reach
them. Suddenly White came out OF a
window, carrying a small rope with
this he lowered the women into the arms
of fremen who were waiting at the win
dows of the next floor. Then he started
down the rope hand over hand. Half
way down the rope parted, and the man
who had just saved three lives fell to the
pavement, 100 feet below
Lucky Baldwin" had a narrow escape
from perishing in his fire-trap. Amid all
the din he slept peacefully until his room
was broken into and he was dragged from
bed. II. /. Kowatsky, a well-known at
torney. was also dragged unconscious
from bed. He will recover.
FIRE-TRAP OF LONG STANDING.
The Baldwin Hotel has been known and
dreaded for years by flremen and insu-
rance people as the worst kind OF fire.
trap. 1t has been stated often that there
were no Prevails in it except those en-
closing the theatre, and that no insurance
company would write risk on the build
ing except for a small amount and at a
heavy premium The building Of the no.
tel began in 1873 and was finished In 1871,
its total cost, including ground and fur
niture, being S3O00,00O. In the building
was the Baldwin, Theatre. The street
floor of the immense building was occu-
pied by the hotel offices and bar-room and
a number of stores In the basement was
an elaborately-fltted cafe.
MONEY LOSS. s1,5O000o.
The Baldwin Hotel 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, entailing a finencial loss OF
nearly a million and half dalars, be-
sides destroying property that no amount
Of money or science can replace.
LOSS OF LIFE.
The loss Of life, so far as reported, has
been miraculously light, but two deaths
haying occurred as far as known.
The dead are Captain J. l.. White, San
Francisco, capitalist, and Louis Myers.
Skagway, Alaska, merchant. -Four were
injured and eleven are missing.
EFFECTS .FAR-REACHING.
The effects of the fire are far-reaching,
almost every branch Of commercial trade
being 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
reporting total losses. Two Of the hand
soonest stores IN the city were Quilted,
and their stocks destroyed
THEATRE LOSSES.
The Baldwin Theatre, the fashionable
amusement place Of the city, was totally
destroved. with the rest OF the building,
and the .Secret Service" company, head
ed by William Gillette, which was playing
an engagement at the Theatre, lost all
its paraphernalia and accoutrements.
Many Of the members of the company
lost most of their belongings, and trunks
containing the official papers of the COM
pany were destroyed
The flames were confined TO the Bald
win structure but much adjoining pro-
perty was seriously damaged by water
and smoke. The Columbia Theatre build
ing. on Powell street, west of the Bald
win building. suffered considerably. and
the basement of the Columbia Theatre,
another fashionable playhouse, was gut
ted. and much valuable theatrical appa-
ratus destroyed. The Gay Coney Island"
company will lose considerable amount.
DEATH-ROLL MAY LENGTHEN.
There were upwards Of three hundred
guests in the hotel when the fire was dis
covered and the scenes which followed
beggar description. The watchmen. bell
boys. and other hotel employees worked
nobly in arousing the sleeping residents.
The most sanguine hopes are expressed
that the loss of life will not be added to.
but the indications are that the death
roll must increase.
INSURANCE LIGHT.
When seen by an Associated Press rep
resentative, +. ]. Baldwin, proprietor
and owner OF the hotel. said that he
could not figure up his losses for several
days yet, but said that the insurance was
light In comparison to the loss.