The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-03-31

hotel.
THE first intimation that I had that
anything was wrong. said Mr.. L. M. i ~
manager of the Jefferson, was as was
coming down the elevator from the fourth
floor. when some ladies got Oh at the
third floor and told me the lights in the
Main-Street hall had gone out. This was
at 10 O'Clock. I Immediately sent down
to the electrician to see what the trouole
was. After opening some mail went
I'D to my room I was just about to re-
tire when Mr.. Booker, the chief clerk
came to my door and reported that the
Waterman said he srnelled something
burning on the fifth floor.
Il Immediately dressed and went UP TO
the hall at the convention hall entrance,
and found smoke issuing from the sides
Of the floor. | at once ran down to the
office. and Clerk Louis Eargamin broke
the glass and turned in an alarm AS
soon as this was done, I returned TO the
fourth floor and found dense smoke com
ing from the blanket-room. at the Main
and Jefferson Street hall. / tried to let
the guests in the immediate vicinity know
that there was fire. Later, when the
frenen arrived and located the fire in the
maids closet and blanket-rOOTlS. which
are situated just at the turn OF the hall.
I ran to no. All and succeeded in getting
the hose out and then up TO the fifth
floor to get the hose at the center of the
building.
GETTING THE. PEOPLE OUT.
Il then ran down TO the second floor
and UP the east end steps TO the fourth
floor Here l knocked on and opened the
doors along the halls up to the room III
which the fire was. I did the same thing
on the third floor, and got the hose from
No. 3D. and. aided by several guests.
turned the water on. The smoke and fire
however drove US back. and I Went up to
the fifth floor and made the calls in the
center wing From there | went TO
Franklin Street and sent m" family down,
and besides giving orders to the en-
ployes, aided in getting out guests bag
gage on all floors until all We're driven
| out by smoke and flames. / then went
| down to the Franklin Street side and
| aided in the removal of pictures and brio
a-brac from the parlors and salon. | am
| sure that I was the last person to leave
| the fifth floor.
las TO the rumored explosions, I do not
| know what could have caused them. I'M
| less it was from the hot air that had ac-
cumulated L do not think it possible to
! have been q radiator, as the exhaust sys
| tenn was used in the house. besides, l do
not think the steam was on.
All of the employees of the hotel and
many citizens did great work in rescuing
hard and did nobly. The engine-room
force continued at their post until the Cir
ders fell through the Office floors This
made their positions untenable. and then
| only did they leave their stations The
lights We're kept burning and machinery
kept in motion until midnight. MI Of the
men deserve great credit.
CLERK BOChER'S ACCOUNT
One OF the most interesting accounts of
he awful contlagration which wrought
such 4 terrible calamity to this city is
! that given By Chief Clerk Booker In re
ating his experiences in the burning
building, Mr. Booker said
1T was about 10 o'clock when a. bell
BOY came to me and told me that there
was trouble with the lights on the third
7oor. All OF the lights in the Main-Street
hall, he said, were out. Mr.. Fry was in
the office at the time. and he had the
electrician notified. [ thought nothing
more about the matter and shortly after
10 o'clock being off duty, left the office
and walked across the lobby to the bill
lard room 1 stood in the doorway for
a moment and was watching pool game
While standing there, Night Waterman
Tom Griffin came up to me, and, calling
me aside, said
:. Mr.. Booker. I smell smoke on the
fifth floor "
well so UP there at once, [ replied.
Both OF US made our way to the fifth
floor. and. while we could smell smoke
yet We could see only little haze which
filed the southwestern portion of the
halls. Then. seeing that nothing could be
done there, We went down to the fourth
floor. There we located the fire in the
maids closet. Smoke was issuing from
the transom. | left Griffin trying to force
open the door, and rushed back to the
forward part of the house to arouse Mr..
Fry His room is No. 400 and overlooks
the court on the Franklin-Street side.
FIRST SAW THE FIRE.
Gas soon as I had told Mr.. Fry of the
trouble, I dashed down the steps to the
third floor, in search OF one of the cham
bermaids, SO as TO get key to open the
door eff the closet in which the fire was
located Taking her with me, I went
again to the fourth floor. and. on opening
the door, one could see small wreaths of
smoke issuing from the ceiling We saw
that the services of the fire department.
were needed, for. though we could not
see the blaze. yet we knew that there
must be flames in the space between the
ceiling and the fifth floor. Mr.. Fry and
mvself then left Griffin at that point and
both OF US went down the hall to and
taking the elevator went to the office
floor. An alarm from our box was turned
in. and. picking up one @. the porters OF