The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1901-06-21
The Mineral Springs Hotel at West
Baden, Ind, Totally De-
stroyed by Fire.
me LOSS WILL REACH HALF A MILLION
The Guests, OF whom There were
r,vo Hundred and Twenty-Five,
All Escaped. Hut the MOST Oh
Them Lost All Their Emccts-is
Nns a Favorttc Wesort.

WEST lt1Qfi. lnu., bubt -
three hundred lives were Imperfect py
the fire which destroyed the ceie-
brated Mineral Springs hotel AZ 'h's
place. early yesterday. The alarm OF
fire came at one o'clock in the MORN
ing. To add TO the terrors OF the
panic-strickeu guests, the electric
light plant OF the hotel failed a few
minutes after the alarm OF fire was
given, and those guests who did not
face the flames were left TO grors
their way in the darkness out OF the
great four-story, wooden structure.
Though there were many narrow
escapes, il is believed that not a sim
Gle life wa lost. The register and
books of the hotel were burned, but
during the day the management ac-
counted for EOS persons who were In
the great building, and is confident
that there were no others.
Tn. loss on the building is S25o,00o.
with an insurance of $4,000. o
of the guests lost all of their clothing,
and many of them lost diamonds and
jewelry. The aggregate of these
lOSSt>. IL Is DtllNNths AHhs ~SHfNNN+
In the hotel safe, which lies under the
smouldering ruins. is fully $4,000
which had been deposited by guests
for safe keeping.
Many of the guests have hurried TO
their homes. and those remaining
have found shelter at French Lick.
The conflagration had its origin in
the kitchen, which was on the ground
floor of the hotel, Immediately under
two rows of sleeping rooms. all of
which were occupied. The night
waichman attempted to cxtinguish the
blaze with hard grenades, but. seeing
that his attempts were in vain, he
rushed to the office. notifying the
night clerk, and together they raa
rapidly through the halls, kicking
open doors and arousing the sleep
ing guests. They had proceeded but
partly through the building when the
electric lights went cut. owing 10 the
burning out of the feed wires.
Within halt an hour the entire
building was in flames. The building
was provided with fire escapes. and on
the front of the building, extending
from the ground to the roof, was al
escape built in a spiral fashion. II
was through this that many of the
guests got out. During the rush for
safety our ladies became wedgei in
this spiral escape, and while in this
position someone on the upper floors
started a snail trunk on its rapid
<nGra.t ln.... 4La ..t.als-. ~~t urLA
ladies were scratched and bruised
and were o relieved from their
pcrilous position until one of the
guests ran up the shoot. and. after "a
vigorous tug, succeeded in relieving
the tension, permitting all four ladies
to slide to the ground in safety.
One gentleman from St. Paul, MIMI.
whose name could not bc learned. il
said TO have locked his door and lost
his key. He CROPPED around in the
dark. and when nearly ~suffocatcd by
smoke, his door was burst in by Hen
nv Allcnburg, of Elwood, who carried
him in safety 10 the lawn. lie arrived
from Minnesota Thursday night in a
pitiable condition from the effects OF
., AT''f ~ 20 III w ll~
French Lick hotel, two miles away.
Supt. Clark Of the Elwood plate
glass works. with his wife, wa among
the guests. After gathering a few
personal effects together, Mr.. Clark,
in the excitement. grabbed "A woman
he supposed TO be his wife. and car.
ricd her screaming from the build.
ing. On reaching the lawn in front
of the hotel he discovered his mistake
and ran back into the burning build,
ing, and in n few moments appeared
with his wife.
One woman frantically appealed Il
those about her to save her trunk. and
,ainly offered $1,000 to anyone who
would risk mis- life in an attempt
to drag il from the building.
Fifty or sixty female employees oil
the hotel. VINO were quartcrcd in tn,
rooms on the upper floor of the new
bath house, which had just beer com
plctcd at a cost of $4,000, escaped
uninjured. This building also was dc
stroyed.
The guests were loud IN their prais,
of the Monon railroad. They boarded
the trains with absolutely nothing ey
ccpt the few articles of wearing ap
parel which they had saved from
the flames. The officials had been no
titled of their destitute condition
their tickets and money having beer
destroyed, and il was but a short tim,
until a message was received from
the general superintendent, ~invitin,
all 70 proceed to Chicago or any othcl
point on their line free of charge.
II was q noticeable fact that cv
cryone seemed perfectly contentec
with the awkward surroundings aftel
she fire. Women dressed in their nigh
robes, mems overcoats. hats ant
shoes, mingled in the crowd cong1at
ulating each other
The proprietor Of the little coun.,
store at West Baden did n thriy;r,,
business after ne fire. The quests. a