The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-15
DEATH Tn THE HOTEL FIRE
One Man SuffOcated and Five PEI
sons Injured This Morning.


Condition of the Latter Not Serious
An Improperly Insulated Electric
Wire the Reported Cause of the
BIaze-The Losses and Insurance.
Although one man is dead and fve per
Sons are more or less severely injured as
a result of the fire early this morning
al the Merchants Hotel, 4S5 Pennsylvania
p Avenue northwest. the consequences are
not as serious as it was feared they would
be. All of the injured viii recover
The dead-James ". Donohoe. sixty
years of age. d clerk in the Pension Office,
residing at AZ New Jersey Avenue south
east; suffocated.
The injured-Stepheu r. Collins, pro
prietor of the hotel. badly burned about
the hands. arms, neck. and right side CT
face; also cut about the head by falling
glass; now at the Emergency Hospital
improving
W. B. Ketchum. forty-three years old;
left leg broken, back sprained, and legs
and right side bruised; at Emergency
Hospital: condition not serious.
J. Nj. NIalanbie. clerk at the hotel hair
badly sInged-
John Scanlon. proprietor of the bowling
alley in the hotel. slightly bruised and cut
by falling glass.
Mrs Jack Brown, of Syracuse, N Y,
was injured by falling down stairs during
her fight from the burning building.
The damage to the hotel building.
which belonged to the HOban estate, and
TO the contents amounts to about $500
and is covered by insurance
The fire was discovered shortly before
O'Clock by Policeman Newkirk, who
turned in an alarm from box L. located
at the corner of Four-and-a-Half Street
and Pennsylvania Avenue. When the
hrenlen arrived a second alarm was sent
IN and this was quickly followed by a
third, bringing all twelve fire companies
in the city to the scene. The freuen first
turned their attention TO rescuing the in
mates of the building VINO appeared at
the various windows. from which the
flames, were not aleady bursting. clad
only in their night clothing, Heroic work
had already been done by Policemen
Newki- nd Nhelan. and many imper-
lied guests were rescued by them before
the fremen arrived. Several persons
jumped fom the windows into the side al
leys and in so doing w b Eetchum, of
Kentucky, sustained fracture of the left
leg and was removed TO the Emergency
Hospital. stephen Collins, the proprietor
of the hotel who occupied q front room
on the second floor Of the building. in his
andeavor to arouse his guests was badly
burned. He was taken to the Emergency
Hospital J NJ MaIambIe. the clerk, oc-
Cupied small room on the third floor.
over the office He was aroused By the
cracking OF the flames and with difficult
II made his way from the burning build
ing by means Of a rome f1re-escapa.
Ills hair was singed, but he was other
wise Uninjured
Mr. and Mrs Jack Brown. of Syracuse.
:. Y. who occupied room A. of the hotel,
barely esca ped with their lives. In rush
ing down the stairs Mrs Brown trfpped
over the hem OF her night dress and
fell. She was s7rely bruised about the
body and was carried 10y her husband to
the National Hotel
The flames had gained such headwav
when the hrencn reached the scene that
II was with the greatest difficulty that
they entered the building When they
reached the third story of the building
they found the body Of an elderly man
lying On the floor Of one OF the rooms
in an unconscious condition. He was i'm
mediateIy removed 10 an adjoining build
ing and Dr. SperOW. who responded TO a
call for the Emergency Hospital ambu-
lance, endeavored TO resuscitate him, but
was unable &c do SO, and soon pronounced
Mr. D0n0hoe. He had been suffocated
by the smoke. and was badly burned
about the face, hands and feet. Il was
said at the hotel that his name was l. r
Henry. but Lieutenant Moore, of the
Sixth Precinct. recognized him James
W DouohOe. OF III New Jersey Avenue
southeast. This Identification was after
wards verified by a brother of the de-
ceased. Mr. DonOhoe was q whoever
about sixty years OF age. and had been
a clerk in the Pension Office for about
ten years He was brother of John
J.. Donohoe, the real estate and insur-
ance agent, at sos East Capitol Street
The body OF the deceased was removed
10 the MOrgue and afterwards turned
over to relatives for burial Mr. DOnO-
hoe Is said to have been detained down
Sown last night and registered ~ the ho-
tel at late hour in preference to dis
Turbing his people at home.
Several others stopping at the hotel are
said to have received slight INJURIES but
they refused to give their names or 10
90 TO a hospital for treatment
The hotel register. that is said to have
been IN use since January l. and that is
supposed TO have been half filed with
entries. is perfectly blank. Mr.. Malam-
bic. the clerk, explained this BY saying