The age-herald., 1901-06-15
268 PERSONS IN 4
 BURNING HOTEL All Escaped With Their Lives But Had Little Else Left FIRE STARTED IN BAKERY Loss Estimated at $25o, ,ooo-ouests of the Hotel Had Nothing Left But
 Night Shirts and Bath
 Robes.
FIRE STARTED IN BAKERY

West Baden. Ind, June 1.-The Min eral Springs Hotel was destroyed early this morning. The fire broke out at o'clock in the bake shop at .he south end of the hotel, and by o'clock the hotel had been completely consumed.
 Of the 2eS persons who were in the ho- tel fire, it is now believed that every one escaped with his life. Nearly all the guests are at French Lick. The loss on the hotel is estimated at $250, 900, with in- surance of $150,0OO. In addition to this the loss in diamond, jewelry and clothing be- longing to the guests will it is estimated, reach $50,000. The hotel will be rebuilt as soon as possible
 Sixty of the guests left for Chicago this morning dressed In odds and ends pick ed up here and there. The fire started in the kitchen, which is located on the ground floor immediately under two rows of sleeping rooms, all of which were oc- cupied The night watchman attempted to extinguish the fire with hand grenaders, but seeing the attempts were In vain, rushed to the office and notified the clerks all notifying the guests with the cry of fire" To add to the great excitement the electric light apparatus burned out and added confusion to the scene.
 Miss A. M. Leslie, the theatrical critic of the News, escaped with nothing but her night robe. Miss Leslie's travelling ward robe tonight consisted of a night dress, gentleman's shirt, which she purchased at the villege store and her bath robe. Her little niece was provided for by an old colored woman who presented her with one of her little daughters dresses.
 Fifty or sixty female employees of the hotel who were quartered in the rooms on the upper floor of the new bath house, which had just been completed at cost of $50000, escaped uninjured. This build ing with the hotel was also destroyed.
 The fire was discovered shortly after o'clock, and by 1:3O the entire building was mass of ruins. The building was provided with fire escapes, and In addi- tion on the front was a spiral escape.
 It was through this that many of the guests got out. During the rush for safe ty four ladies became wedged in this spiral escape. and while in this position some one on the upper floor started a small trunk on it's rapid descent down the winding chute The ladies were scratched and bruised and were not relieved from their awkward position until one of the guests ran up the chute and after wig orous tug succeeded in relieving the jam and all four ladies slid to the ground in safety. Colonel Wing of Cincinnati, po- lice commissioner of Cincinnati, occupied a. room directly over the kitchen. He had very narrow escape, saving noth- ing but the night shirt on his back. Col onel Howard, general agent of life in- surance company of New York, barely asca nod in his night clothing.
 A St. Paul man locked his door and lost the key He grouped around in the dark and when nearly suffocated by smoke his door was burst in by Henry Allenburg of Elmwood who carried him in safety to the ground. K-e aFrived from Minneapolis last night, and Is In @ pitable condition from rheumatism. He was conveyed to the French Lick Hotel, two miles away.
 Superintendent Clark of the Elkwood plate glass works and his wife were among the guests. After gathering few personal effects together. MT Clark. In the excitement grabbed a woman supposing her to be his wife and carried her scream ing from the building. On reaching the lawn in front of the hotel he discovered his mistake and ran back in the turning building and In few moments appeared with his wife.
 One woman frantically appealed to those about her to save her trunk and finally offered 5000 to any one who would risk his life In an attempt to drag 1t from the building. Of the 26S guests. fifty-six left for Cincinnati this morning. Eighty more left for Chicago on the Monon.
 If is estimated that diamonds to the value of s50OOO and from s5000 to $eO000 in cash were lost in the flames. It is known the safe in the office contained sl0OOo which guests had deposited for safe keep ,.., u,a sa fa ie in the cellar corpletely covered with the burning debris and 1t will not be known for several days whether the valuables contained therein are safe