The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-02-23

them. Scores of people were taken
from the windows of the third. fourth
ana NTH floors ,oe the house by fire.
men and by police, many of the res
-eued being made lysterical from
Breaks Away From Her Husband.
At the windows on the Park avenSe
sac OF the hotel many persons ape
/ pedred Women were screaming fran
ucally for help. A Mr. and Mrs. Brad
icy guests of the hotel. who We're 70
ieaNe today on the transport McCIeI-
i,ih Tor Manila, appeared at the fifth
/ moor window on the Thirty third street
SIDE screaming loudly. A Mrs Char
iotte Bennett and her husband of Ala
oaula stood on the fifth floor on a
leuge directly over the porticO and
main entrance to the hotel.
Mrs. Bennett. evidently thinking that
no one was going 10 rescue her. strug-
sied from her husbands grasp and
shouted that she was going to jump.
Inc fireman gathered in a circle be-
low and stretched out their arms. She
broke away from her husband and
| Huhg herself out of the window, while
the flames had almost enVeloped her.
She was Killed. Her husband rushed
INTO the nall and made his escape,
though he was slightly burned and al
most overcome by smoke.
colonel Burdette, after making a
desperate attempt to save his life. met
death in a shocking manner. His skull
was split open and ne was found short
~ after 8 O'Clock. lying in the court
yard within the hotel He had fallen
six stories.
colonel Burdette was a guest of the
sixth floor of tie hotel. Soon after the
alarm OF lire reached him, all escape
was cut Oft. He dragged the mattress
from his bed and dropped it to the
IooI Of ah extension over the hotel
dining room, three stories below. Then.
Dy tying the sheets together. he made
rope and secured il to the window.
Ills object was TO land in the mattress
ana thus break his fall He miscaI-
cuiated the distance and fell into the
court.
Aids Two Women to Escape.
}. NJ. Sheehan. contractor of New
Durg, Pa, occupied room on the
fourth floor. He was asleep in his room
uh1i! ne heard screams of fire" in
the nall. He partially dressed himself
and CROPPED his way through the smoke
and darkness until he reached the
Two
elderly women who were trying to find
means of escape for themselves. Wirb
MS assistance the two women were led
TO safety and he himself escaDed
A pitiful sight was that of Mrs.
Flper, whose husband, Colonel Alexan~
9ef NJ. Piper. was found burned TO
ueath near the elevator shaft She
managed to escape and was taken bv
friends TO a private residenc. but
partly clad. She vas not informed Of
the death Of her husband and it was
reared that the shock would kill her.
Death of Tombs Angel.
One of the saddest incidents of the
ilre was the death of Mrs. SaIome Fos-
Ter, the "Tombs Angel" who for years
mao been in service on behalf of fe-
male prisoners in the Tombs and ather
city prisons. Mrs Foster was the
widow of John w. Foster and had lived
for the last five years at the Park ave-
nue. hotel. Her income, which was at
one time considered large, was for the
most part expended upon the deserving
poor.
s S. Granger of Seattle. who had
been guest at the hotel for three
days. has this TO say of the fire:
was in room on the second floor
T "A /
O'Clock 1 was awakened by the noise
and excitement that attended the burn-
Ing of the armOry. I went down into
the hall and met a man fastening
through The corridors. He said to me
without my asking a question: Don't
worry; this hotel is fireprOOf. There is
no danger
There's always danger I said I
lost my wife ten years ago by FIRE in
a Nebraska hotel, and I am going out
as fast as / can. went to my room
and gathered few things together
The fire in the armory at that time
was being extinguished and the danger
becoming less. I remained in my room
Tor over an hour. and then / FASTENED
down stairs. Soon afterward the flames
were discovered in the hotel There
was no notification and no rapping by
any of the hotel employees that 1 heard :"
Norman Acton, a mine owner of Colo
RADIO Springs, lost his life in the fire
He was the largest stakeholder in the
Cochlez Mining & Milling company. He
had been at the hotel only a short time
William Pears, the London representa-
tive of the Orc CObre company. called
at Bellevue hospital, where Acton died
and identified the dead man as his busi-
ness associate. 1t is said that Mr.. Ac-
ton was worth $1,000, 000
To Awaken Guests.
Frederick r. Reed, manager of the
hotel. said:
The minute the fire started in the
hotel. 1 summoned all available men
and sent them through the halls to give
warning. ! cannot see how any one
could have failed to be aroused by the
bells that were rung from the Office.
went up stairs and got my wife. who
was on the fourth floor and descended
with her the street in safety. Then
went TO the I and when 1 found that
the flames z becoming dangerous
descended r ny own safety. The fire
unquestionably started in some way in
the bottom of the elevator shaft. I
believe the fire was of incendiary origin
and in no way contingent upon the fire
in the armory building.
Mr.. Reed was himself burned about
the face and neck. and after he had
been attended by an ambulance sur
geOn, directed affairs in person. Fire
Commissioner Sturgis said that he was
at the armOTy fire until 2.30 a. m and
that when he left there was no fire in
the Park avenue hotel. lie said fur
ther: Il believe the hotel fire to be a
separate and distinct fire and that il
started in the elevator shaft. I was
surprised TO learn that there was no
fire apparatus and no means of escape
in the building. Had the building been
nine stories in height we would have
had jurisdiction and the building de-
partment would have compelled the
manager to have standpipes and the
other necessary fire apparatus But
this building having only seven stories.
aud aspa r0pS laws which -hp daDo r.rrr1aT.r
is free from all responsibility for the
lack of fire apparatus. 1t was sup
posed TO be a thoroughly fireproof
building
Fire Chief Croker says: L believe
.h.- he she In the hnlal W. sa--a-.-. 9.