The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-05
"A KILLED IN A HOTEL FIRE.
LINCOLN HOTEL IN CHICAGO, 4
FIRE TRAP. DESTROYED.
Vas Crowded With StOckmen Visiting the
Stock Show-BuIlding Had Been Con.
demned-Fire Escapes Inadequate
Smoke (hOked Many or the Guests.

CHICAGO Dec Fire in an overcrowdec
death trap known IS the Lincoln Hotel
l16 Madison street cost the lives of four.
teen persons this morning just before I
O'Clock. Most Of the victims we're suffo.
Gated as they slept or as they struggled
through the narrow Railways in eearcl
of an exit. Some we're killed by jumping
from windows. Many guests were carried
out unconscious.
For half an hour after the firemen found
their way into the building they stumbled
across bodies upon the floors and stair.
ways. Although screams and moars from
the upper floors told the rescuers that
men and women were imprisoned there
the smoke was npenetrable and the Wet
siifed to death
The fire started in a rear bedroom on
the fourth floor. II is said a porter, known
as Mack accidentally tipped a lamp
over and then fed The police are hunt
ing for him. The fire marshal declares
that the building WAS a hopeless fire trap
and that the fire could not have been worse
had il been kindled with criminal intent
Two months ago build ing inspectors con-
demned the place as unsafe.
Nearly all those who met death in the
fire were from out of town. Most Of them
were visitors to The Stock Show, and. tired
from a day Of sight seeing. slept so soundly
that they were not awakened in time by
the fumes which filed the building.
The dead are A. B. Coon. lawyer. Ma
rengo, H.; F. l.. Ewing, railway mail clerk,
Marionette. Ohio; C. P. Cowan. married,
st Louis, collector on the Wabash rail
road: b. f. Boswell. Chicago; +. V. Slo-
cum, agricultural implement dealer. Wau-
formerly Of Milwaukee; II. G.. Woods. I.e-
banon. Ind farmer; l. c. Yocum. Daven-
port, la. fire and lightning insurance agent,
father Of Samuel Yocun, another victim;
Another man, not positively identified. sup
posed to be mail clerk named Bosnick;
!. w. Corey. railway mail clerk, Bucyrus,
Ohio. Samuel locum, Davenport, la;
Ward Lowe. railway clerk. Sechlersville,
Wis NJ VI. fardy, city agent for kiIchoff
Il Neubarth, wholesale liquor dealers;
George b. Graves, Chicago, newspaper
man.
At 10 o'clock last night every room in the
hotel was taken. and fur-coated stockmen
from the ranch country were bargaining
for cots in the corridors and storerooms,
one hundred and one persons registered
last evening, and these. in addition to the
guests who arrived earlier in the week
packed the place to its utmost.
The victims were awakened lby blind.
ing smoke that shut out the light in
he halls Some of them could not find
the electric bulbs in their rooms. and
jumped from the side windows 10 the
roof of Nogelsang's restaurant, which adj
joins the hotel on the west. Most of the
occupants managed to rush down the stairs
The loss Of life occurred among the sleepers
nearest the roof. There the smoke found
no vent and filed the rooms, suffocatinp
many before they were awakened
1hare were no fire escapes in front Of the
structure, but workrnen had been engage
yesterday 10 place one in position. Dow
the ropes that held the scafslding in place
some of the farmers slid to safety.