The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-02-27
CEDAR RAPIDS
e. HOTEL HORROR
Clifton Hotel Burns Early in
the Morning, With Fright
full Results.
GENERAL LIVES ARE LOST
Hotel Was Crowded and Awful
Experiences Were Had by
the Guests.
LIST OF INJURED is LONG
From Thirty to Forty Are Injured, O
Whom a Number Will Die-ThriIl-
ing Experiences of Some Who
Escaped.

Cedar Rapids, Ia, Feb. Civ. A.
Mowery of What Cheer, Ia. a stock
man, two unidentified girls, and pos
sibly several others, met death in a
fire that destroyed the Clifton house
at Cedar Rapids at 2 o'clock Friday
morning.
Three others, DR.. Groves of Cedar
Rapids, Conductor Strickland of the
Chicago and Northwestern railway, of
Clinton, and L. c. Burnett of Nebraska
City, will die.
The condition of several other vic
Tins is so serious as to make recovery
very doubtful.
The state Y. M. c. A. convention and
a convention Of knights Of Pythias
were in session in the. town and the
hotel was crowded with 120 guests.
For several hours after the fire it was
fully believed fifteen to twenty people
were dead in the ruins, but more COM
plete reports make the list Of dead
smaller.
The fire was discovered shortly after
l o'clock this morning. 1t originated
from the electrical appliances in the
basement. Night Clerk Wilson was
attending to some duties on the third
floor when the blaze started. With the
aid of bell boy, who was first to dis
cover the blaze, the clerk hurried from
room to room notifying the sleeping
guests. He realized that the building
was but a dry shell, and if the fire had
a fair start the entire structure and it's
contents must be destroyed, entailing
loss of life.
GUESTS IN A PANIC.
Upon receiving the alarm the guests,
frightened, ran into the halls in their
night clothes and crowded each other
down the stairways. Some thought of
the fire escape and made use of it.
Others huddled together, dazed n
semi-conscious, while many did not
leave their rooms until the second
alarm.
BY this time the entire first floor and
basement were enveloped and the
aames began shooting through the
halls and up the stairways, where the
now thoroughly frightened guests were
herded together or fighting their way
to places Of safety.
In thirty minutes after the alarm the
widest terror reigned about the hotel
and In the streets about the burning
building. From every window could be
meant almost certain death, and to re-
main was sure cremation. #
A THRILLING ESCAPE.
-IHg5 V1 ally VI dllh lIlS I"lIluO"S anu
struggled through the smoke and
flames to safety. Others turned back
to perish in the fire. Miss Burns, head
waitress, was one of the last to receive
the alarm. Her room was in the rear
Of the building on the third floor, re-
served for employees.
Every avenue of escape was cut off
when she left her room and ran Shrek
ing to a window opening upon the
street.
The flames were sweeping along the
caves of the roof and even licking her
in the face, when some one below
shouted for her to leap. Casting one
look upward, the woman raised herself
to the sill and then, leaping far out,
swept through the air to an improvised
net. She was picked UP unconscious
and at first wa believed to be dead.
SEVERAL SURELY LOST.
Night Clerk Wilson, who risked his
own life to a the guests, who re-
manned in the building until the very
last, said; IT am satisfied several were
lost When 1 gave the first alarm only
part of the guests got UP. They were
sleeping SO soundly that it was hard to
awaken them. / was compelled to go
around the second time and Knock and
pound on the doors before I got them
all aroused. Then when they id awake
1t seemed ages before they could be
made to understand the situation. I
did not dare pause long before a door
there were SO many to waken. ! was
on the third floor when the bell boy
told me of the fire in the basement. I
turned insan alarm and then spent the
remainder Of the time in awakening
guests. It was a fearful experience"
ESCAPED MANS STORY.
"a. y. Winniger, a tailor from Water
loo, here attending the Y. M c. A. con-
VI v%ention, was seen this morning as the
physician was bandaging his hands.
Winniger's right 5arist is badly sprained
and his face is burned. He leaped:from
FL the third story to the roof of a lear
by building, and escaped.
When the alarm was given this
morning" he said, Il ran from my room
into the hall and started tosescape down
the stairWay.&%The smoke and fire
drove me back, and I returned to my
room. BY this time the smoke was
getting 50 denseI breathed with diff
Guilty.
Il ran to the window IN h rear and
looked out. My nerve failed me at
first, but seeing all avenues Of escape
off, + knew what was the8only# thing
ITO do. j saw that by Ieaping far out ]
7#could make the roof of the other build
ing. Screams from the rear and shouts
from the outside neryed me to the eff
fort. I leaped, and struck on the ROOT
on my hands and feet. One wrist was
badly sprained. I4then ran along the
roof to the edgetand jumped over.
"a man lay in the alley, moaning. ]
couldn't assist him because of my
burned face and almost broken wrist
This is about all I remember until the
doctor had me"
COULD SEE HUMoR IN 1T.
I Winniger escaped in his night shirt
The Shumor of the situation dawned
upon him as the doctor was dressing
his wounds, and he 1aughingly said, "a
tailor and not even a pair OF trousers
to wear!s'
]. N. Dunvar, a. travelling man, said;
ST think We q a little f~oretaste Of hell
4 Z never wish to repeat h experience