The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-17
FLAMES GUT HOTEL:
GUESTS FACE DEATH
BY FIRE AND SMOKE
Occidental Hosiery, Washington and Illinois
Streets, Mass of Rims from Short bm De-
aruciUe Cont7agation THIS Morning
Panic SelSes SerUauts While Women S7vO0ned and
Are Carried Om UncOnscious Insurance
Is C0mbaratlUeLy Small

the office on the lower floor. where hardly
second before ten or fifteen men had
been standing
OWNER DISCUSSES DISASTER
p. II. McNelis, one of the hotel owners,
said: 1.-THE fire could not have occurred at
a more unfortunate time so far endan-
| gering the lives of the guests was con-
cerned. / am glad that none was left to
| suffocate or die in the flames. When the
! fire discovered 1 sent servants to give
| the alarm in the south end of the build
! ing," he said, while / hastened to warn
| the occupants of rooms in the northt end
| of the building. There fewer guests
| In the hotel tonight than usual, and while
i'm the excitement | was unable to account
j for everybody, L do not believe any lives
were lost
MY insurance will amount to just
| my possession now he said. Mr.. McNelis
/ took his loss cheerfully. paying more at
| tention TO the safety of his guests and
| help than his own property
The hotel furnishings are estimated in
| value at $4,000.
After an hour of fierce fighting the fire
/ men held the flames confined to the hotel,
| which had been wholly vacated.
Among the women In the hotel at the
| time. the fire was discovered were Mrs.
| Ella Field, of Frye & Field a vaudeville
| team. She i'll of typhoid fever and
| tainted when her door broken III and
| cries of fire came to her ears.
She was carried out and taken to the
| were given rooms at the neighboring no.
| tells. With but one or two exceptions all
personal valuables were lost in the flames.
| including even clothing.
| The hotel servants, most of whom were
| women. who We're quartered on the fourth
floor, where the fire was raging when the
| calls of porters awakened them, had mar
row escapes from death.
| Rushing from their rooms they found
! the halls filled with smoke.
Scr amin fhox- hair tn ho
staircase and, crawling and falling, made
| their way to the third floor. where the
smoke was less dense. Men helped them
! to the office and they made their way TO
| the street.
hattie Clark waitress was the last to
leave her room on the fourth floor; The
screams of the other girls awakened her.
Il didn't realize what the trouble was
at first. she said last night as she stood
In Fergers drug store scantiiy clad in the
| few clothes she was able to save.
| Il didn't think of fire for a few seconds
and then the flames leaping up to the
windows frightened me almost into hys-
| terics. / kept my mind however, and
gathering up few bits of clothing. hur-
ried into the hall. The other girls by that
| time had reached the stairs.
| 81 screamed for them TO wait"
| Il was so frightened that | can remem-
ber nothing until I got a good. deep breath
of fresh air after reaching the outside"
The other help on the fourth floor. Nellie
| Burnett, Addie Dairs. Stella Davis. Anna
BTocksmith. Annie Bradley and Eunice
| Brocksmith, all tell similar stories. AL
are mattresses.
They had recovered from their fright a
| few minutes after the fire was discovered
however. and were laughing at their sorry
plight. The girls lost all their possessions
| and all the clothes but the few they were
wearing.
| Patrolman Verne Albert, who dashed
| through all four floors of the hotel warning
| the occupants of rooms to leave at once
and not TO wait to save any of their pos
| sessions, fell from ladder at the north
! west corner of the building, receiving Sc
we're injuries. The ladder on which he was
| descending slipped, and he fell to the side
| walk. distance of ten feet. He was car
| ried into Ferger's drug store.