Omaha daily bee., 1905-12-25
LLUSE CALL FOR ALL GUESTS
Big Hotel at Los Angeles Burn, at Early
Rour in the Morning.
TOM BENTON OF NtBaAsKAoNE OF LOSER
In Common with other Guests Es-
capes in His Night Robes. Leaving
Five Thousand Dollars of
VaIuabIes Behind Him.

Los ANGELES, Dec. 2i.-In the largest
fire in the history of Los Angeles the Van
Nuis Broadway hotel. one of the first
class hostelries of the city, located at
4l2-422 South Broadway, in the heart of the
business district was almost completely
destroyed today. One hundred and ten
guests, most of whom were still in bed at
the time the fire broke out, escaped in their
scant clothing to the street. Many of them
got out in their night robes and practically
all suffered the loss of their entire baggage
and personal effects. Six fremen were
injured during the progress of the flames
by the collapse of the rear of the second
floor They were all precipitated into tho
basement and all suffered more OF less
serious injuries.
The injured:
]. Lawson, fireman, hose company No. 9.
{. NJ. Stewart, fireman, shocked, bruised
and cut
J. Lands, fireman, lacerated scalp and
bruised about body
W. {. Phillips, fireman, bruised, burned
and cut.
Thomas Lane, fireman, shocked, bruised
and cut. Stu unconscious; may die.
Richard Hanley, fireman, bruised, cut
and suffering from shock.
Fire Chief Lips also was severely cut by
broken glass. but had his injuries dressed
without leaving the scene of the fire. The
total financial loss will approximate about
s2OO, 600
Mart Z. Estate and August Winstel,
| owners of the hotel building, will lose $780,
600, insurance $4,000.
Tom Benton Loser.
Few of the guests were able to get out
any of their effects. r. IL. Benton, eX-
state auditor of Nebraska, wife and daugh-
! ter, occupied rooms on the fourth floor
and barely escaped with their lives losing
all their valuabes, baggage and money
estimated at 5000.
Mrs. p Hansch Of Chicago escaped from
her room on the fourth floor, but lost effects
valued at $4,000. Several other individuals
! lost heavily, in amounts ranging from
S25 to 5000.
/ The origin of the fire has not been def
nitely ascertaincd. 1t was discovered by
Night Clerk Harry Mertz at 6:55 o'clock.
| The flames appeared to come from the base
ment or engine room of the hotel, although
I the hotel management claims the fire orig
mated in the store of the California Paper
company on the ground floor of the build
! ing. The hotel employees worked valiantly
! in arousing the sleeping guests, who were
! barely awakened in time. The flames
spread with great rapidity and in thirty
minutes from the time the first alarm was
turned in the whole building was ablaze.
All of the guests were able to escape by
way of the stairways and elevators. al
though the halls and corridors were filled
with smoke and many were nearly suffo-
Gated.
Although FIRE engine was on the ground
four minutes after the alarm was turned
in, the building burned like tinder and
there was no chance to extinguish the
blaze.
The fire was not under control until
1880 and was not extinguished until after
noon. Almost the entire interior of the
building collapsed shortly before 1 o'clock
carrying down everything in the hotel
rooms which was not already damaged
by fire into the basement, filled with
water.
some Narrow Escapes.
Mrs. NJ. c. Underwood of Wavery, n. Y.
made her escape from the third story OF
the hotel with her aged mother Mrs. Mary
Griffith. with great difficulty Hedged in by
smoke and bewidered by the confusion
they several times lost their way and were
almost sutfocated before they got out Mrs
Underwood lost clothing and jewelry to tn,
amount OF 1900. They escaped in Their
night clothes. ]. w, Searles and wife OF
Cleveland. o. escaped in night clothes
leaving two trunks of clothing and valu
ables to the flames.
F.. ]. Bleeker of Fairbanks, Alaska, oc
cupied room on the fourth floor. When III
got out the halls We're full of smoke anC
the elevator had stopped and he had clos
call from suffocation in making his escap,
by the stairway. He had not time to dress
so carried down his clothes and grips II
his arms.
II - Ii.t,, Dc,
ing engineer, had a narrow escape in get
ting down the stairs. In two minutes moro
he declares, all escape would have been Gu
off. He says that the first intimation h,
! had OF trouble was 10 awake choking an,
i gasping for breath. He lost all his clothes
and 500 I'm currency.