Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-01-09
Damage Of So, 500 at the Rock
Island House Sunday
Morning.
GUESTS ARE PANIC STRICKEN
Two Women Walk Out in Bare Feet
Time Lost in Reaching De-
parsment.

| house. Inc nOtel ana IuTniSu
.ngs. shared by the building
owner. w. o. Negus, and the lessees
Messrs. J. E. Montrose and Charles
McHugh, suffered a loss of $4,000
mostly from smoke. the flames having
been confined to the basement, and the
Postal Telegraph company office at the
rear of the first floor was nearly total
wreck, entailing a loss of $500,
wires cut and burned. instru-
ments ruined. and batteries deadened.
The Postal was obliged TO shift to 9TH
er quarters, going to the room on the
same floor formerly occupied by a
commission firm. Here the forces of
the company labored through the day.
bringing the wires to the new office,
and installing batteries and instru-
ments in the hope that the lines would
be in working order today so as not to
interfere with the regular business.
Time Lost Calling Department.
When the fire was discovered
by Chief Clerk Martin an eff
fort was made Immediately to raise the
department by telephone, but fully five
minutes elapsed before the cen
trai Office could be informed, and
another five minutes ensued before the
message was transmitted to the depart
ment. Thus 10 minutes, enough time
for the fire, ordinarily, to have spread
to- the four upper floors and had a start
that the departments of the three cities
could not have checked before the
block was ruined, and lives lost posi-
&c fnrnaftt1 m nf fhn
neglect of the administration in fail
ing to heed the public demand for the
of an independent fire
alarm system-one where it is simply
to pull lever and the de-
partment is notified instanter. There
is no chance for an error as to location,
as under the backwoods arrangement
of the present day, when not infre-
quently the firemen are summoned to
sections of the city far remote from the
fire. A false alarm is serious enough,
but in such a case the department alone
suffers; there is no property or lives
terday morning.
FIremen DO Excellent Work.
But once Chief Charles Hastings and
his men were on the scene of the Rock
Island house fire they performed ex-
cellent service. The flames were eX-
Iinguished quickly, and a hurried in
conducted through the hotel
% ascertain whether the flames had
,rept between the side walls, as is so
often the case. and were breaking out
n other portions of the building. The
,y,I t,n
n the basement. under the wash room, !
Il the rear of the house. There was !
mall quantity of kindling wood in the |
easement, near to the furnace, but it |
S not believed by the attaches of the |
louse that at any time the furnace be-
anne so hot during the night as to ig-
lite this wood, and the impression ap-
ears to be that the spark was thrown
" an electric wire that had not been
insulated.
Smudge In Dense.
The fire burned the rafters in the
asement. and doubtless would have
'orked its way to the wash room and
ito the Office but for the tile floor.
he flames had broken through into
ne Postal Telegraph company'S office,
nd played havoc with the apparatus.
he house was filled, from the base
tent to the garnet, with smoke and
nudge when the department arrived,
nd il was with difficulty that Chief
hastings and his men made their way
trough to- the location of the fire.
uestS who had been aroused by
he hotel management and told
!, hastily rncsih1n nanh |
ne being called separately, stood at
lie open windows and reached their
eads ont for refreshing bit of air.
hree women managed to get down
airs just as the department was get
ng to work The women carried their
hoes and stockings in their hands.
hey were so excited that they could
OF be persuaded to return to their
)oms, but walked out into the snow,
rossing the street, and putting on their
hoes and stockings in the doorway of
store. One man who was on the
Durth floor threatened to jump. He
as half asleep, but the crowd that had
shouted 10 him not to lose his
cad, for he would surely lose it if he
Imped He investigated, and after
nding that he could get Oct by the
ak route. he came back and report
] to the audience.
servant Descends Fire Escape.
One of the housemaids was on the
'urth floor when the wave of smoke
ruck there She grew hysterical, run
ing for the fire escape, on which she
aveled. screaming for help, until she
,ached the second floor. from which
pint she would have TO jump. She {
illed for a ladder. but some man with
imirable presence of mind went to
e inside of the house. going to the Ii
'cond floor. where he raised a window. [
Id helped the frightened woman into c
e parlor. where she regained her I
I'm Two hours after the fire had J
,en out there was a call from one of 9
e guest rooms. A boy responded. b