The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-02-17
leave Brevoort House in
a Furry.
N HELP LAST TO GET OUT.
for Them They Did Not Take
the riremen's Advice to Return, as the
Fire Subsequently Broke Out Afresh-
Many Partly Clad Suffered From the Cold =
The Quests Mostly Wesferners.

Chicago (SpecialD Fire partly de-
stroyed the Brevoort House, I43-I45
Madison street, causing loss of $780,
900 to the building and hotel furnish
ings and forcing $50 guests to make a
hurried departure Three firemen were
injured, one severely, before the flames,
which burned for nearly an hour, burst
through the roof of the building, after it
was thought they had been extinguislled.
None of the guests were hurt.
The fire, which started from crossed
electric-light wires about 80 O'Clock,
was discovered by bell boy, who was
almost overcome by smoke in arousing
guests and employees of the hotel. When
the frenen reached the scene the flames
had eaten their way through the third
floor and had made considerable prog
ress upward through the walls. The
smoke, which was dense, hampered the
firemen in their work, while the guests
were sca1npering by every avenue OF es-
cape to reach place of safety, and the
hotel employees were busy in arousing
them by telephones in the rooms.
As the fremen with their hose came
running through the halls the guests
came pouring out of their rooms,
and the halls were filed with excited
guests in all stages of undress hasten
ing to the office and the street. The
employees OF the hotel lent every assist
ance to the people as they came running
down the stairs and into the elevators.
They were assured that here was no inn
mediate danger. A number of the
guests of the Brevoort fastened to the
Hotel Morrison, but half square dis
tant, where they were cared for, and
the watchmen in a number of office
buildings adjoining the Brevoort threw
open their doors and allowed the fright
cned guests of the hotel to seek shelter
in their Railways The guests all man
aged to reach the street in safety, al
though many of them Suffered keeniy
from the bitter cold before they were
able to reach shelter ss
The fire was quickly brought under
control, as the firernen believed. and a
number Of guests were informed that
they could return to their rooms i'll safe
ty. All of them refused to do this, and
sought other quarters. The wisdom of
their action was soon manifest, for at
3 o'clock the fire which the firenen be-
1ieved. to have been practically cxtin-
guished broke out anew and flames were
soon leaping from the windows OF the
fifth and sixth stories. The firemer were
considerably llanlpered in their work by
the number OF frozen fire plugs which
they found, and the flames were at FIRST
fought only with chemicals.
In the hotel when the fire broke out
were $50 guests and about 80 women
employees of the hotel, all Of whom lived
on the top floor. These women were
the last to escape, and they were COM
PEELED to grope their way through hall
ways filled with smoke and down the
stairways. BY the time number of
them had reached the back stairway be-
tween the second and third floors it has
been made impossible by the flames and
they were compelled to feel their way
through the hall 10 the front OF the
building and make their escape in that
direction.
Louis w. Well, a salesman for jew
CRY firm in New York, reported TO the
police that $4,000 worth of Jewels had
disappeared from his room.
While fighting the flames. in the hotel
barroom three firencn were injured, one
seriously, by the collapse OF the ceiling.
The fire was mostly confined in the
rear of the building, which was Quilted
from the basement to the roof. The ho-
tel. which is eight stories high, was
owned by the Hannah & Hogg Com
pany, and IS one of the oldest in the
city. Nearly all OF the guests were from
Western states.