The San Francisco call., 1905-02-28
Windsor Guests Flee
From Flames
and Smoke.
Aged Couple Are Overcome,
but Are Rescued by
Firemen.
Blaze Is Caused by Spontaneous Com
bustiOn OF Rubbisa in an Un
used Elevator Shaft.

Fire started early this morning in an
old elevator shaft at the rear of the
Windsor Hotel at Market and Fifth
streets, and but for the prompt ac-
tion of the employees of the hotel and
the. fire department San Francisco
might to-day be mourning over holo-
caust. With both floors of the hotel
filled with more than 12O guests and a
fierce blaze eating through the floors
and halls in the rear of the building, it
would have been only a few seconds
before the entire building would have
been in flames.
AT about 1890 this morning E. P.
Hilton, who formerly lived in the
hotel, was talking with the day clerk,
G. l.. Deal. in the front office. His
attention was attracted by shouts and
screams in the rear of the building
Springing up the stairs he advanced to
the rear of the second floor, only to be
enveloped in increasing waves of
smoke. Peering down the stairway on
the Stevenson street side he saw the
blaze coming from the direction of the
kitchen. eating its way along the cas-
ings and I'D the elevator shaft.
With the assistance of Deal, Hilton
succeeded in arousing the inmates and
clearing the rooms adjacent to the
DANES. By rfis time the noise and.
tumult had aroused the roomers
throughout the two floors and hasty
preparations were made by the guests
Tor leaving their places of peril. Hilton
made desperate attempt to go below
into the kitchen with a view to rescu-
ing the Chinese cooks, if any were
there asleep, but the attempt was
futile and he was compelled to retreat.
Later it was learned that the. Chinese
were not in their quarters.
GUESTS DESCEND LADDERS.
By this time the department was
on the scene and Chief Sullivan di-
rected the turning in of a a5second
alarm. Ladders were quickly raised
to the windows on the Stevenson street
side, through which were scrambing
many of the guests in their night
clothing. The GOODNESS of the fire.
men gave the frightened inmates re-
assurance and prevented any leaping
TO the ground, although the flames
could be seen directly behind them
and the heat was becoming intense.
In the front of the house the ele-
vator was making many trips, taking
down the partially clad guests. and
v
and women in all stages of attire.
Here A. L. Kendall, the manager, and
the night clerk r.. Hutchings, were
urging them to be calm, as the dam
ger was confined to the rear of the
building. Many women were hysteri-
cal and a few tainted. This, combined
with the shouts of the firemen and the
noise of the engines, gave the scene
the appearance of a catastrophe. Over
120 guests had been in the course of
a few minutes aroused from sleep,
huddled down into the street or car
ried out through the windows in the
strong arms of the firemen.
A BRAVE RESCUE.
One Of the narrowest escapes was
that Of Mrs. Annie O'Connor of Butte.
Montana. She occupied a room next
to the shaft, and with her young
nephew. who slept on a cot, failed to
hear the summons Of the hotel en-
ployes. Captain Woods and Driver
Lictor broke into the room and car
ried them to the fire escape and thence
down ladder to the street.
Norman Charles and his wife, also of
Butte, were in room 70. They are an
elderly couple and before reaching the
door OF their room we're strangled by
the smoke and became unconscious
They were carried to the hotel par
lor ana revived. Mrs. b. Crosby of
Virginia City was also suffocated and
remained unconscious for twenty min
utes.
Mrs. j. e. Ewald reported to the DO
lice that she had been robbed of Jew
elry. money and a watch amounting to
$3.50, which lay on her bureau. She in
tended leaving for Los Angeles to-day
and has only her ticket and baggage
cnecks. her sister Ida Gray Scott, re-
ported the loss of a gold watch.
Mrs. William Trewelia is the lessee
of the Windsor and the building is
owned by d. Fricot; $4,000 insurance n
the furniture will cover all loss.
Regarding the origin Of the con-
migration, Fire Marshal Towe said
that it started among a mass of rub
bish that had been permitted to accu-
mulate in the unused elevator shaft
and that the flames were probably the
result of spontaneous combustion.