Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-14
HOTEL PARTLY BURNED
BREVOORT HOUSE IN CHICAGO
SUFFERED DAMAGE OF $500, 900.

CHICAGO. February 14.-Fire partly de-
stroyed the Brevoort House, 1915 Madi-
son street, early today, causing a loss Of
500, 900 to the building and hStel furnish
ings and forcing $50 guests to make hur-
ried departure Three firemen were in
jured, one severely, before the flames, which
burned for nearly an hour, burst through the
roof of the building, after it was thought
thew had been extinguished. None of the
guests was hurt.
The fire, which started from crossed cleo
trio light wires, about 2:3O o'clock, was dis
covered by a bell boy, who was almost over
come by smoke in arousing guests and en-
ployes of the hotel. When the fremen
reached the scene the flames had eaten
their way through the third floor and had
made considerable progress upward through
the walls. The smoke, which was dense.
ha mnered the firemen in their work. while
the guests were Scamper1ng by every ave-
nue. Of escape to reach place of safety
and the hotel employees were busy in arous-
ing them by telephones in the rooms.
Firemen Injured.
While fighting the flames in the hotel bar
room three firemen were injured, one seri-
ously, by the collapse of the ceiling.
The fire was mostly confined to the rear
of the building, which was Quilted from the
basement to the roof. The hotel, which is
eight stories high, is owned by the Han
nah G. Hogg Company, and Is one OF the
oldest in the city. Nearly all of the guests
were from western states. Many of them
escaped from the place by a rear fire es-
cape.
The fire was in the rear portion of the
fourth floor and the smoke rolilng through
the halls was the first warning to the hotel
employees that anything was wrong. A hur-
ried call was semitic an engine house, close
by the hotel but when the f1remen arrived
they found that the fire was too great Tor
them to handle ana a caii "as sehe iof ao-
ditional engines.
Guests Poured Out of House.
AS the firemen with their hose came run
ing through the halls, the guests came pour
ing out of their rooms and the nails were
filed with excited guests in all stages Oh
undress Fastening to the office and the
street The employees OF the hotel lent
every assistance to the people as they came
running down the stairs and into the eie-
y.tors They were assured that there was
no immediate danger, and that there was
ample time for all to escape without trou-
BILE.
A number of the guests of Brevoort mas
tened to the Hotel Morrison, but half
square distant where they were cared TOR,
and the watchmen in number of once
buildings adjoining the Brevoogt threw open
their doors and allowed tHe frightened
guests of the hotel to seek shelter in their
railways The guests all managed to
reach the street in safety, although MANY
of them suffered keenly from the bitter
cold before they were able to reach shell
ter.
Fire Broke Out Again.
The fire was quickly brought under con-
troll as the firemen believed, and num-
Der of guests were Informed that they
could return to their rooms in safety. 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 firemen believed to have been
practically eXtinguished, broke out anew
and flames were soon feaping from the
windows of the fifth and sixth stories.
The firemen were considerably hampered
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 thirty women, en-
ployes of the hotel, all of whom lived on
the top floor. These women were the last
to escape and they were compelled to grope
their way through Railways filled with
smoke and down the stairways. By the
time a number of them had reached the
back stairway between the second and
third floors it had been made impasSa BILE
by the flames and they were compelled to
feel their way through the hall to the
front of the building and make their escape
in that direction.