The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-01-29
EVIDENCE ALL IN
IN HOTEL INQUEST.
Coroner's Jury Has West Hotel
Fire Case Employees
ON Stand.
Assistant Engineer Declares He
Turned Water Into the
House Standpipes.

Final testimony in the West hotel fire
inquest was given before the coroner>s
Jury at the courthouse today. Most of
the witnesses were West hotel en-
ployees, and the most important testl-
mony was that there was water IN the
standpipes in the building during the
fire. This testimony was contrary to
previous evidence on the point.
Ralph Mcclellan, SIG Hennepln, hrst
assistant engineer at the West, was the
first witness.
"The first thing 7 did when I heard
of the fire. he said. "was to run to
turn on the water.'
"How long was it after the fire
started that the water was turned on?''
the alarm was turned in,' was the
Says He Is Certain.
standpipes, and that he never knew of
their being filed To fill the three
stardpipes, three valves have to be
opened. The witness did not go up
stairs , to see if the standpipes were
Later on, before the fire was over,''
said the witness, III was ordered to
shut off the water. One of the stand
pipes had something wrong with it;
was flooding the floor
"Do you know this for fact9'
"Yes, SIR
August Albrecht, third engineer at
the West, was next examined.
as hearing there was fire., sal id Al
brecht, then went up the elevator to
the seventh floor. As passed one OF
the standpipes, I saw water. coming out
of the hose attached to it. -
Fire on First Floor. g..
William Miller, drug clerk at the
West Hotel drug store, was the third
witness. He came to work the morning
of the fire at Z a. M.
''I lighted up the store,'' he said,
'and filled prescription, for a bell
boy. The boy" on coming back to pay
for the medicine, told me of the fire,
went to the elevator shaft. The first
fire I saw was on the first floor and
seemed to creep up. The whole shaft
was afiame.' The witness then re
devoted himself to the needs of the
injured.
j. D. Casey, an employee of the Min
neapolis Gas Light company, was
called. He had been an employee OF
the hotel in former years. He knew
of the standpipes in the hotel having
been filed and tested as much as
teen years the standpipes had been
tested with firemen present.
~ went to the West between 8 and
10 am. the morning of the fire for the
gas company, to turn on the gas me
ters, which had been shut of. . g. 5s.=s ii
Gas Was Shut Off.
Mr. Casey said the gas had been shu
off fifteen. to thirty minutes after TIN
fire had started, and that accordingly nj
gas could escape during the fire. Thi
Concluded the evidence collected b,
Coroner Kistler, and the case woul'
have gone to the jury at once, but At
torney w. A Kerr desired to examine
several witnesses on behalf Of the Yves
hotel management.
Clerk Conry Of the West was frs
summoned. s1....>..
He said he had arrived at the hote
the morning of the fire at 6:55, and a
z am took charge of the desk.
"sho1tly after 7 came on duty IT,, - sal
looked toward the elevator and saw tn
reflection of the flames. I immediate
" turned in fire alarm from the desk
I then instructed the bell boy captai
to switch on the automatic fire alarm
thruout the hotel, and lie saw that h
did. I also threw on the switch whic
signaled to the engineer to turn on tn
water in the standpipes.
On request. Mr.. Conry explained th
90. bell system in the hotel. Each rool
is supplied with telephones. and he sal
that every room was called up and til
guests thus notified, as well as by tn
ringing of the bells.
Near Fire-Escape.
He was questioned as to Mr.. Piesel
ger, who lost his life by jumping fro
the seventh floor. He explained tn;
the unfortunate mans room was b,
very short distance from the fir
escape, Mr.. Kerr drew a diagra
showing the location Of Mr.. Passenger
Mr.. Kerr then called Miss Elean
Duncan, housekeeper at the West.
81 left my room at am, ~ she tie
tifed,, "and took the elevator to tt
seventh floor. I then went down tn
every floor to see that the eightet
chambermaids and two hall girls we
all at work. I arrived at the receipt,
room on the first floor at 7:15. I tn
went upstairs to the lobby on the flo
above. It was there I first saw t.
flames at the elevator shaft and to
waiter that the house was on fire.
The. witness proceeded up the stat
to the fifth floor, meeting many CUES
hurrying2 down - -. T.
Hose Full of Water.
HOn the third foor,'' she said.
remember stepping over a line Of t
hotel hose in the corridor at the corn
of Fifth and Hennepin. I noticed t
hose was full of water. Later on,
noticed the standpipe on this floor W
= leaking and buckets had to be plac
- under it for some time to catch t
water.' -.
On cross-examination Miss Dune
stated she had not noticed hose on a
other floor, nor did she see anyo
operating the nozzle of the hose
tfeSAhird floor.
so It was too smoky to tell what ar
one was DOING she said.
Mr.. Kerr recalled Ralph McClells
who testified that tho he had hurri
to- turn on the water, he had fou
August Albrecht had opened the val1
before he got to them.
myself turned the water
aater,v said Mcclellan. zone of t
iremen came down into the baseme
~ and told me to, and obeyed his
der
= The case was then submitted to |
jury.
CoNFERs WITH PRESIDENT.
Washington Jan. 29-Senator La Toilette
Wisconsin was at the White House for 81
tine last night y conference witt p-eS!d
.ssh.oeTc-C.