Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-01-16
LEAP TO DEATH
TO ESAPE FLAMES
THE WEST HOTEL IN MINNIE
APoLIs THE SCENE OF
SAD HOLOCAUST.
Fire Breaks out in Elevator Shaft at
"a. m. While Guests are Asleep.
Blind W tn Fright Several Jump
to Pavement and Death.

Minneapolis, Jan. 10.-Fire broke
out in the West hotel at Z o'clock on
Wednesday morning. Thousands Of
people on their way to work watched
the horrifying scene as the terror
stricken, imprisoned guests appeared
at the upper windows against back
ground of dun colored smoke, while
hremen slowly fought their way up
with Pompier ladders. The regular
extension ladders had proved too short
Awakened from sound sleep, and
seeing no way of escape. two guests
on the west side of the building at
tempted to jump to the roof of the
Unique theater, but missed, and both
were killed.
The guests who were already awake
when the alarm of fire was sounded
had comparatively little difficulty in
escaping down the stairways. Others,
however, were imprisoned on the upper
hoors by the fire which had steadily
attacked the elevator shaft.
One of the most thrilling rescues
was that Of f. A. Chamberlain, of the
Security bank, and members of his
family, who were not awakened in
time to make their escape by the usual
exits.
For many minutes after it appeared
their position was untenable, they re
manned at their winnow in the top.
most story at the Fifth street and
Hennepin avenue corner. Mr.. Cham
berlain quickly gathered bedding
and sheets and made a rope of them
and at the same time the extension
ladders were being placed into posi-
sion, but found too short. The POM
pier ladders were rushed to the scene
and fireman, with a rope about him,
firmly placed and scaled the ladder to
the cheers of thousands of excited
spectators. Arrived at the window,
he took one after the other, lowered
them safely to the extension ladder,
two stories beneath, by means of the
rope, where they were brought to
safety.
The scene about the burning hotel
was distressing. Half-clad guests
stood around trembling and crying
and the crowd stood awestruclx, wait
ing breathlessly lest someone else
should appear at the windows above
them.
Miss Wood, daughter of the late
proprietor of the hotel was carried
down a ladder in safety
The Dead and Missing.
Captain John Berwin, of the hook
and ladder company, was the first to
lose his life He was rescuing Emily
Barlow from the fifth floor, when both
lost their balance and fell. Captain
Kehoe, who was standing on narrow
ledge, caught the falling woman in his
arms, but Berwin fell headlong to the
ground and was killed.
The third person who was killed
was a woman whose name has not vet
been learned. She jumped from an
upper window.
w. S. Nichols Minneapolis grain
merchant was suffocated to death in
his room.
Two men and one woman-the latter
Alice Martin, a servant-jumped from
the eighth floor on the west side in an
attempt to reach the roof of the I'm
ique theatre. They missed and were
killed.
Mr.. Wolf a hardware salesman from
New York was burned to death on
seventh floor.
Thomas Sommerville, of Springfield,
ILL.,, suffocated in his room on sixth
floor.
w. E. Magyar of Duluth was suffo-
Gated.
Unknown white man.
Unknown colored man.
Clinton Lamme worked his way to
the sixth floor and suffocated in the
hallway.
Missing:B. B. Mathews; Mr.. Mason;
H. L Palmer;C. 1. Janis; Nick j, Carl
son; Philip M. Lame.
Beyond the fact that the fire started
in the elevator shaft the origin of the
| fire is unknown.