The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-27
Several Sustained Injuries, One
of Whom May Die.
STARTED IN KITCHEN.
Escape Cut Off From Those on
Upper Floors.
Some Jumped and Others Climb
ed Down on Rope Ladders.

Lowell, Mass, Jan. 2z.-Three lives
were lost by the burning OF the Rich
arason hotel here at , O'Clock this
morning. Several persons sustained
injuries, one Of whom is likely to die
The Dead.
H. G. HARDING of eomervilIe,
Mass.
CHRISTINE NELSON. pastry cook.
MISS JOSEPHINE KENNISTER,
nurse, Franklin Falls, n. H.
Among those injured were.
A. ). Anthony New Bedford. cut by
railing glass and also injured BY drop
ping from an upper story 70 a life net
E. H. Dickey, Portland, Ne, nuIner-
Gus cuts and bruises caused by Jump
ing from window on the fourth
John F. Hatch. New York. badly
burned and almost overcome by
smoke.
andrew Lynch. Lowell. badly
bruised by fan from rope fire escape,
also burned.
John Hutchinson, New York, Sc
yerely bruised by jumping from lad
der, also somewhat burned.
Ira Allen, Lowell, injured by fail
from fire escape.
The fire is believed 20 have started
| in the kitchen from an overnea1ed
stove. 1t is thought that it had been
burning some time before it was dis
| covered at about 2 o'clock.
There We're more than 40 guests in
the building when the fire broke out,
and as the hotel register was not
/ available for hours it was feared that
many lost their lives.
A search Of the ruins, however, re-
vealed the fact that only three had
perished.
The two upper floors of the hotel
were burned out. The two lower cnes
were wrecked by falling walls and
smoke and water.
Fire Discovered at O'clock.
During the evening there had been a
meeting of business men at the hotel
and after the meeting adjourned many
| of those who attended remained at the
! hotel to play cards in room on the
tssecond floor About 2 o'clock there was
an odor Of smoke and when the door
/ of the room was opened there was p
/ strong rush of smoke and heat into
the room. 1t IS due to the presence Of
mind of those in the room that the list
of casualties was not greater. While
: one Of the number went outside to give
( the alarm the others ran through the
/ corridors kicking at the doors and arous-
/ ing the occupants of the various rooms
All the guests on the second and first
/ floors were aroused but when an attempt
was made to reach the third and -Ourth
i floors men were driven back by the
smoke and flames.
All the persons on the first and second
1 floors escaped without injury.
! When the hremen arrived many per-
/ sons on the third and fourth floors were
hanging from the window lodges. The
/ fire apparatus responding TO the first
/ alarm did not include enough aerial lad
/ ders to remove these persons from their
/ perilous position. A second alarm was
/ sounded and when sufficient long Iadders
/ had reached the scene all Of those who
/ were visibly in peril were rescued.
Some of the persons who were hang
/ ing from the windows however, had
become exhausted before this time and
/ had dropped into the life net that was
spread below. Among this number was
/ A. S. Anthony of New Bedford who oc-
cupied a room on the fourth Goor. Mr.
Anthony had hung by his hands from the
window ledge for twelve minutes. His
/ strength was rapidly giving out and
/ fearing that the flames would reach
+ him he dropped into the life net. He
suffered no burns but his face was bad
/ ~ cut by falling glass and he was some
I what injured by his fall
t Most of the people on the third and
fourth floors who We're not taken down
4 by f1remen managed to escape by the
rope fire escape. All left the hotel in
their night clothes and they did not
/ have an opportunity to save their per-
j Sonal effects.