Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-11
EIGHT PERISH
IN HOTEL FIRE
HEROIC CAPTAIN LOSES HIS
LIFE
Los Angeles Woman Is Rescued by
John Berwin, Who is Killed
While Performing cour-
ageous Act
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 10.-Eight per-
sons are dead from suffocation or from
leaping from windows and a score of
people we're more or less injured as
the result of a fire in the West hotel
early this morning
The dead:
CAPT. JOHN BERwIN of Truck
No. 1, fell from the fourth floor to the
Fifth street sidewalk; was attempting
to save Mrs. Barlows life at the time.
w. G. NICKELs. Minneapolis cham
ber of commerce, suffocated in his
room on the sixth floor.
THOMAS SUMMERVILLE, SPRING
field, Mass, suffocated in his room on
the seventh floor.
CLINTON B. LAMME, New York,
suffoCated in his room on the seventh
floor.
]. B. PE1sNIGER, New York,
jumped from the seventh win
dow.
MRS. MARY f. HODGES Mime
apolis, jumped from the seventh floor
window.
WILLIAM BLACK, New York, suf-
focated in room.
The seriously injured are:
Mr.. and Mrs Samuel Spies Berger,
Chicago, overcome by smoke.
Mary Rowan, maid at the hotel,
overcome by smoke.
S. s. Amsden, superintendent Minne-
apolis e. Northern Elevator company,
seriously burned.
Gordon G. Sapp, Chicago, overcome
by smoke.
Ben w. swisky, Chicago, overcome
by smoke.
Mrs. B. D. Barlow, Los Angeles, in
jured while being rescued by Capt.
John Berwin; condition critical.
Alice Larson, maid in the hotel. in
jured by jumping from the fifth floor
of the hotel to the roof of the Unique
building.
Hero Loses Life
The fire, which is supposed to have
been caused by crossed electric wires,
was in itself insignificant, being con-
fined to the elevator shaft and the top
floor in the corner of the building, but
the wild excitement which followed the
first alarm hurried people into the
halls and out upon window lodges in a
frantic attempt to save themselves.
The financial loss will not exceed
$50. 600.
Capt. John Berwin, who lost his life
in saving the life of Mrs. Barlow of
Los Angeles, was one of the first of
the firemen to climb into the burning
building. Ascending to the seventh
floor on scaling ladder he stumbled
upon the unconscious form of Mrs
Barlow. The aged woman had CROPPED
her way to the stairway only to sue
Cumb to the smoke.
Strapping the limp body to his back
Berwin pushed out on to the window
ledge to carry his burden down the
ladder Between the seventh and sixth
floors the step broke. Bending over tc
balance the body of the woman a mo-
ment, the fireman leaned forward al
the risk of his life and, gathering
himself for a supreme effort, hurled
the woman toward projecting ledge
on the floor below.
Mrs. Barlow Rescued
Mrs Barlow had been revived by the
cold air and she grasped the projec-
| Captain Berwin lost his balance ano
was dashed to his death on the pave
ment.
Mrs Barlow was rescued by another
| fireman.
Miss Gladys Mabie. whose grand
mother Captain Berwin sacrificed his
! life to save. said:
| "a man took my grandmother anc
| then another fireman came and got
me. He had a long rope. which he
| tied tightly about me under my arms
and around my waist and let me dowr
out of the front window. 1t was al
awful sensation to be dangling in the
air at the end of a line seven stories
above the stone sidewalk. My rescuei
| finally let me down in safety on t.
the balcony of the hotel just above the
first floor from where 1t was an easy
matter to get down from there"
Smoke obscures Red Lights
Frank A. Chamberlain, president oi
| the Security bank, with his wife, oc'
cupied rooms on the eighth floor. Lad
ders were not long enough to reaci
the windows of their rooms and ht
and his wife We're rescued by means
of pompier ladders.
r. X. Chaigon of New York was
terribly burned about the face anc
hands while crawling through a lonG
hall. He finally reached safety by
means of a fire escape at the rear ot
the block. He and Others said the rec
lights indicating the fire escapes were
rendered invisible by the smoke anc
the guests We're almost helpless in thell
search for exits.
More than a score of them were
carried from fire escapes and ladders
by firemen and not few lowered
themselves and friends by making
ropes Of bed clothing and curtains.
| &%S