The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-01-19
West Hotel Fire to be Investi-
gated by Coroner.
MANY THINGS COME TO LIGHT
Blaze Thought to Have Started on
the Third Floor From a Lighted
Cigar Stud.

ne ulSdSter WHICH seHl eiSnl persons L
death viii be probed to the bottom by
the city and county officials and tn,
blame laid where it is due.
There is to be no half hearted inves
tigation nor any whitewashing say tn,
officials. There was no water in the
standpipes, the alarm was turned il
late, the employees of the hotel did MOI
use the emergency chemicals nor unree
tie emergency hose, and above all the
fire itself was started by some mans
carelessness.
This much has been decided and prac-
ticaily confirmed by Coroner j. NJ. Kist-
Ter, Fire Marshall Ringer and Building
Inspector James G. Houghton.
The first steps in this investigation
were taken yesterday morning when Cor
oneT Kistler ordered an autopsy on the
body of J. b. Peisinger. The surgeons
performing the post mortem found that
the victim came to his death by inhal-
ing smoke. The coroner's jury which will
hear the testimony was sworn in yester-
day AT noon three of the jurors had al
ready been obtained.
Most OF the jurors will be men who
know something of building construc-
ton and who will be able to tell who
the responsible persons is. The jurors
secured up to noon were III. n. Leigh
ton and Frank Prinz, both builders, and
Isaac Schuleman, wel-known iron
dealer.
The inquest will be held at the county
morgue next Monday morning. 1t was
set for that date in order that the Off
cials can gather the evidence necessary.
One of the chief witnesses will be
Building Inspector James c. Houghton.
Mr. Houghton made thorough inspec-
ton of the hotel and both he and Fire
Marshal Ringer, who accompanied him,
decided that the fire did not start in
tie basement, as at first supposed.
The fire is now believed to have
started on the third floor near the ele-
vat0r shaft The basement elevator
doors are scarcely scorched, while the
path of the fire shows that the great
est rush of flames was from the third
floor up. The blaze evidently started
here from lighted cigar stub or a
lighted match thrown carelessly to one
side by some guest who was leaving
early in the morning.
To corroboratc this, there is the story
OF The elevator boys. One of them has
already told his story to Miss Wood
the proprietor of the hotel. He says
that he was just starting on an upward
trip when he passed the other elevator
coming down. The top of this other car
was blazing. or had caught burning
brand. He thought little of it, and kept
on his car until he arrived at the sixth
floor Here the smoke drove him from
his car and he ran down to the lobby
by way of the stairs. Had there been
any fire below the elevator at any time,
he would have known it, for it couldn't
possibly have passed his car without
leaving the odor of smoke or attracting
his attention in some way.
The condition of the standpipes in
the hotel is also to be closely scrutin-
lied The firemen who were first on
the scene say that they attached their
hose to the standpipes in the building
and opened the screws, but could not
obtain drop of water. When the en-
eineer of the hotel was seen, he adj
mitted that there was no water in the
standpipes, but said he could not ac
always were to turn on the water in
the standpipes, which are connected with
the city mains. This he did yesterday
morning and he says that he also start
ed the pumps. There was no water,
however and some one must tell why.
Mr.. Houghton also has another point
that he will bring to the attention of
the coroner's jury. That is the fact
that there was no organized effort by
the employees in the hotel to stop the
fire. He says that evidently there were
no servants on the floor where the fire
started. Some time ago he says, when
the force from his office inspected the
hotels, he was assured by the manage
ment that at all times of the day and
night there was man on each floor
who would be ready for any emergency.
These men evidently were not there yes
terday. The guests awakened by the
smoke awakened others, and some were
never awakened Another fact to sub
stantiate this was the fact that the
chemical bottles on the walls and the
emergency hose were not touched by
any employees.
Although the ordinance does not re-
quire Waterman on each floor, Mr.
Houghton had planned to have such a
provision Incorporated in his new build
ing ordinance. When he was assured
that the hotels were observing this rule