Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-09-06
METEOROLOGICAL.
THE SHELTON FIRE.

Iof4. rain, 40 tht No. H'rih-'-'-
THE SHELTON FIRE.
TERRIBLE LOSS OF HUMAN LIFE
REPORTED.
So Far as Yet Known Twelve Guests Lost
Their Lives Nearly Score Injured
Quite Number Are Missing Who Had
Registered.
At = aclock yesterday morning.
the Webb Hotel at Shelton. in Ma
son county. about twenty miles from
Olvmpia. was wholly consumed by
fire. with fearful loss OF life.
James Fcnnell. Il man OF leisure,
ON a hunting expedition. was one of
the guests. who had narrow escape.
He was awakened by smell of smoke.
and on opening his door was con-
frontrd by a terrible blaze at the
head of the hall. He Immediately
rapprd on doors of several women
ocl!pantS in the same hallway and
hastily returned to his room. where
Satulating his coat with water. he
threw il over his head and made Il
dash down the burning stairway.
Reaching the second story, he found
his progress blocked by flames, where
upon he jumped from the second
story window. sustaining Il broken
shoulder. Il crushed and bruised ankle
and had nearly all the hair Singrd
from his head He is now at his
rooms at The Oxford. undergoing
treatment for his injuries.
When Mr.. Fennell left Shelton a
few hours after his escape. nine
charred bodies had been taken from
the flames. Three others lost their
lives by jumping from windows.
Among those who lost their lives
were: ". II. Holmes. Miss Bailey,
Mr.. Rabbedeau "a Frenchman), Mrs.
Nudge and j. j. Hennessy.
Sam Webb had n leg broken and
Miss Nudge an arm fractured.
The Webb was a large three-stOry
frame building. on which 500 had
lately been spent in heating and
lighting plant 1t had 80 rooms and
two stairways for exit, but no fire
escapes.
Bailey's saloon, Jim ConnOlly'S
home and Hughes shoeshOp were
burned. Total loss, estimated at
$50, 900.
Later reports give the following
list of the dead:
Mrs. Nudge.
Miss Ida Bailey. waitress.
Mrs. Gay, hotel employee.
Leo Rabbedeau, hotel employee.
Pearl S. Larson. just arrived to
cook in camp.
w. Nj. Holmes, master mechanic
railroad shops, killed by inhaling fire
and" fall from ladder in attempted
rescue of Miss Bailey.
d. ]. Hennessy. Seattle logger,
killed by jumping from third story.
Miss Nudge, fearfully burned, died
at hospital
Two bodies of unknown persons
were recovered.
The list of injured is as follows:
Miss May Brask of Portland, leg broken and
frightfully burned. viii probably die
L. W. 0strander, badly burned all over. escaped
byjumping:
Douglas Grout, shoulder hurt In jumping. Aid.
ed for hour In fighting fire and rescue and then
collapsed.
James Finnell. Olympia. shoulder and foot
broken by jumping from second story.
John McDOe. back injured by jumping
Sam Webb, foot broken.
H. X. Hin, Kent. back badly hurt by jumping.
badly burned and injured internally; will proba.
bly, die.
James Mcrelsnd. ju.t returned from Alaska
that night, badly burned.
James Nichols. collar bone broken and badly
J. D. Bond, back broken low down aud shout.
der broken. dangerously injured.
Charles Garnet. badly burned all over.
l. ThuOt, hands and head badly burned.
D. Hoffman, head badly burned, jumped from
James Gallagher. machinist. painfully burned.
w. II. Smith, leader in heroic rescue work.
hand and foot badly cut by falling through sky-
light
An affecting incident is related
when Miss Bailey appeared at an up
per window enveloped in flames,
shouting for aid. Mr.. Homes, her
affianced, placed ladder and climbed
to the window. She had disappeared
and he entered to search for her
but was unsuccessful. On returning
to the ladder, he missed his footing
and fell to the ground and was killed
by the shock.
1t seems from the register which is
saved that eleven names are not &C.
counted for. They are Gus Hanson,
I. TellesOn, Fred Matson, Charles
Larson, OlOf SwensOn, Charles and
John Bergman (brothers) Nels Kaun-
itz. Josef Arise, T. Knight and w. S.
Bona.
The hotel was a three-story build
ing, and an annex formerly the Knee
land hotel was connected overhead
with driveway underneath. The
doors of this opening afforded draft
to the flames which spread with amaz-
ing rapidity. 1t is supposed some
body had thrown a lighted cigar-end
in cOmbustibles in the rear, and had
been ignited some time before an
alarm was given.
The loss will probably not exceed
$50, 900. The hotel was owned by
bordeaux Bros. and was managed by
Henry Faubert. 1t was valued at
go, 900 and insured for ST, 200. Jas.
Connolly lost his home and house.
hold effects, valued at $1,000. well
insured; Oscar Bailey lost $1,000,
with ample insurance, and Thomas
n ughes lost several hundred dollars
in tools and stock of his shoeshop.
Jos. Patnude and Andrew Miller.
Olympia boys, escaped from the up
per story, the former by jumping 25
feet to shed and the latter by max
ing rope of the bed-clothes and de-
scending thereon.