The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-06-11
Luxurious Virginia Hos
 telry is Burned.
EARLY MORNING FLAMES
At Least One Guest May Have
 Met Death.
Thrilling Escapes, Accompanied by Heroic Work, Are Seen--Nexroes stood by While White We
 men Formed nrfEnde.

Norfolk, Va, June 10.--The famous Frincess Hotel at Virginia Beach, vir- sinia. built twenty-five years ago, and one Of the handsomest summer resort hotels along the middle Atlantic sea- board, was destroyed by Ire which had It's origin early today in the kitchen, supposedly from a defective flue. In two hours the entire hotel building. to- eether with the Norfolk and Southern depot the bowling alley, hotel laun- ory, engine house, the of1ce of the vir- ginia Beach Development Company and all the boardwalk in front of the ho- tel had been wiped away.
 There were one hundred and ten persons. guests and employees. in the notel All are thought to have 'escap- ed with the exception of Emma Clark. negro chamber maid. and John Eat- on. the white steward.
 That score or more of persons were not lost Is attributed to the great heroism of Carl Boeschen, a young sergeant of the Richmond Light Art illery Blues who, rushing from room 10 room, awakened the sleeping occu- pants. many of whom barely escaped in their night clothes. Boeschen fin- ally fell exhausted and d to ba borne from the building.
 The loss on the buildins is s1s5,00 with only $S3,000 insurance. Manager A. c. Mitchell, of Asheviile N O., had no insurance. The hotel safe, in which were the heavy receipts Of yetsarday and thousands of dollars worth of vauable placed therein by guests for safe keeping, was not locked and It's entire contents were lost when the building collapsed.
 large number of prominent people rom different parts of the country took refuge in cottages nearby.
 Reports are Wild.
 fa 4a.~ eighty guests in the hotel. all escaped with their lives. 1t was stated by per- sons coming up from the beach dur ing the fire that the excitement waa so great that 1t could not be posi- lively said that the fatality list will be only two. One report Is that an unknown guest. a friend of Manager Mitchell, who came in last night with out registering, is missing But for the work of bucket brigade. made up principally of women cottagers. led by Miss Tucker, daughter of the Epis- copal Bishop coadJutor of South Vlr- ginia, the entire ocean front of the cottages north of the hotel would have been wiped out. The women worked with the white men like troJans. while negro men stood by and offered no ass sistance.
 Among those who had narrow es- capes and had to get out in their night
 
 aged sister of Governor Wilson of West Virginia; Mrs. H. D. Flournoy, wife of former Congressman Flournoy of West Virginia; Mrs. Carlisle of Chat tanooga, and Mrs. Mars of Cleveland. O.. all of whom were heavy losers In both money and jewels. Mrs. Carlisle escaped with her sick babe in her arms.
 Manager Attempts Suicide.
 Manager Mitchell. frantic as a re- suit of the fire and his loss. sought to-i day to end his life by jumping into the. ocean. but was restrained by friends Manager Mitchells sister from Ashe- vile. N. C., was among last nights ar rivals who lost everything and barely escaped with her life.
 It was said late today that the negro chambermaid Emma Clark. reported lost in the fire. had escaped and had been seen during the day The uri- known special guest of Manager Mitch- ell isIstlll missing and is believed to have perished. Until Manager Mitch ellis mental condithion improves. hia name cannot be learned.