The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-04
TWELVE LOSE
 THEIR LIVES Hotel in Indiana Is
 Burned. FIREMEN SAVE MANY LIVES Many More Bodies May Be Con
 cealed Under Debris. The Complete Destruction of the Inte- rior of the Hotel Makes the Res- cue Work Very Diff
 acuif.
sIREMEN SAVE MANY LIVES

tWoiFe persons iOSt tnetr laVeB m & fire which destroyed the New Aveline Hotel here early today. The entire in- terior of the building Is smoldering heap of ruins and how many dead are concealed by the debris can only be ccnjectured.
 The hotel register was consumed by the fire. and there Is no accurate means of determining who Is missing. The known dead are:
 H. s. Johnson, Pana. H.: M. Hlrsch, New York: T. E. Miller. Sheboygan. Wis; J. E. Ellis salesman for Carson, Pierie, Scott and Company. Chicago: ". A Pitcher. Fort Wayne. salesman for Wayne; J. W. Deyiney. salesman for Crawford and Lehman, Philadelphga; three unidentified men.
 The known missing are: Max Vas sam, wrestler, Fort Wayne, formerly of St. Louis; Frank Baxter. attorney. Auburn. Ind; companion of Frank Baxter. Auburn, Ind; E. B. Atty. Wa bash. Ind; Charles Benjamin. saIes- man for Detroit Neckwear Company Detroit. Mich: Mrs Sarah Hathaway, Mishawaka, Ind; unknown woman, companion of Mrs. Hathaway
 The complete destruction of the ln- tarior of the hotel makes the work Of
 
 wood. bricks and twisted girdera arc piled up between the walls to tho sec ond story. Piece by piece this must be removed before the roll of the dead can be completed. Some of the bodies taken out are mangled and charred be- yond recognition.
 The Ire was discovered this morning in the elevator shaft by Night Clerk Ralph Hopkins. He rushed to the uQG per floors alarming the guests until the flames, which had spread with great rapidity drove him back. Hts l efforts, however, saved many lives The hotel was erected half century ago and the woodwork was dry aa finder. Within a few minutes from I the tIfne the fire was discovered. tho whole interior of the hotel was mass of flames and the only avenue of ea- cape was by the windows.
 The fire department rescued many but some. frenzied by the rush of the flames. leaped from windows to The
 R. s Johnson. of Pana. Ills. Jumped from the fifth story. His body struck balcony and bounded far Into the street He died short time later
 As the flames increased, men ana women were seen in the wondows Of their rooms impioring for help. some did not wait for the assistance Of the fremen and deaped to the sfreet, Those who left their rooms before me flames cut off their retreat were able to make their way tosthe fire eseapes' and were saved.
 soon fine flames broke from the win- dova and curled about the fire escapes Some of the more hardy ones oraved i the flames and made their way tnrousn smoke and fire down the iron stAlr- ways. U
 There were many thrilling escapes. | claude H. varneIi of the Fort Wsyne baseball team, his sister Mrs; sons as Hendricks, and John Hendricks oA chicaro. manager of the Fort wayne team together with Master Hendricks. l n ged X years, barely escaped with tneir | lives. Varnell lost all his personal oe- l IonRinRs. valued at several tnousann dollars. Hendricks with ms Wlhs ahead of him and his boy in ms arnls. sa.. was descending the fire escape rom tba aTth floor. At the third floor the fire broke out below them. Ae swung NEra Handricks over the railing anu she dropped to the platform or the | story below. He then dropped ms eon into the waiting arms of his wiIe. anu | all made their way 10 the sLoun.- sL Other rescues as thrilling anu eSeAp1o as narrow were numerous.
 | when the fire was at It's heignt l r,an al A third story window was seen wiidlv waving his arms. He shrieked. ."NTS, Cod men, save me. Will no one saye me?' and then leaped rom 1nS window and went swirling to the pave ment below. He was pickso uP uesp o atsIv hurt. He was of Columnus, S., h~t bis name could not at the time De A scora or more of women. employen in Inc hotel were In the upper roun.s ~ in the rear of the hotel. Most ol snsI,s ,,. | escaped without injury. but soH.s M their frenzy leaped to the alisy. .,sas isf inc belief of Fire Chief Hilorecne and Chief of Police ,Anckenoru ucA C,bIef Anckenbruck. basing his estl- | mates on the reports or the PohSe,
 gives the number of tho dead yet ,n inc ruins at o'clock at twenty. E-that hour eight bodies nao peen .eso, ...,,, eNed A guest on the fifth noor wne ls
 usss aroused at the outbreak or tne Are and escaped. says he believes vsry | Ta1, or the fifth floor or In the rooms
 in the Mansard escaped. Other poaies
 are believed to be at the foot or ths
 elevator shaft. But 1t will be some
 hours before the diggers clear tne uo-
 bris from the basement
 The Aviline Hotel was six story
 buudinR of brick in the business cen
 for of the city. It's erection was pe-
 r.,n in 1852: but it was not compietea uhtil several years later. Tn lesg tne
 buildinE was extensively remodeiFn and two stories were added.
 The losses of other occupants or the hotel block aggregate $34.0O0. The losses are fully Insured.
 Scores of men and women reached the ground scantily clad. None or fhe l guests had time to save their effects Dry goods and clothing stores were thrown open to men and women ana ali who needed apparel were supplied without question.