Gilpin observer., 1908-09-10
BURNING OF BELMONT HOTEL ON
STOUT STREET NEAR THE
ALBANY.
PROVED A DEATH TRAP
BESIDES THOSE ALREADY DEAD
TWO MORE MAY DIE FROM
INJURIES.

Denver.-Four dead and seven in
Jured, three of them seriously, is the
list of casualties resulting from the
fire at the Belmont hotel, 1928 Stout
street, at A o'clock Tuesday morning.
The number of dead; it is said by ply.
sicians at the hospitals, may be in
creased at any moment, since all the
victims are suffering from burns in
vital parts of the body.
Following is a list of the dead:
George d. OFT, 27, collector Singer
Sewing Machine Company. Died at
County hospital from injuries received
in jumping from third-story window.
John j. Kane, "a, plaster contrac-
tor. found dead in room 35, tn d floor,
the result of suffocation.
George w. Bodle, 80, Pullman con-
ductor of the Colorado G. Southern.
Died at County hospital, the result of
Injuries sustained in jumping from
thirdstory window.
j. B. Moore, g. real estate agent
at County hospital as a result of in
juries sustained in jumping from win
dow to street
The seriously injured are:
Patrick TreadweH, member of the
Cripple Creek fire department and a
hero of the fire, who was injured in
ternally while catching the bodies of
ten people who jumped from the east
side of the third floor. Removed to
home of friend at Twenty-fourth and
Giipln streets. VIII die.
Mrs. Dora Lanham, burned about
body. st. Joseph's hospital.
W. A. Lanham, railroad brakeman,
burned on face, neck and hands. st.
Joseph's hospital.
William E. Lewis, railroad brake
man, burns on body. st. Joseph's hos
pital.
Those more or less injured, but not
dangerously, are: A. Williamson,
burned hands and sprained ankle; O..
E. Klinger, printer, back sprained, St.
Anthony's hospital; Lottie Cobbey,
feet cut by broken glass and hip
sprained, st. Joseph's; Melvin Parker,
hands. face and arms burned, County
hospital; many others received slight
cuts and bruises.
An inspection of the building, when
the debris was cleared away brought
to light more forcibly than ever the
need of enforcing city ordinances pro
viding for the protection of public
buildings against fire. The structure
was found to be equipped with only
one fire escape, and this at a point al
most inaccessible from windows, while
it extended only half way down the
building at the rear, the last round
of the iron ladder being at point near
ly twenty feet from the ground. I'M
mediately beneath this was an open
ing, which had the appearance of an
abandoned cellar or basement en-
trance, about eight feet deep. The vic
tim of the fire fortunate enough to
gain this escape would have had to
drop twenty feet into an areaway.
There was no other fire escape on
the building
With the exception of the main en-
trance there We're but three exits, one
for each floor. They were found in
the narrow doorways at the rear OF
each floor landing. looking out upon
the fire escape, which ran several feet
to the side
So far as has been learned from the
investigation, not one of the victims
ventured the fire escape at the Bel.
mont. Even the landlady, Mrs. Jen-
ME Rain, and three boys, who knew
of its existence and the most direct
route leading to it, preferred to take
their chances on scaling the standpipe.
other dodgers had sufficient time to
make their way to the fire escape, but
no lights or other means were dis
played to show its existence, and they
were given the alternative then of
lighting their way through the mount
ing flames as best they could.
A rough estimate of the damage to
the building and contents, including
the individual losses of the guests,
placed the loss at about $4,000.