Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-05-04

| persons lOSI tHelT lives III IL ire WHICH
destroyed the New Aveline hotel here
early today. The entire interior of the
building is smouldering heap of ruins
and how many dead are concealed by
the debris can only be conjectured.
| The hotel register was consumed by
| the fire and there is no accurate means
of determining who is missing. The
| known dead are:
| r. S. Johnson, Pana, Ill.
M. Hirsch, New York.
j. B. Miller. Sheboygen, Wis
j. f.. Ellis, salesman for Carson.
Pierce. Scott & Co., Chicago.
W. A. Pitcher Fort Wayne, sales
man for S. A. Boyer & Co, Fort
Wayne.
J. w. Devine salesman for Crawford
& Lehman, Philadelphia.
Three unidentified men.
The known missing:
Max Wassem, Fort Wayne, formerly
of st. Louis.
Frank Baxter, attorney Auburn. Ind.
burn, Ind.
NJ B. Atty, Washington, Iud.
Charles Benjamin, salesman for De-
troit Ncckwear Co, Detroit.
Mrs Sarah Hathaway, Mishawaka
Ind.
Unknown woman companion of Mrs.
Hathaway.
The complete destruction of the in
terror of the hotel makes the work of
recovering the bodies a difficult task. A
confused heap of charred wood bricks
and twisted girders is piled up between
the walls to beyond the second story.
Piece by piece this must be removed
before the roll of the dead can be COM
pleted Some of the bodies taken out
are maneled and charred beyond
recognition. Infantry Co. D. and
Battery b. Of the National Guard are
on duty and are aiding the fire and
police forces to clear away the de-
bris.
The fire was discovered at $3.50
o'clock this morning in the elevator
shaft by Night Clerk Ralph Hopkins.
He rushed to the upper floors alarm
ing the guests until the flames, which
had spread with great rapidty, drove
him back. His efforts, however, saved
many lives.
The hotel was erected half a CEN
fury ago and the wood work was dry
as finder 1t burned like matchwood
and within a few minutes from the
time the fire was discovered the whole
interior of the house was mass of
flames and the only means of escape
was by the windows.
The fire department rescued many
by means of ladders but some frenzied
by the flames, leaped from windows to
the street.
r. s. Johnson of Pana, Ills, jumped
from the fifth story. His body struck
a balcony and bounded far into the
street He was badly crushed and died
a short time later in st. JoSepl'S hos
pital.
AS the flames increased men and
women were seen in the windows of
their rooms imploring for help. Some
did not wait for the assistance of the
firemen and leaped to the street.
Those who left their rooms before the
flames cut off their retreat were able
to make their way to the fire escapes
and were saved with comparative
ease
There were many thrilling escapes.
VI
Baseball team, his sister, Mrs. John
Hendricks and John Hendricks OF
Chicago. manager of the Fort Wayne
team barely escaped with their lives.
Varncl lost all his personal belong
ings, valued at several thousand dol
lars Hendricks with his wife ahead
of him and his son in his arms start
ed down the fire escape from the fifth
floor. At the third floor, the fire broke
out below them at the turn of the
iron stairs. He swung Mrs. Hendricks
over the railing of the third floor plat
form and dropped to the platform of
the second story below. thus avoiding
the blaze-swept portion Of the fire es-
cape Then he dropped his son into
the arms of his wife and he followed
them in this way to the ground in
safety. Other similarly narrow es-
capes were numerous.
When the fire was at it's height. IL.
NJ Matthews of Columbus, o., was
seen wildly waving his arms at a third
story window. He shrieked for help
and then leaped from the window and
went swirling to the pavement below
John p Strohecher of New York,
dI lcI CoCopS liOiii NSti~h -
the flames, reached the ground almost
naked. He had no time to gather his
apparel, the flames having burst into
his room before he was awakened.
Scores of men and women reached
the ground with nothing on but night
clothes. None of the guests had time
to save their effects. Dry goods. and
clothing stores were thrown open to all
who needed apparel and they were
supplied without question.
T. S. Lewis of Chicago was driven
from his room on the third floor to the
window edge. The inmates were leap
ing out above him and he swung down
from window to window. Firemen
hoisted a ladder to aid him, but it be-
came entangled in wires. Lewis be-
came exhausted. his grasp loosened
and he dropped just as the ladder was