The morning journal-courier., 1908-05-04
'Six-story Fort WayneStruc ture Entirely Consumed by Flames Before
 Daylight Yes
 terday.
TWELVE KNOWN TO BE DEAD
twenty More May he Buried in Ruins Entire Building Ablazc Fifteen Minutes After the First
 Alarm.

Fort Wayne. Ind, May S.--At least ~elve persons lost their lives In fire hich destroyed the New Aveline hotel ere carly to-day. The entire interior Ii the building is smolderi1g heap k ruins and how many dead are con alcd by the debris can only be con hctured. The hotel register was con lmed by the fire and there Is no ac- hrate means of determining who Is lissing,
 The known dead are: R. S. Johnson, ana, Ills; M. Hirsch, New York;
 B. Miller Sheboygan, Wis; J. E. Ellis, salesman for Carson, Pierie, cott & Co.,, Chicago; w. A. Pitcher, ort Wayne. salesman for $. F. Boy slr & Co.,, Fort Wayne; J. W. Devine, slesman for Crawford X Lehman, three unidentified men, 2 The known missing: Max Nassem, X 'restler. Fort Wayne, formerly of St. spuis Frank Baxter, attorn,y, Au- firn, Ind; companion of Frank BaX- slr of Auburn, Ind; E. E. Atty, of lashlngton, Ind, Charles Benjamin, illlesman for Detroit Neckwear Co.,. ' 'letroit, Mich; Mrs. Sarah Hathaway, ishawaka, Ind; unknown woman bmpanion of Mrs. Hathaway. .VlThe complete destruction cf the in s'rior of the hctel r'axes the work H recovering hoc,es Gi''icult task. sh confused heap of chaI"-ed wood, Kicks and twisted girders is piled up l'l.ween the walls to beyond the sec 'fli story
 '11he fire was discovered at S:30 N'is morning in the elevator shaft by |}c night clerk, who rushed to the 'fDper floors, alarming the guests un- ,de the flames, which had spread with Meat rapidlty, drove him back. His ,SNorts, however, saved many lives sfiThe hotel was erected half cen fiy ago and the woodwork was dry 1. finder. It burned like matchwood s within a few minutes from the Rfne the fire was discovered the whole sjfterior of the hotel was mass of fl mes and the only means of escape t3t was by the windows
 sNlThe fire department rescued many sM means of ladders, but some, fren- < Va by the rush of the flames, leaped ||
 f. .aR. S. Johnson of Pana, H., jumped < bm the fifth story. His body struck l balcony and bounded far Into the Al Feet He was badly crushed and 3jted short time later in St. Joseph's x spital.
 x fAs the flames increased men ant fl ,men were seen in the windows oi elr homes imploring for reip I ame did not wait for the assistance N these hremen and leaped to tA, sI Feet Those who left their rooms 1I ifore the flames cut of their rc
 at were able to make their wa,
 the fire escapes and were saYeo M In comparative ease.
 .u There were many th.lllins escapes Aude H. Varnell of the Fort Wayne I isebal team, his sister, Mrs. Johr {. .ssndricks, and John Hendricks o I Eicago, manager of the Fort Wayne & Inn, barely escaped with their lives >I Frnell lost all his personal belong %s. valued at several thousand dol ks. Hendricks, with his wife aneat H him, and his son in his arms Nrted down the fire escape from th'
 In floor At the thifd floor, th' broke out below them at th' VI Sln In the iron stairs. He s"unt
 s Hendricks over the railing t' third floor platform and she drop 4Ih to the platform of the story be
 thus avoiding the blaze-swep M ftion of tho floor escape, Then h'
 pped his son into the arms of hi
 ie, and he followed them in thi
 M to the ground in safety Othe
 ilarly narrow escapes were numer
 scores of men and women reached
 ground with nothing on but nigh
 Ines. None of the guests had tim
 save their effects. Dry goods ant
 Rhing stores were thrown open t'
 who needed apparel and the!
 re supplied without question.
 S. Lewis of Chicago was driver
 ln his room on the third floor to thu
 dow ledge. The inmates were leap D out above him and he swung from
 sdow to window. Bremen hoietet
 dder to aid him but 1t became en
 yled in wires. Lewis became ex
 sted his grasp loosened and h'
 pped Just as the ladder was raise
 Ter his feet He seized a round e
 ladder and escaped unhurt,
 R, Sallot of New York had
 liar experience The flames wer
 ais room when he awoke. He grop
 his way through the smoke to
 adow and crawled out on the ledg
 hung there precariously, edgin - an inch at time as the flame N Ned angrily from the window H 7 just about to take chances in N3 of four stories to the pavemen