The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-05-08
MANY PEOPLE. PERISH
IN A HOTEL FIRE.
Ten Known to Have Lost Their
d Lives.
BODIES BURIED IN THE RUINS.
The New Aveline, Of Fort Wayne, Is
a Mass of Flames Within q Quarter
Of a Heur After the Fire Was Dis
covered Guests, Caught Unawares,
Take Desperate Chances.

Take Desperate Chances.
Fort Wayne, Ind. Especially Ten
known dead, several missing and Is
seriously injured are the result of
a IRE that destroyed the New Ave-
line, Fort Waynes's principal hotel.
Chief of Police Anckenbruck says he
believes that 20 bodies are still in
the ruins. The debris cannot be
searched carefully.
The hotel register was consumed
by the FIRE and there is no means of
determining who is missing.
The complete destruction of the in
terror of the hotel makes the work
OF recovering bodies difficult task.
A confused heap of charred wood,
bricks and twisted Orders is piled up
between the walls to the second story.
Piece by piece this must be removed
before the roll of the dead can be
completed. Some of the bodies TAX
en- out are mangled and charred be-
yond recognition. Infantry Company
D and Battery B, of the National
Guard, are on duty and aiding the
fire and police forces to clear away
the debris.
The fire was discovered at $50
o'clock A. NJ, in the elevator shaft
by Night Clerk Ralph Hopkins. He
rushed to the upper floors alarming
the guests until the flames, which
had spread with great rapidity, drove
him back. His efforts, however, saw
- h 81
ed half a century ago and the wood
work was dry as finder. 1t burned
like matchwood and within few
minutes from the time the fire was
discovered the whole interior of the
hotel was mass of flames and the
only means of escape left was by the
windows.
The fire department rescued many
by means of ladders, but some fren-
zied by the rush of the flames, leap
ed from windows to the street.
r. s. Johnson, of Pana, ILL.,, jump
ed from the fifth story. His body
struck a balcony and bounded far
into the street. He was badly crush
ed and died short time later in st.
Joseph's Hospital.
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 jumped 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 COM
parative ease.
Saved Wife And Child.
r. There we're many thrilling escapes.
Claude H. Varnell, of the Fort Wayne
baseball team; his sister, Mrs. John
Hendricks, and John Hendricks, of
Chicago, manager of the Fort Wayne
team, barely escaped with their lives.
Varnell 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 in the
iron stairs. He swung Mrs. Hen
bricks over the railing of the third
floor platform and she dropped to
the platform of the story below, thus
avoiding the blaze-swept portion Of
the fire escape. Then he dropped
his son into the arms of his wife,
and he followed them in this way to-
the ground in safety Other similar
ly narrow escapes were numerous.
When the fire was at it's height
e. M. Matthews, of Columbus, O..
was seen wildly waving his arms at
third-story window. He shrieked
for help in vain, and then leaped
from the window and wont swirling
to the pavement below. He was des-
perately hurt.
Many Thrilling Escapes.
John P. Strohecher, of New York,
after thrilling escape from death in
the flames, reached the ground al
most 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 we're thrown
open to all who needed apparel, and
they we're supplied without question.
A. r. Sallot, of New York, had
singular experience. The flames were
in his room when he awoke He
CROPPED his way through the smoke to
window and crawled out on the
ledge and hung there precautionary,
edging away an inch at a time as
the flames curled angrily from the
window. He was just about to take
chances in a leap of four stories to
the asphalt pavement beneath when
hand was thrust down to him from
the room of an adjoining building
and he was pulled to safety.
A Total Wreck.
The New Aveline Hotel was a six
story building of brick. 1t stood in
the business center of the city. It's
erection was begun in 1852. but il
was not completed as four-story
building until several years later In
1895 the building was extensively
remodeled and the two top stories
were added. The hotel and its fur
nishings were valued at $4,000.