Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-05-04
ELEVEN DE- N
H0|E! HOLOCAUST
The Ayeline, at Ft. Wayne,
Ind, Scene Of Terrible Fire
Panic
mANy ARE YET MISSING
MANY ARE YET MISSING
Total Number of Deaths Cannot Be
Determined Until Debris Has Been
Thoroughly Searched, Which Action
i. Now in Prosress-severaI Bodies
Burned Beyond Recognition.

Fort Wayne, Ind, May Fire de-
stroyed the Aveline hotel, Berry and
Calhoun streets, early Sunday morning,
snuffed out the lives of at least eleven
human beings, MANNED and burned
,ypanies of militia are searching the
smoking ruins, assured that beneath
the ashes and smoldering debris lie
{ the bodies of more victims of the hol-
ocaust, several of whom are missing.
The death roll in the New Aveline
fire this morning stood eleven known
dead, with several persons still un-
accounted for The revised list of
dead follows:
Charles Benjamin, Detroit
J. B. Miller, Sheboygan, Wis.
J. E. Ellis, Chicago.
Isaac Hirsch, Chicago.
e. S. johnson, Pana, III.
William Pitcher, Duluth.
Joseph w. Deviney, Philadelphia.
sss All the above were travelling sales
men.
Two unidentified bodies of women,
/! supposed to be Mary Burkett and Sar-
ah Hathaway, of Mishawalsa, Ind
Two unidentified bodies of men. both
burned beyond recognition.
One Of injured Will Die.
\ n n j
by burns, are doing. well at the hospi-
tails. except E. H. Matthews, of Colum-
bus. o.. whose death is hourly ex-
ipected. The fire department, police and
two companies of militia, aided by
many laporers, worked thruout the
might burrowing into the ruins in
search for the dead. It was daylight
before another body was recovered,
and there are number of persons yet
missing, tho how many is not known.
sTke identity Of some of them is alto
gether problematical. The total num-
Der OF deaths cannot be determined
until the debris has been completely
searched.
Coroner Kesler began a searching in
I uuiry into the fire today. All persons
connected with the hotel and all guests
remaining in the city were summoned
TO appear at the inquest.
It has been disclosed with practical
[. certainty that the fire had its origin
from the furnace of the hotels heat
L ing plant.
Burns Like Pasteboard.
The hotel was a siX-story structure
OF brick and wood built in 1852. The
top story was of wood, and when once
irnited this burned like pasteboard. 1t
was here that the greater part of the
deaths occurred.
The fire was discovered at $3.50 Sun
day morning in the elevator shaft by
u Night Clerk Ralph Hipkins. He rushed
to the upper floors, alarming the
guests, until the flames, which had
( spread with great rapidity. drove him
4 back.
The fire had spread to all parts of
If the building within q few minutes af-
a ter it was discovered, and the whole
interior of the hotel was a mass Of
flames when the first engine arrived
Clerk Tells Of the Fire.
Night Clerk Hipkins, who discov-
Y cred the fire, told of the catastrophe.
He said the fire had been smoldering
In the elevator shaft for some time be-
fore he discovered it. Before he could
give an alarm q sheet Of fame flashed
up thru the shaft.
He sent the elevator boy to tell
+ John McAlevy, one of the proprietors
of the hotel, of the fire. All this time
b the sixty-seven guests We're uncon-
scious of their danger. The flames
4 spread with the utmost rapidity from
the elevator shaft, licking up the old
4 wooden floors in the corridors almost
in less time than it takes to tell it.
Hipkins says he rang. the hotel gong
and rushed up the stairs. running thru
the corridors and knocking at doors
and screaming to the guests to get up
and save themselves. All this appears
turned in, and then, owing TO the con-
fusion. call was sent in for chemi-
cal engine instead Of the regular ap-
ss sparatls.
Many Leap to Street.
The fire department rescued many
/ by means of ladders, but some,
frenzied by the onward rush of the
flames, leaped from high windows to
the paved street. r, s. johnson OF
Pana, ILL.,, jumped from the fifth story
His body struck a balcony and bound
ed far into the street. He was a
crushed and bleeding mass when
picked up, and died short time later
in ST. Joseph's hospital
AS the fury of the flames increased,
/. men and women We're seen in the WIN
dows OF their rooms, where they Wild
ly implored help. Some dii not wait
for the efforts of the fir.men and
leaped to the street Several were
seriously inquired In this way. Those
Nsiio got from their rooms before the
flames cut off their retreat were able
10 make their way to the fire escapes
and 50 were saved with comparative
ease. Soon the flames broke from the
windows and curled about the fire es-
Sapes. Some Of the more hardy ones