New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-05-04
FLAMES KILL A DOZEN
FORT W4YNE HOTEL FIRE.
Search of Ruins May Increase Death
List-Many Narro1r Escapes.


persons lost their lives in FIRE which destroyed
.he New AveIine Hotel here early to-day The
entire interior Of the building is a smoulderins
heap OF ruins and how many dead are con-
cealed by the debris can only BE conjectured-
The hotel register consumed by the fire.
and there is no accurate means Of determining
who is missing The known dead are r. .
Johnson. Pana- III; NJ Hrsch. Nes York j.
2. Miller. ShebOygan. Wis; J Z. Ellis. sales
for Carson. Pirie. Scott & Co. Chicago,
W. A Pitcher. Fort Wayne. salesman for ;. 2
Boyser & Co. Fort Wayne; ]. W. Deyine.
salesman fer Crawford & Lehman. Philadelphia
and three unidentified men Those said 10 be
missing Max wassen. wrestler. Fort
Wayne. formerly of St Louis. Frank Baxter.
attorney. Auburn. Ind; companion of Frank
Baxter. OF Auburn. Ind; F. b Atty, Washing
ton, Ind; Charles Benjamin salesman for De-
troit Neckwear Company Detroit; Mrs Sarah
Hathaway. Mishawaka Ind. and unknown
woman companion of Mrs Hathaway.
SOME OF THE INJURED
Among the injured we're F. c. O'Donnen De-
troit, right arm broken in Ieaping from window:
James y Foster. Fort Wayne. burned about
face: \ X Meth. Pittsburg. burned about fa-e
and BODY; Lyman Campbell, jumped three
stories. severely bruised: Charles Falls. CoIum-
lacerated. !eaped three stories f VI. Matthews.
Columbus. Ohio. back broken. George y sill.
Philadelphia. cut and burned about face AMI
arms. Agnes Nadeau. Margaret Meechan. Anna
Block Nathan Bell all employ es. severely
burned and bIjstered: r - Phillips. Calumet
Mich, face burned; John Long. bartender. arms
broken.
The complete destruction Of the interior OF
the hotel makes the work Of recovering bodies
wood. bricks and twisted girders is piled Up in
side the walls to beyond the second story Piece
BY piece this must be removed before the roll
of the dead can be completed Some OF the
bodies taken out are manged and charred be-
yond recognition \ company Of infantry and
a battery are on duty and aiding the fire and
police forces(to clear away the debris
The nr= discovered at $50 O'Clock this
morning in the elevator shaft by the night clerk
Ralph Hipkins He rushed 70 the upper floors
alarming the guests until the flames. which had
spread with great rapidity. drove him back
His efforts. however. saved many lives The
hotel was erected half century ago, and the
woodwork was dry IS tinder 1t burned ike
matchwood. and within few minutes from the
time the fire vas discovered the whole interior
of the hotel was a 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. frenzied by the rush os the
flames ieaped from windows to the -street- r.
S Johnson. of Pans, III. jumped from the dftH
story His body struck balcony and bounded
far into the street He was badly crushed and
died short time later in st. Joseph's Hospital
Those who left their rooms before the flames cut
off their retreat wers able to make their,vay 70
the fire escapes and we're saved with compar1-
tive ease
FLEEING FOR THEIR LIVES
Claude II. varneH. OF the Fort Wayne base
bail team: his sister. Mrs John Hendricks, and
John Hendricks. of Chicago. manager OF M
Fort Wayne team. barely escaped With their
lives varneII lost all his personal belongings.
valued at several thousand dollars Hendricks.
with his wife ahead Of him and his son IN his
arms started down the fire escape from t1e
fifth floor At the third floor the fire broke our
be'o,v them at the turn in the iron stairs He
swung Mrs Hendricks over the railing Of the
third floor platform and she dropped 70 the plat
form OF the story below thus avoiding the niazs-
syyept portion Of the fire escape Then NJ
dropped his son into rhe arms of his vifs. and
he followed them in this way 70 the srou1d in
safety. other similarly narrow escapes we're
numerous
When the fire vas a. its height e NJ Mat
thews. Of Columbus Ohio vas seen wildly vsv-
ing his arms AZ 4 third story window He
shrieked for help and then IeaPed from the win
dow and went svirlfng 70 the pavement below
John P Strohecher. Of New York. after mar
row escape from death in the flames. reached the
ground almost naked he had TO 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 nightcIothes The guests had no time ia
save their effects Drygocds and clothing stores
were thrown open 70 all Who needed apparel
and they. were supplied without question
r : Lewis Of chicago. was driven from ais
room on the third floor the window ledge
The inmates we're leaping cut above him. and
he swung down from window TO window Fire.
men hofsted ladder % aid him. but u became
cntauzlod in wires Lewis became exhausted.
his grasp Ioosenei and he dropped Just the
ladder vas raised urder his feet He seized a
round OF The ladder and escaped unhu-t-
EXPERIENCE OF NEW YORKER
r sallct. of Ne, York had a similar e.
r4.tsnce. The flames we're in bis room when h-
avoko He groped his way through the sr1oks
20 q window and craVled out on the ledge and
hung there precariousIy. edgins away an incn
at a time as the flames curIed from the window
He was lust about 10 take chances IN a leap ~
four stories to the asphalt pavement beneath
uben a hand was thrust down to him from the
roof of an adjo1ning building and he was pulled
to safety
\ score Of women employed in the hotel we're
in the upper rooms in the rear. Most Of them
escaped without injury but some in their frenzy
leaped to the alley During the first eNciten'ent
many we're accounted dead that we're later
found 70 be safe. That there are several bodies
stiH in the ruins the belief Of Fire Chief Hi
brecht and Police chief AnckenoTuck MI
Anckeubruck placed his estimate Of dead Yet IN