The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-04-17
DEATH TRAP IN
SAN FRANCISCO
Six Persons Lose Their Lives
and Several Injured in
Hotel Horror.
FIRE BROKE OUT IN NIGHT
POLICE AND FiREMEN SAVED
MANY PERSONS.

san Francisco, April 16.-Six bodies
recovered and probably eight or ten
others buried in the ruins. six injured
one fatally, and a property loss Of S125.-
600, are the results Of an carry morning
fire which destroyed the St. George no
tel, lodging house for laborers. at
Howard and Eighth streets. and eight
small buildings.
The bodies taken to the morgue were
80 charred that identification was inn
possible.
d. 5. Cartwright. a carpenter. fO--
merly of Salem. Ore. and said TO nave
possessed considerable money. was
burned all over the head and body. ana
no hopes are felt for his recovery.
Nine Others sligtly injured are:
Patrick Gueriu. John Neil. John
Erickson. John Main. John Potts, Fire
man James Rogers. William Mckinley,
Don Haggarty and James Campbell.
Burned Like finder.
The hotel was a three-story frame
building and burned 50 rapidly that
none OF the $50 guests had time 10 dress
and many escaped by jumping 70 the
roof of an adjoining workshop. Scores
clambeTed down the ladders OF the fire
men and the fire escapes. and at least
by the fire-dghters. 1t is not known
how many were unable to avail them
selves of any of these means 10 es-
cape.
When the fire was discovered shortly
after O'Clock, Night Clerk Arthur
Gronhk, three or four other employees,
and Policeman W. F Kruger ran
through the house arousing the Sleep
ing tenants. In the smoke-6lled halls
they directed the half-crazed people to
the exits The panic that followed
made il difficult for the tenants to find
their way through the labyrinth of
halls which threaded the 400 small
rooms
Heroic Work.
Firemen and police worked hero.caHy
and but for their efforts the loss of life
would have been much greater. Fire
man James Rogers was one of those
who distinguished themselves. He ell
tered q burning room and carried an
unconscious man down a ladder.
Before the ruins had cooled the fine
men began the search for bodies. With
in two hours five chaTred bodies had
been found and only d small portion
of the burned area had been explored
The St George hotel was fimsy
wooden structure. built as an emergen-
~ lodging house after the great 1re
Of 1906. The guests were all men,
mostly laborers.
Six at the Morgue.
There are now s'x dead bodies AT the
rnorgue. one OF which has been partly
identified BIZ means of a gold-filed
tooth as that of man named Johnson.
recently from San Antonio. Tex.
Two hundred people We're in the no
tel when the fire broke out. One hun
bred and thirty-seven Of these were
regular boarders and the rest tran
silent OF the regular boarders thirty
are unaccounted for, but it is believed
that many of them escaped I'm the con-
II sion and have neglected to report
their safety. There was a high wind
blowing ana the Terhama street side of
Tie hotel fell out. crushing a number Of
refugees shacks adjOin ng. Il is sup
posed that the fire star ted iG a cabinet
makers SHOP next door.
Thrilling Escapes.
one of the most thrilling escapes Of
many that were Witnessed was that
Of James T. Briggs. his wife and their
seven children. The family occupied
two rooms on the third floor, and one
Of the seven children. awakened by the
light Of the flames. ran to the adjOin-
ing room and awakened Briggs and ms
W fe. Flora, the ffteen-year-old daugh-
drag the four youngest children TO the
street, and Mrs. Briggs. with the two
remaining children. found the street
through some other exit. Neither sec
ton of the divided family was certain
of the others escape, and for "A time
the terror-stricken children ran through
the gathering crowds seeking one an
other. When finally reunited. the chill
dren and their mother, still I'm their
night clothes, were taken to a neigh
boring house by the police.
One Victim Identified.
The only one of the dead bodies
which it has been possible TO identify
is believed to be that of G. II. Johnson,
a miner of san Antonio, Tex.
Thirty-e. ght guests are still unac-
counted for. among them Herman
AIuer. a cigarmaker. of Rochester. y. Y.
The st. George hotel was of the most
filnsy construction, and it's proprietor
J. ". Shanahan. has been in trouble
With the board of public works since
the building was erected shortly after
the great fire. On December 13. 1905
he was arrested for violating the build
ing law. but was dismissed on promis-
ing TO make siterat 'ons which would
increase the safety Of the building Ac-