Weekly Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1908-1909, 1909-01-15
FAMOUS TOPEKA
H0STELRY BURNS:
GUESTS IN PANIC
BLAZE IN STOPPING PLACE FOR
POLITICIANS ACCOMPANIED BY
THRILLING ESCAPES.
ONE DEAD AND MANY INJURED.
Bed Clothes Serve as Ladders for Promi-
nent Occupants in Making Daring
Slides for Life
HOTEL WAS A HISTORIC BUILDING

HOTEL WAS A HISTORIC BUILDING.
TOPEKA, Kan, Jan. 1.-THE Cope
land hotel. a famous stopping place for
Legislators and politicians and situated
at Ninth and Kansas avenues, one block
, from the state capitol, was destroyed by
fire that started shortly after 4 o'clock
this morning.
Every room was occupied, the guests
numbering about 100, among them being
many persons of prominence through
out the state. The flames burned with
such remarkable rapidity that most of
the occupants were forced to make their
escape by way of the fire escapes. Many
Jumped to save their lives and received
more or less serious injuries.
y dozen persons were injured. suffer
. ing broken limbs and bruises, and one
person is missing
The missing:
LAMBERT, /. E, of Emporia. a promi-
nent politician
The injured include:
Mrs w. y. Morgan, wife of the editor of
the Hutchinson News and formerly state
printer; broken ankle
w. {. Murray, Kansas City, Kan, life in
5urancc agent, broken ankle and bruises.
ii. A. Rowland, Mcpherson, three ribs
broken.
Mrs. b. L. Thompson, Harrington, back
injured.
Representative S. c. Westcott. Cherokee
county, back and ankle wrenched.
IL q. BOEe. state board of control, To
peka, back spraincd.
G. w. GoOdlander, Fort Scott, leg hurt
Paul, Rich Coolidge, back, side and arm
injured.
W. Z, Elstun, Moline, sprains and bruises
b. {. iiow,nan, Newton, ankle and back
Spraincd.
Ex-senator }. II. Lamb, Yates Center, in
tsrnal Injuries; severely bruised.
Fire Chief Wilmarth, Topeka, head cut.
j. w Davis. Greensburg, overcome by
smoke.
Bent Murdoch, Eldorado, Kan, well
A. w. Smith, Mcpherson, Kansas, former
Republican candidate for governor, ankle
broken.
Oldest Hotel in State.
The Copeland hotel was of brick con-
struction, four stories in height. 1t was
one of the Oldest hosteleries in the state.
1t had a roomy lobby and wide Railways
/ and was plentifully supplied with fire
escapes. The main stairway, however,
was built around the elevator and the
flames shooting up the shaft soon shut
off this means of escape. Every room
was occupied, the guests being made up
principally of members of the LegiSla-
ture, their families and other prominent
persons i'll the state here to attend the
opening of the sixteenth biennial session.
The fire started i'll the lower part of
the building Il few minutes after
o'clock from some cause as yet unknown.
The flames shot up quickly and before
an alarm could be turned ill., were fast
making their way up the wide corridors
and filling the open spaces with smoke.
When the fire apparatus arrived on the
scene it was apparent that the structure
was doomed.
A dozen guests appeared at the upper
windows, prepared to jump, when
pressed too hard by the flames, while
others made their way through the halls
and down to the street through the
dense smoke or clambered down the
fire escapes. The firemen were unable
to make any Roadway in fighting the
flames and presently guests began jump
ing from the windows on all sides. For
tunately the ground was covered with
snow and this partially broke their falls.
But few were able to save their per-
sonal belongings. Within an hour after
plete loss, only the walls remaining.
Guests Are Awakened.
Henry Wills, the colored porter, was
the first to learn of the fire. \ mo-
ment later William jenkins, the night
Waterman. and Wills begun a system
attic trip through the house, waking the
guests Men, women and children scan
tily clad, were soon crGWdlng the up
per halls About half of the 100 guests
managed to get TO the lower floor and
out through the front and side doors
before the stairway was cut. off.
Half Il dozen were forced TO jump
from windows while the others were
rescued by firemen from the windows of
the hotel from tops of adjoining build
from fire escape landings. But few of
the guests had time to collect their per-
sona belongings and most of the guests
got out of the building only i'll their
night clothes The ground was covered
with snow and the refugees tramped
barefooted and scantily clad to the Y.
NJ. G. y. building and nearby drug
stores where the injured were cared for.
Ladder of Bed Clothes
There were many thrilling escapes.
/ The only one of the guests whose condi-
! ton is regarded as serious is \. w. Smith
I of Mcpherson. former department COM
! mander of the Grand Army of the Repub-
] lie for Kansas and once candidate
/ for governor on the Republican ticket.
4 Smith and II. \. Rowland, also of Nc
! Pherson. were sleeping in room on the
fourth floor, near the south side Of the
building. There was little chance for
their receiving outside aid, so the two
made Il ladder out of their bed clothes
and suspended it from the window. Each
in turn descended as lar as possible on
the rope ladder and dropped to the
ground. Smith crashed into an area
way, striking on Il railing. He sustained
broken ankle and internal injuries.
Rowland followed Smith down the lad
der and also fell. He was picked up I'M
! conscious, and both We're taken to the
! hospital. There it was found that
j Smiths condition was serious. Rowland
/ suffered three ribs broken.
! Saves $4,000 in Bonds.
/ Webb McNall of Smith county. for
! ,.ir,tn &c