Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-01
Fire, Breaking Out in Elevator
Shaft Close to the Roof,
Gains Roadway Before
Discovered.
DEPARTMENT IN ACCIDENT
Horses Pulling Truck Collide With
Wagon, Causing Delay in Get
ting Water Oh Building-AIaid
Has Narrow Escape

Fire broke out in the New Harper
MOTEL at HAS this morning and before
it could be extinguished damage esti-
mated at $4,000 had been suffered
upon the building and furnishings.
For p time it looked as though the
whole building was doomed, but after
a heroic fight of two hours the fire
men under Chief George Newberry
gained the mastery and effectively
Squelched the flames.
Practically the entire roof of the
building was ruined and the fourth
and fifth floors were damaged consid-
erably, but the greatest injury was
done to the furnishings, lit being esti-
mated that $4,000 will hardly cover
this item. The most of this damage
was from smoke, heat, and water, the
latter doing its work on the lower
three floors after soaking through
from above.
No Lives Lost.
1t was extremely fortunate that the
fire die not occur at night, as the hotel
Is crowded to its capacity most of the
time, and the chances are that there
would have been many fatalities con-
nected with the fire had it broken out
when the rooms were occupied. AS it
was there were only two injuries re-
ported and neither of them is believ-
ed TO be fatally though in one case
the injuries are exceedingly serious.
Miss Birdie WEIGH, a maid employed
at the hostelry, suffered the worst.
She was overcome by smoke while
near. the elevator shaft on the fifth
floor and before she could be rescued
her face and arms were badly burned
and most of her hair was gone. Her
screams were heard by B. 0. Smith.
q guest, who happened TO be near the
stairs on the fourth floor. He hurried
to the girls relief and with the aid
of IN attache of the hotel who ap-
peared on the scene, the girl was car
ried down four flights of stairs 10 safe
ty. The other injury reported was to
II. G. Lenderman, a guest at the hotel.
He was burned about the neck and
hands IN making his escape from his
room or the fifth floor.
a 7-months-old child was sleeping on
a be in a room on the fifth floor when
the first broke out The mother, a
guest at the hotel, had left the baby
IN the room whil0 she went out 10 do
some shopping. \ maid, thinking Of
the child, fastened to the room and,
grasping the child in her arms, ran
from the building and 10 a fat on the
other side of Second avenue, where
the frightened mother found her child
.ater
short Circuit Suspected.
As far as can be ascertained, the
fire had it's origin in a short circuit, or
else n some defective wiring at the
top OF the elevator shaft. just above
the fifth floor. The first sign of it
was = shower Of sparks and burning
em6ers dropping on the top Of the
elevator cage which was near the top
Of the building at the time. L. West,
who was in charge of the elevator,
started down at once, but the cage
stopped at the fourth floor and refus-
ed 20 so any further, whereupon West
took his chair and smashed a hole IN
the loof of the cage and made his exit
IN that manner. His prompt action
undoubtedly saved his life, as few
minutes later the cage was released