Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-18
n HOENIX, May 17.-Early this
morning the employees of the

II HOENIX, May 17.-Early this
morning the employees of the
n Hotel Adams dashed through the
corridors shouting to the 100 sleepers
the information that the house was on
fire. The guests grabbed what per-
sonal effects they dared to take time
for and escaped from the hotel scant-
lily clad.
Elevators and StairWays were choked
by flame and smoke and nearly all OF
them escaped by ladders, emergency
devices and other sensational means or
departure. No lives are thought lost.
Before the conf1agration was repulsed
the hotel was destroyed and contigu-
Gus property damaged. The loss is
estimated at quarter of million
dollars-the hardest blow that Phoenix
has ever suffered. One-half the loss
is covered by insurance.
The Hotel Adams was the largest
and best in the city and was regarded
almost as a public utility, 1t being a
central point rendezvous for the polit-
ical, commercial and social life of the
city.
There was no wind; that is believed
to have been the only thing that pre-
vented the destruction Of the entire
business district.
Heroic deeds of rescuers and sensa-
tional escapes from death marked the
disaster.
SAVED GOVERNORS DAUGHTER
The 9-year- daughter of Governor
Sloan was saved by Night Clerk Henry
Wiley, who, after rousing the sleepers
on all four floogs, with the aid of a
bellboy, fought his way through the
smoke and flame with the little girl
in his arms.
Governor Sloan and his wife escaped
by ladder.
The fire started from an unknown
cause in the hotel near the office. 1t
gained such headway that the build
ing was soon a roaring furnace. The
flames spread in all directions and the
fire department abandoned all at
tempts to save the hotel and bent their
efforts to checking the spread. Build
ings in the vicinity were blown up by
dynamite. Structures near Central
avenue and Adams street caught fire
and were saved only by the herculean
work of the firemen.
Tenants of nearly all houses in the
vicinity gathered up their personal ef-
fectS and fed.
The postoffice, half a block north
and intervening property were saved
by a brick wall of the hotel, which
remained standing until the fire was
the realty office of Greene & Griffin.
A standing wall at the other end of
the hotel, blown by dynamite, demol-
ished the Utley building, from which
thousands of dollars worth of auto
mobile stock had been removed.
NO DEATHS REPORTED
There is believed to have been no
loss of life, but the fact has not been
definitely established, as the hotel reg
lister was destroyed. There were about
$50 persons in the building. By means
of lists made from memory by the
management seventy-one persons have
been accounted for.
j. M. Jamison, a resident guest
dropped to the glass roof of the hotel
lobby and caught in his arms woman
employee of the hotel. Dropping from
an adjoining window, both escaped
down an outside stairway.
Scores had narrow escapes, and few
were attired in anything more than
night clothes, some saving their grips.
Half of the guests had close calls, as
the elevator and stairway were both in
the center of the building and were
near the fire. Nearly all came down
ladders.
j. c. Adams, owner, announces he
will build a new hotel. The building
cost $140,000.