The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-26
HOTEL CHAMPLGN BURNED
FAMOUS RESORT ON NEW YORK
SHORE or THE LANE.

Only Employees IN the Building and They
An Get out Loss AbOat $500, OOo
-PPesldeRtn Cleveland. Mckinley and
TAFT HAD Al nsen Guests There.
PLATTsBUR0. ". v. May g5.--Ths Hotel
Champlain. at Blur Point. one Of the most
famous summer obstetrics in tho State
Of New York and the largest hotel in the
whole Champlain Valley. was destroyed by
fire early this morning. The summer
season had not begun. 10 there were no
guests In the hotel. There were about
sixty employees in the building. however
rsnOvating the hotel for the coming sea-
BOn.
The hotel, which was the property OF
the Delaware and Hudson Company. stood
on q bcld sminence jutting out into the
waters on tho western shore Of Lake
Champlain. three miles south OF this
dty and slightly north Of and opposite
Burlington. W. The building itself
could BE- seen for miles M and down the
lake, and from Il the Green Mountains
and AdirondAcks bOtn doomed high.
The ire, which started az O'Clock
this morning. was thus Of the most spec
tacular kind. and could BE- seen in two
States and several counties. How the
fire started and got such headwaY "a
unknown. but by the time OF the ar
rival OF the local fire department the
whole building aud the annex behind it
w.re a mass on flame. 80 great was the
extent OF the fire that the apparatus could
40 nothing with IL and IL ragged like a
| furnace and was left 20 burn itself out.
The hotel faced the lake and was a long
building. with a great central portion
and two large wing. u was five
stories high, with a roof surmOunted
by a tower, and the lower floors were
surrounded with broad. high verandas.
The employees who were sleeping in
| the building, were awakened az ? O'Clock
this morning by a smell Of smoke and
when they got out Of bed found that the
whole lower part Of the central portion
Of the hotel was already a mass ~ flames.
Those who FIRST discovered the iire aroused
the reet Of the buildings occupants and
they all esc8ped some Of them. how
ever. had 10 c lambeT down the outside OF
the veTandas. Tor ESCAPE by the stair
WAYS was already partlycut o. Several
women who were on the upper floors were
rescued only through the prompt action
u the men IN the house.
The loss IL estimated at abOut $500. 600.
| on which there ~ an insurance Of about
12SS. 600.
only last spring the other great summer
hotel Of the Delaware and Hudson Com
pany. the Fort William Henry az the lower
end Of Lake George. was totally destroyed
by fire Of much the same sort The dual
l0ss will prove a great blow To the summer
tourist business Of the two northern New
York lakes Il IN understoOd that the COM
pany 10 10 rebuild the Fort William Henry.
and UnquestiOnably the Hotel Cha mplain
will also b. rebuilt.
The Hotel Champlain achieved a
national prominence through entertain
ment Of Presidents u the United States.
President Cleveland had visited the hotel
and when William Mckinley became
President he made the hotel the summer
capital by selecting n a. one Of his vaca-
tiOn resorts in the summer Of 1891. In
lsga President Mckinley spent the greater
part u the summer az the Champlain
During the Presidents stay the hotel
became the centre II political life Of the
country The last two summers Of his
administration President Mckinley spent
az his home in Canton. but the Hotel
Champlain continued 90 hold the patron
age Of many prominent men
The hotel also was the home 81 the
present President Of the United States
Tor day or 90 AZ the time Of the Champlain
celebration In July 1902 when President
Taft made u hts headquarters.