The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-02-28
[RARRED CORPSES IN
| ASHES Of BURNED HOTEL
a Dozen Bodies.

A Dozen Bodies.
Policeman Schwager who was call.
ed to the fire, carried out two un-
identified women and was himself
self almost burned to death in attempt
ing to re-enter the building. He de-
clares that at least a dozen uncon.
scious persons were lying on the
Threshold when he entered. These
We're carried out by j. Foy, a broker.
OF the other unfortunates who were
guests In the hotel, little can be learn
ed. The flames spread SO quickly
that few could have escaped. The
flames were not entirely quenched un-
til 10 o'clock and 1t will be noon be-
fore any of the bodies can be re.
covered.
There are conflicting stories as to
the cause Of the fire. A night watch
man In neighboring building saw
sparks coming from the chimney and
turned in an alarm. A drug clerk de-
clares he heard an explosion but this
is discredited.
The building was three-story struc-
ture OF brick and had formerly been
five stories. The upper floors had
been condemned and removed.
AT 10 o'clock only the three were
known to be dead and no bodies have
been recovered.
b. 7. Conner of Ellinwood, Neb..
who was a guest in the hotel, declar-
es he was awakened by the cry of fire.
He rushed from his room and saw
the hallway packed with screaming
frantic women, each trying to escape
through the wall Of flame and smoke.
He rushed to the rear and luckily To-
Gated window near fire escape and
made his way to the street. He is
positive that all of the frantic guests
who were jammed in the halls and
rooms perished.
Latest estimates of the number
dead range from sixteen to thirty, but
it is certain that not more than thirty
have been accounted for out of the
fifty who were registered,
Five Now Known to be Dead.
Al. r. Porter and Dwight Bruce OF
Broken Bow, Neb., are known to have
perished in the flames. This raises
the known death list to five. The
two men were in room A, and it was
in portion of the building that col
lapsed first.
The firemen were handicapped by
the dense smoke and we're only in the
building few minutes when ordered
out just in time to escape the fall
ing walls. All fremen who entered
the hotel tell of the pitiful screams OF
the frantic women, the horror OF
stumbling over various forms in the
dark.
The work of rescue had barely start
ed when the rotten walls gave way
Many of the firemen had narrow es
capes. Scores of the fire fighters
staggered forth with hands and faces
burned to crisp and overcome by
the tragedy they were forced to
abandon. The women who were res
cued were taken to nearby stores un
til the ambulances arrived.
The futile attempt to drown the
flames was hindered by poor pres
sure and the cold weather. Two noz
zlemen, standing at the rear of the
building directing their stream on the
flames, were unable to remove their
hands from the hose. Ice had formed
on the handles and encased their
hands.
Acting Manager Mold of the hotel
declared this morning that the entire
loss including furnishings, would not
be more than 100000.
Digging For Bodies.
T OMAHA, Neb., 2S.-An awe-strucf
crowd of three hundred people, most
ly sobbing women and relatives of tht
persons believed to have perfshed II
the Dewey hotel, which was burnec
to the ground this morning, stoot
about the ruins of the building al
noon today watching an army of fire
men and policemen digging in the
! smoking debris.
It is now confidently believed tha
twenty bodies will be taken from the
ruins before night. Six persons art
lin hospitals seriously injured ant
Continued on page S.)