The Detroit times., 1913-12-03
Lack of Exits Blamed for Death
Toll When Flames Sweep
Cheap Lodging House
One Victim is Identified
VIGOROUS PROBE IS
EXPECTED TO FOLLOW
Mayor Fitzgerald Declares for
Rigid Investigation of Fire
Protection Conditions

BOSTON, Mass, Dec. 3.--Twenty-
seven dead. three perhaps fatally in
jured, many men driven. naked and
burned, onto the roof and into the
streets. was the toll of q flre-trap hor-
ror in the five-story Arcadia hotel, In
Westinghouse, here, early today.
Fire escapes at the rear only. tells
the story. Twentyfour charred bodies.
burned beyond recognition, were cart
ed to the morgue. today. The body
OF q colored man. who jumped, was
picked up on the pavements. George
r. Adams. Of South Boston, who died
at the City hospital, was the only
identified victim.
Mayor Fitzgerald and Medical En-
aminer O'Leary declared, today, that
they will force rigid probe of fire
protection conditions In Boston.
Trapped In the tiny cells and tiers
of hunks In the hotel. q 15cent
lodging house. 10 men fought for
their lives. At o'clock this morning,
% bodies had been taken from the
rooms and one man had died in the
hospital. Three of those seriously in
jured were expected to die. OF the
| l70 the clerk said were in the house
| for the night, less than a hundred
have been accounted for.
More than so naked men were TAX
en- to the nearest police station. When
the fremen arrived, 80 OF these stood
of the roof. Most of them were
saved by the use Of the scaling lad
ders.
The ave-story brick hotel" packed
tightly with tiers OF sleeping men, had
Sye escapes only at the. rear. These
were woefully inadequate and could
not be reached. The iire started in' the
lower hall and shot upward, cutting
on retreat by stairway on each moor.
The second floor OF the building was
given over mainly to Offices, on the
next floor were small sleeping rooms
fitted with cots, above still smaller
rooms, and the top floor was fitted as
IA dormitory in which there were rows
or hunks. more closely packed togeth-
er than those Of coast steamers, ac-
cOrding to the police.
The rush of flames floored many or
the terrified dodgers as they rushed
for the stairway and for the fire es-
capes. As the fremen arrived they
saw three bodies topping into the
flames from the roof, where many had
climbed for safety.
Frank Parker, who was in the dor
mitory on the top floor, and who es-
capped naked and with legs torn from
sliding down ladder, said:
81 woke up when mani jumped
on nv stomach. didn't know what
was the matter.
rushed for the door and the
smoke drove me back. l made a-rush
for q window. So did about 20 others.
I'VE fought there and climbed out
10 the coping.
'Flames from below whirled up
around us. Flames from behind neid
us there.
I'VE could see no chance and were
about to Jump. People In the street
shouted to us that ledders would be
raised. Finally, big ladder was run
np. jumped. caught It and Sid 70
the ground"
George Horrigan said:
IL was on the fourth floor. got to
the roof and Jumped across an alley
10 q house on Laconia-st., about eight
feet. Some others got away the same
way. am afraid some fell into the
alley and were covered by ruins"
A Swede seized mattress, wrapped
ht about his naked body and leaped
from the fourth floor He sustained
only q few bruises. dropping AZ feet
10 the ground.
Il was impossible to identity the
head, early today. Among those in-
6ured were Patrick Quinn, of Provi'
Hence: Charles Smith, Of South Fitch
burg; Charles Herman, 1913 Spring
feldsst., Springfield. dying; Frank
Harris, of South Market-st., Chicago,
and many men whose addresses are
Unknown.