Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-02-03
TALK
IN HOTEL FIRE
Many Slide to Trees al
Aiken, S. c.

Aiken. s. c.. Feb. 3.-Fffty men and
women, many Of them wealthy, barely
escaped with their lives, so quickly did
FIRE sweep through the Park In the
Pines hotel here. Many were invaiids
and were carried out through smoke
and fame filed corridors by their
nurses. Others escaped by leaping to
the roof Of the veranda and sliding
down the pillars or by leaping into the
trees which cluster close to the hotel.
Among the persons from New York
who escaped are Mrs. J. b. Thomas,
Mrs. William Andrews. Mrs. Henry
Belair. Mrs. w. c. Bergh and son. Mr..
and Mrs. e. O~ppenheim. Theodore
Prince, S. S. Prince. Samuel Newber-
was discovered by s. 8. Prince and
Theodore Prince of New York. who
were standing near the hotel in the
Goslin plaza. The flames were not Wis
ible. but they could see smoke Offering
ont of the windows IN the lower floor,
They ran across the street and up
stairs, where Mrs. Theodore Prince had
~ ipolb. UEy Oiuu ntF uNIl OfetGubtc
by the smoke md carried her out.
When the sudden spread OF the flames
mennced the lives Of all left In the
place II was discovered that o Of
the ladders of the hotel were In the
basement. near where the fre started.
These were dragged out by the hotel
employees nj great risk. As they were
raising one to a third story window q
Boston clergyman trapped in his room
was forced to leap. He landed In the
soft ground and escaped with only a
few bruises.
Old Woman Saved.
In another was Mrs. Hafen-
heimer. eighty years Old. who WAS car.
ried down Z ladder unconscious from
the smoke. Two aged invalids In an
adjoining room were rescued In the
same way by hotel employees.
Miss Dick. daughter Of the proprietor.
was caught IN her room on the 6rst
floor and overcome by the smoke be-
fore she realized her peril. One Of the
hotel servants who recalled she Ind
been In the smashed the window
and climbed In and carried her out.
The main building. in which the irp
started. and the smaller buildings con.
necteA With the hotsl occupied more
than bali an acre n krourd. All were
destroyed. Those who escaped lost ev-
erythinx. and the loss in jewelry alone
Ia estimated to amount to many thou
sands Of dollars. The fire started In
the basement Of the main building. the
central section OF which Ia four stories
In height. while the big wings run
| three stories high In either direction.
Escape Is Cut OF.
J At first the blaze did not seem serl-
Gus. A small amount of smoke eddied
up through the corridors for nearly an
hour. Then suddenly there was a
| burst Of flames. and the entire struc-
ture was ablaze.
Once the flames burst out. the build
Ing went up like a pinch of finder
| More than fifty persons had refused to
leave the hotel. disregarding the smoke.
when the fire took possession OF the
whole structure. Their escape was en-
tirely cut of by the stairs. Nearly
every occupant left his door open as
be ventured out into the hall. and the
flames followed them back into the
rooms and drove them 10 the Windows.
The branches Of the pine trees about
the hotel were sizzling as half Of those
In the hotel threw themselves from
the windows into the protecting
branches. Others dropped on to the
main vernnda. which ran about the
building. and easily dropped from
there to the ground or slid down the
supporting pilMrr.
1t IL estimated that a good sized for.
tune in jewelry was lost by the women
for Of those In the hotel ut the time
few suyed any except the jeweiry with
them.
rhe men and ONE who were stay.
Ing at the Park In the Pines found
quarters for the most part In the Pal
metto inn. which IA close by.