The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-12-04
INVESTIGATING THE
CAUSE OF BIG
BOSTON FIRE
Homeless Men Trapped in Lodg.
Ing House Holocaust
NO BODIES lDE NTIF lE 0
only St.47 Gathered from the Ef.
fects Of All the Victims In
Shocking Disaster

Boston, Dec. 1.-The IRE when
snuffed out the lives OF 2S homeless
men in the Arcadia hotel, low-pric-
ed lodging.house in the South-eud dis
trict early yesterday had become the
subject of eight separate investiga-
tons by nightfall.
Most important of the days inquir-
les was that begun by the Suffolk
county grand jury. Directed by Dis
trlct Attorney Joseph c. Pelleuer, the
jurymen paid a visit to the hotel
while the ruins were still smoldering
The fire started, the authorities
agree, in a small closet for waste and
a refuse barrel on the street floor I'M
der the only fight of stairs leading
up into the four upper floors. The
flames were famed by the draft from
the open door, and raced With fury
straight up through the Railways to
the top floor. The first mushroomed
out at the four upper floors and
swept through the building, hllinG
the entire inside of these four floors
with furious roar, as if it were
famed by blower. The heat from
the flames was intense
Later the jury went to the city hos
pltal morgue, where Medical Examiner
Timothy j. Leary pointed out that IN
nearly every instance death had been
caused by suffocation, although in
two or three cases it was evident
that fire ended the lives.
None OF tho men found burned to
death had been identified last night.
Two Of the Injured taken to the city
hospital, William Sullivan and Geo
f. Adams, died during the day
Search OF the dead developed litue
to assist in identification. It reveal
ed the financial circumstances Of the
men when only S145 was gathered
from the effects OF all the victims,
The patrons OF the Arcadia were
all men, a few of them men on poor
ly.paid Jobs, who had their rooms by
the week or the month by far the
majority were the derelicts Of the
city, transient customers, men VINO
gave false names az the desk through
shame at being Obliged TO sleep IN
such quarters, men who had begged
the necessary 20 cents; men who
he'd on to the last quarter through
an evening Of drinking, who would
70 out In the morning dead broke, to
take up the dreary adventures Of the
down.and-out.
Warren Crowell, is, a boy who
works rs a helper of the scene paint
ers in the Grand opera house. drift
ed in and sat in the reading-room
alone. He was the FIRST to discover
the FIRE and gave the alarm, The
first shouts brought all but the heav-
lest sleepers to their senses A few
sunk in alcoholic slumber, had 10 be
shaken awake by the neighbors
Hardly one stopped for his cloths
The instant realization Of their des-
perate chance. as enc after another
saw that the staircase was not only
impossible, but the very source of
the fcod of flame which was mush
rooming along the ceilings, and the
deadly fog of smoke which forced
them down to their knees, drove
them toward the windows. In less
than two minutes after Crowell frs,
saw the FIRE every window on the up
per floors held clusters Of men, shout
ing for help.
The ladders came up with miracu-
lous swiftness. but they were not
swift enough.
Surprisingly few jumped. One Ne
gro lost his nerve. and flung himself
from the fifth story. on the Washing
ton-street side, 10 the street below.
a moment later an old man, identi-
fed later as George +. Adams Of Is
preble street, South Boston, followed
him. The Negro was killed by his
fall. A man who said his name was
Dowditch caught the mattress from
his bed. doubled 90 and tied &. TO his
body with a sheet He jumped from
the third story into Laconia street
sna his enterprise saved hrs life. for
he landed uninjured.
One or two took the Ions jump
across the alley TO the roof Of tle
next house on Arcadia street Then
solenCly found a iCosc plank con- ihc
roof and iaii 30 across the chasm
More than % men escaped over this
plank.
Even as the fremen Jumped to he
stret. ihe shouting began overhead
ID less than a minute three ladders
were u1 OF tho WashinFton-s'reef