The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-03-09
directing guests to the (,

man directing guests to the fire
escapes. When he reached the fire
escape. the flames were playing about
it SO fiercely that he was forced back.
He ran to the window from which
Leonard was hanging and finally the
heat became so intense that he too was
compelled to drop to the roof Of the
building two stories below.
Climbed Down . Rope.
About twelve men escaped from the
fifth floor of the building by climbing
down a rope made out Of two sheets
tied together. The story Of the escape
was told by Lewis Gaylord. an adver-
Using man of New York. Gaylord was
in a room in the west side Of the fifth
floor. When he took the room he ex-
iamined the IRE escape and noticed the
roof Of the building occupied by a seed
his windows.
Gaylord was asleep when the fire
broke out. but he was awakened by q
scream. Throwing on a bathrobe, he
filled with smoke, and rushed to the
stairway. The carpet on the stairs was
ablaze, making escape by that method
impossible. The elevator was a fur
mace from top to bottom. He then
started for a window opening on the
roof of the seed store.
In the corridor he heard some one
I'm blind: don't leave me here to
die"
Gaylord made out in the smoke. the
figure OF q man cropping his way along
the wall. The man did not give his
name.
Gaylord led him to room occupied
by Henry Baker.
Gaylord thought the man was
blind temporarily by the smoke.
In Bakers rooms. Gaylord and the
mt hi i~A S,Sv H&xp
nine others. A young man took COM
mand OF the situation and tying sheets
together fastened one end Of the i'm
provised rope to q radiator. The 9TH
er end hung over the roof OF the seed
store below. The twelve men then
hand and all were rescued from the
roof Of the store.
Closed the Door.
While the men were escaping an
other man leaped into the room
through the door and fell unconscious
ness quickly and escaped down the
rope ladder
Meanwhile. the smoke began pour
ing into the room, forcing the men still
waiting to use the rope ladder to close
the door and cease calling others to
join them. ]. r.. Stephens was the
last man to go down the improvised
rope.
AS the IL or Is men stood on the
roof OF the store they saw about 20
and seventh floors Of the Missouri
Athletic club. One of them jumped to
the seed store roof and broke his leg.
Gaylord and others went to the edge
Of the roof and, looking down to the
street, shouted for help. Firemen
upper floor. raised a ladder through a
trap door to the roof. The men on
the roof drew up the ladder and, rest
ing 1t on the roof on which they had
sought safety, they sought to rescue
those at the windows above. The lad
for another ladder. This was sent up.
and Gaylord and the men with him on
the roof descended to the floor be-
low without waiting to see whether
the men on the upper floor were
saved. They think. however. that all
who crowded the windows were res
cued.
Before leaving the roof Gaylord
and another man picked up the man
who had broken his leg In a Leap to
the roof. and dropped him through
the trap door to waiting ffremen.
The death Of Joseph Chasnoff of st.
Joseph NO. adverti.ine MANAGER for
confirmed by Ernest Evans. who
roomed at the hotel with him.
:'Chasnoff reused me when the
alarm was given and we started out of
the room hand in band" Evans said:
come by smoke and dropped away
from me. looked for him for . few
minutes and then had to run to save
my own lie.
he did not come out. fear he was
burned to DEATH"
Inspsctors tor the Union Electric