Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-03-09

Of the men who had been killed
jumped from the window to which he
had clung.
Club Manager Aroused
Robert c. Magill. manager of the
club, and his wife were aroused by
the smoke. They discovered the fire
in the diningroom on the third floor
and before seeking their own safety
rushed up and down the halls knock
ing on doors and waking guests. Both
We're badly burned about the face,
hands and feet.
League Men Escape
Among those who escaped was Wall
ter F'risch, financial agent of the st.
Louis Federal League baseball club.
Mordecai Brown. manager of the
team, arrived here from New York,
last night and remained at the club
until a few hours before the fire was
discovered. ~. 1850
The telephone operator. a young
boy, remained at his post on the
ground floor, even after the firemen
began pouring water Into the building.
Many OF the guests credited their es-
cape to him.
The flare of the fire brought thou
sands of spectators to the scene, only
to hamper the work of the flremen
until driven back by the police. Be-
fore long hundreds of automobiles be-
longing to members who had been ap-
prised of the fire lined the downtown
streets. Men and women, relatives
and friends of victims who We're
known to have lived at the club rushed
to the hotel, then to hospitals, then
to the morgue seeking some news OF
men whom they sought.
Judge Bishop Saved
Judge c. Orrick Bishop, assistant
circuit attorney, roomed on the sixth
floor. 1.-The sound of flames cracking
like giant fire crackers awoke me-"
said Judge Bishop. THANK God
there was fire escape in front of my
window. I ran down the six flights.
saw several men jump and bounce
off the sidewalk like rubber balls.
was only slightly bruised coming down
the escape"
Thirteen men escaped from the fifth
floor of the building by sliding down
a rope made out of two sheets. The
story of the escape was told by Lewis
Gaylord. an advertising man of New
York. Gaylord was in room on the
fifth floor When he took the room
he examined the fire escapes and no.
tices that the roof of the building oc-
cupied by a seed company was only
fifteen feet below his window.
Gaylord was awakened by screams.
Throwing on a bath robe he ran into
the corridor which then was filled with
smoke and rushed to the stairway.
The carpet on the stairs was ablaze
and the elevator shaft was furnace
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
cry: Il am blind. Don't leave me
here to die" Gaylord made out in the
smoke a man cropping his way along
the wall Gaylord led him to room
occupied by Henry Baker
Blind Man Rescued
In Bakers room Gaylord and the
unidentified blind man were Joined
by nine others. A yaung man took
command o, fthe situation and tying
two sheets together fastened one end
of the improvised rops to radiator.
The twelve men went down the rope
hand over hand and all were rescued
from the roof of the seed store.
Meanwhile the smoke began pouring
into the room forcing the men stih
waiting to close the door and ceasing
calling others to join them. J. f.
Stephens was the last man to go down
the improvised rope.
AS the men stood on the roof of the
seed store they saw about twenty men
at the windows of the sixth and
seventh floors of the athletic club. One
jumped to the seed store roof and
broke his leg.
! Gaylord and others went to the edge
of the roof and shouted for help.
Firement raised ladder through a
trap door, but whe nthe men on the
roof drew up the ladder and sought to
rescue those at the windows above the
ladder proved too short. Another lad
der was sent up and the Gaylord party
descended without waiting to see
whether the men on the upper floors
were saved They think, however,
that all who crowded the windows
were rescued.