The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-03-09
lanes RACE MAD[Y THROUGH BUILDING
AND MANY LIVES ARE SACRIFICED
burst from several floors following the

burst from several floors following the
explosion.
Men guests crowded windows with
in a few seconds, seeking escape. Kes-
sler hesitated a moment in the win
dow of the fourth floor and thep
jumped He died in an ambulance. M
Twenty men escaped from the foue~>.
floor by sliding down rope made of
sheets, to the roof Of an adjoining
building.
At a. m. the fire spread to the west
and the ST. Louis Seed company
was doomed. At a. m. the fire was
still burning with thirty streams of wa
ter on it. The east wall Of the club
building which included the bank on
the southeast corner of the lower floor
fell in at 1920 a. M. burying the vaults
of the Boatmens bank, which accord
ing to a statement of the bank officials
toady contained $1.349,449 in currency
and $27,484 in specie
The south wall of the club was
standing at $3.50 o'clock. but Chief
Swingley expected it to go at any
time.
! Despite the danger, nineteen fire
men continued to work from the side
walk on Washington avenue.
Chief Swingley. said forty-five of the
ninety persons supposed to have been
1 in the club at the time OF the fire are
accounted for. Twenty-one of these
were at the st. Regis hotel, five at the
Planters and four at the Annex, and
one at Belchers and eight at the city
| hospital.
Firemen and police believe the
death list will be increased when the
ruins Of the buildig shall have cooled
Sufficiently to admit of a search for
/ bodies.
The fire is believed to have started
4 in the main dining room or the kitchen
1 Of the club. which is on the third
floor. Early reports were to the eff
A feet that there were two explosions
4 proceeding the fire. The police and
i flremen say this in incorrect, Wha9
4 we're taken for explosions are believed
to have been falling walls or elevator
cages dropping to the basement
I The first report that Hickey was
killed when he jumped from his room
on the sixth floor, later was denied by
firemen who say they found his body
4 in his room. He apparently had beer
suffocated and then burned to deatt
before he could get to corridor.
i Kessler and Riley, police say, botf
had rooms on the fourth floor ant
both were killed when they leaped t.
the pavement. Riley had M. A. C
check No. 70 in his pocket His bod,
and those of kessler and Hickey wer,
identified by H. Davidson, doorman O
the club, after the bodies had beel
,l.taken to the norgue.
Fire Chief Swingley said that th
damage by fire and water in the clu
} would not be less than S250,000.
7 81 was standing at the desk betwee
1 1870 and 1:40 when got the frs
) alarm of fire, said Night Clerk Hac
r Reisinger
"A membar of the club and lad
t we're in the foyer of the club. wal
( ing for taxicab. The taxi was Ion
), in coming and the man went outsid
3 to see if it We're approaching.
d The lady appeared nervous an
t walked to the window and looked ou
heard her say: oh. look at that bi
q fire across the street / went to til
. window, and saw that what she sur
q posed was a fire was reflection {
r flames on this side of the street i
& the windows of the Kennard Carpe
h company. | went out into the stree
$ and saw the fire was in the club
n AS soon as could get back int
) the club ! notified about twelve me
l. who were In the club cafe. They a
o got out safety Then l though abol
S, those in the Turkish baths in IL
n basement and those sleeping upstair
d ] told Rowe. the telephone boy to b
e gin to call the rooms and then
e rushed down to ths basement ar
y, notified everybody there. think the
were about eight persons in the batl
ic beside the attendants. They all g
,e out.
g When ! got back up stairs / begs
IS to help Rowe call on the telephon
. We called until the phones would n
ring. | supposed thsy had been bur
ed out. BY that time the fire h:
gained great headwav starto.