The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-02-10
STATE OFFICIALS GIVE OUT STATEMENT
INDICATING LANDLORD GUNDERSON
Hotel Inspector croier And Deputy
State Fire MARSHALL Heimbash Re-
port On Hotel Fire
WARNING WAS GIVEN INMATES
All Had Sufficient pportunity 70
Escape Building Provided With
Necessary Fire Exits
COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED

COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED
Officers Of Opinion That Had Night
Watchman Been On Duty Fire
Would Not Have Taken, Place
With the assertion" that every in
mate had warning OF. the tire, but
that the fire followed the. warn
ing So quickly that no one could
reach the fire escapes" and that en-
cept for darkness and lack OF night
man the Grace Hotel. which was
completely destroyed. by fire Wedpes-
day morning. cremating at least six
persons, Alex w. Croker. state hotel
and E. y. Heinbach, de-
putty state fire marchall, in an Off
cial report Of their investigation at
Kelliher, relieve, the. proprietor,
George Gunderson, of blame.
The official statement of their in
vestigation as handed to the press by
Mr.. Crozier, follows:
Make Statement
son the investigation of the fire
of the Gunderson hotel at Kelliher
on Feb. 4, 1914, We find from all the
evidence obtainable that the said
hotel was three story, frame build
ing "a foot frontage with one wing
OF 80 feet and another of about IS
feet; having 10 rooms on the Sec
ond floor and % rooms on the third
floor, AZ rooms in all; that It was
amply supplied with steel platform,
fire stair escapes, three in number,
one located at each end Of the wings
and the third at the end Of the main
hall, that the heating apparatus was
a properly constructed plant with
boiler of sufficient capacity; that
there were IS radiators; that the
building was lighted by electricity;
that the basement floor was entirely
concerted with the exception Of i'm
mediately in front OF the fire box Of
the boiler, which was of dirt: that
the cause OF the fire may never be
known.
Fixed For Night
"All of the evidence shows that
there were not more than Is or 16
sticks Of cord wood laying at the
right of the fire box on the ground
and that in addition to this there
was a small lot Of birch bark that
was broken off of the sticks that
was used for kindling fires; that
there was no amount of debris pre-
sent; that the fire was properly fixed
for the night as was customary and
the basement and fire was inspected
by the proprietor after 1880 p. m.
that night; that no lighted lamp was
left In the basement
All Were Warned
"The electric lighting plant at KEEL
liner closes down at IL O'Clock, mid
night, and at that hour all electric
lights in the hotel are out. At IL
o'clock the policeman OF the town,
who was in the hotel office and who
rooms there, locked the door and re-
tired, everything apparently being
all right for the night. About /
o'clock, the bartender came home to
the hotel and unlocked the front
door, being accompanied by two
friends. When opening the door, he
was almost overcome with smoke.
All three men commenced awaken
ing the guests, one of the men max
ing his way to the third floor. He
pounded on the door, rushed back
down stairs in time to get out of
doors. The evidence goes to show
that every inmate had warning OF
the fire but that the fire followed
the warning SO qudckly-the halls
being in full blaze that no one
could reach the fire escape down the
halls and all were compelled to jump
to the ground or lower themselves
and drop.
Condemn Methods
Greatly deplonng this holocaust,
we believe Il could have been pre-
vented II night clerk had been on
duty and at least hourly had patroll-
ed all halls and Easements and we
strongly recommend the constant
presence Of a night clerk or watch
man. We deprecate and condemn
the practice OF turning off ali lights
at midnight and leaving the house
to take care of itself for six or eight
hours
John D. O,Conner Of Fort George.
British Columbia, arrived in Bemidji
this morning and will spend the next
two weeks as guest Of Mr.. and Mrs.
D Dur~n11 eoua M so 49,