Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-05
ELEVATOR IN BURNED HOTEL
DEAD" SHORE CORONER LEARNS

,
lIaverford College graduate, son Of Il
clergyman.
IN CRITICAL CONDITION.
Alarming "cports came from tho city
! hospital this morning as to the condition
| of two of the four victims there.
Alexander Andrew, 81 years old, Of G,i5
! Christian street, Philadelphia, and his
! wife, are out of danger. But nurses said
| that George BrcnCkcr, q years old, Of
1926 Chew street Germantown. who
! jumped and suffered conclusion of the
brain. and John Mccoy, the West Ho-
bukcu contractor, who had rib driven
into his lung when he plunged from
nfth-story window, had passed a rest
less night" However, during the day II
was reported that Brcncker had a chance
to recover.
McCoys condition last night was so
encouraging that surgeons believed he was
going to pull through. This was after his
Grief-strickcn wife had arrived at his bed
side and he had lapscd into restful sleep
after identifying her. The change TO the
other side Of the scale came at midnight.
FELL TO HIS DEATH
Not until this morning were relatives
able to piece together the tragic tale OF
the death of Thomas E. Mott, the aged
! Iowan, who pershcd with his wife In the
hotel he was helping his son to buy.
aged man plunge backward from fourth
story window while fremen were but few
feet away with q life net the first taken
from Il truck The aged man had been
seen hanging backward from the window
of his room, Clutching the lace curtains
which were blazing on either side OF him.
Helpless spectators wept when tho lick
ing flames reached the old mans hands
and he whirled backward and outward,
turning over twice as he hurtlcd TO the
sidewalk.
A few minutes later when an extension
ladder was raised on the Pacific avenue
front of the hotel the body of Mrs Scott
could be seen within the room with
flames all about it. A fireman tried
desperately to enter the window, but the
burst of fire was beyond human cndur-
anCe.
PROPRIETOR INJURED.
Richard r. Mott, proprietor of the ho-
tel. had made desperate efforts to save
his aged parents. The first thing he did
when informed Of the fire, after rousing
his wife, was to hurry from their room
on the second floor to that Of the parents
on the fourth floor. He saw to it that
ing back into the hotel to rouse others |
ana start them for the street.
1t could not have been more than three |
minutes, persons speaking for Mott, still |
under physicians care today, say that |
he endeavored to return to the room Of /
his parents only to find his way barred |
by wall of flame.
Mott barely had time himself to reach |
a window on the Mount Vernon avenue /
side of the hotel and drop to the roof. !
wrenchinE his back and spraining his leg. |
The injuries to his back may be of a |
serious nature.
Crossed wires is tho latest theory ad- |
vanced as to the cause Of the deadly |
blaze -The belief now is that defective |
wiring set fire to woodwork hours before |
a rush of smoke and flame caused kath- |
crime Stokes. the night telephone opera |
tor TO sound the first alarm. 1t is agreed |
by Harry Dara2zo, the night engineer, |
and other hotel employees that the flames |
first were discovered in the bakeshop |
which adioins the boiler room.
1.-The explosion theory is untenable," |
said Edward Pfaff, clerk Of the over
brook upon whose :from memory" list |
the police checked up the victims, the |
register having been burned. THE bake |
shop had been inspected and locked for /
the night at s o'clock. There was no fire |
of any kind there and the gas supply had |
been cut off in accordance with regular |
rule. | believe the fire started there and |
burned up through the partitions for |
hours before it finally broke through"
This explains the deadly spread Of fire |
through all four OF the sleeping floors of /
the motel in such short time.
SLOUGH SEVERELY CRITICISED.
There was angry criticism today of |
Evangelist Henry w. Slough, who told |
an amazed crowd at the tabernacle last |
night that he saw in the Overlook horror |
warning from God for Atlantic city |
to repent OF it's sins.
God has spoken words of warning to |
Atlantic City" Slough said in an effort |
to start a stan pede of trail hitters. u |
don't know what more He has To say TO |
you than He has. God spoke through |
burning building this morning. God has /
spoken in this awful holocaust. lie can |
only speak in grace and judgment"
The declaration had a Tepelling effect. |
With 1000 people in the tabernacle only |
27 responded TO the eyangelist's appeal
NprDOuC ATWA pLy VTDu Couan