Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1919-09-12
HOTEL FIRE
Continued from Page One

Continued from Page One
in a bank and it was lost One of the most thrilling scenes
witnessed was the sight Of a mother and a ten months ola
baby at a window enveloped in smoke and flames very near
She was tempted to Jump, but fremen shouted not to do SO.
Her GOODNESS and nerve saved the life Of herself and baby
She held the baby out of the window away from the smoke
until a fireman on a ladder reached her. The fireman car
ried the child down the ladder and the mother followed
A man came down from Woodstown for a vacation and was
to work for the Coombs Lumber Company. He took an
APARTMENT in the Poplars and lost all their personal belong
inos. His family and himself had a narrow escape and
made their way to the street by the stairway, the steps
burninS their bare feet. While cropping in the hall Tor the
stairway he became separated from his wife IN the smoke
and nearly lost her. Their shouting finally brought them
toeether and thus the escape was made. The building was
owned bv Howard and Albert Coombs, brothers, the latter
a farmer residing near Elmer, Salem county. Neither OF
them was here the time of the fire. Since sever1ng his con-
nection with the ]. II. Coombs Lumber company at WHO
wood Howard has devoted himself to his extensive lumOer
interests at Pennsgrove and PaulSboro, while his wife re-
manned in Wildwood most of the time looking alter the
Poplars. Sometime ago the two brothers bargalned 10 sell
the property to a Greek Philadelphia business man Tor
$4,000. and a deposit was made, pending the final settle
ment. Just what effect the fire will have on the deal IS un-
known. There was $21, 900 insurance on the building IN
favor of the Coombs brothers. Some OF the store tenants
did not have any insurance, among them James Day and the
Gem shoe shop. Jonathan Hand had $500 insurance. The
Cozan brothers had $500 insurance on their restaurant
which was paid to them today. There was scarcely any
wind the morning of the fire, but the little air gong was
eastwardly toward the beach in the direction OF the W1nona
and Hotel Dayton. Had there been a hard wind there
would have been another story to tell The whole town IS
bappv that there was no loss of life. Two or three hremen
were overcome by smoke, and while being treated at the
home of F. VIM. Cole by DR.. Cohen at Gas o'clock Tues
day morning the oxygen generator exploded. The acid
came in contact with his face and burned same. DR.. May
hew took Cohen in charge. When the JOURNAL man saw
Cohen Thursday evening he was in his private office at the
store reclining on a couch, arising at frequent intervals to
battle his eve. The burns he does not regard as serious
and expects to be around as usual in a few days. The doc
tor was cheerful and in a good humor despite his mlstor-
tunes of late. He says he has used the instrument for fit
teen years, and just why it went off at the time he cannot
understand. His suit of clothes was ruined and a rug in
the room of the Cole home was spoiled.
Just how the fire caught will never be known. DR.. Co.
hen is convinced that it started in the back part of the res
taurant. He awakened before the whistle blew, looked out
the window from his bedroom to the back part of the Pop
lar building nearby and saw a reflection of flames in the
window of the restaurant. He phoned Central saying
phone the light plant, the Poplars is on fire" In about
theory is that the heat from the restaurant gas stove caused
the fimsy wall to ignite. He says positively there was no
fire in the rubbish alley at first glance. Other persons spo-
ken of as discovering the fire are Private Night Waterman
Camm, Captain Downs and a Mr.. Jackson. All the furni-
ture of the Cohen home was moved out, as the house was
believed to be doomed. About the only article gotten out
of the Devlin home was the piano.