The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-02-08
20 MAY HAVE DIED
IN HOTEL FIRE
Three Bodies Found, 80 injured
and II Reported Missing
WOMEN FORCED TO JUMP
Flames Quickly Destroy Richmond
Hosiery With IL Guests in Rooms
on Four Floors.

Richmond, ; Va, Feb. S.-Three
known dead, thirty injured and from
twelve to seventeen missing, is the
latest police compilation. of the toll
exaesal by thG@ffre which destroyed
the Lexington Hotel and gutted four
adjacent builIi IS.
Firemen and volunteer W0rkerSzSre
searching the still smouldering ruins
with the probability that the list ar
victims cannot be definitely completes
for twenty-four hours.
Seventy-twope persons weEesEeg gsteE
az guests at the hotel, When the fess
b, ginning fro-r an undets9liaRiined s9liaR ssatsas
in the basement, sweptNIth great RAP
tdity through the four floors of the
hostlery, blocking practically every
Avenue of escape. Many OF the guests
We're forced t. jump from upper VIII
doWs 10 escape the advancing flames
The loss Is estimated at $150,OOO.
\ wall at the fire escape collapsed
and Is believ to have entOmbed sew
eral persons. Many We're injured by
Ieaping from windows. The flames
quickly spread to the Savings Bans;
of Richmond, tie Pearl Laundry, the
Cooperative +, change, the Anderson
Wilson Paper company plant and the
Clyde W. Sau aders printing plant, all
of which were bldly damaged.
The known dead are: Hiram B. Aus
tin. Fincastle, Va; N. :. Fox, Will
Transport, Pa, and c. NJ. Thomas,
sheriff of Albemarie county, Virginia,
L was at the desk when l saw the
smoke and fire creeping up the fire
escape from the basement" said r.,
.. Frey, clerk Of fhe hotel. II grab.
bed the telephone, but it was out o.
order 1 was therefore delayed sliglG
ly in sending in the alarm. l toldEhe
boy to get upstairs and notify as many
of the guests as had not been awaken
ed. The smoke and heat was intense,
and do not know how many he was
able to arouse. When / got back from
turning in the alarm the flames were
roaring up the elevator shaft.
1T seems that few sought -he fire.
escape Most of the women appeared
at the windows and several of the.
guests jumped do not know how
many were injured, but I think tbesss'
we're a great many"
q Z. 3. Pettps, proprietoGpf the hotel.
wss overcome sllioss rdi
his home.
A man giving the name Of Paul Bri-
goni, who said he was from New York,
Jumped into fire net from the third
floor His back was ~splotched in many
places with solder from the roof which
had dripped down, scalding and burn
ing him. He said he had left his
cousin, Joe Martin, on the third floor
and did not know what had become Of
him.
The fremen had not penetrated the
section of the ruins under which they
believed most of the bodies would
be discovered if those listed as miss
ing failed to escape from the burn
ing building. The walls of the Saw
ings Bank of Richmond and of an ad
joining building, occupied by broker
age firm, collapsed during the morn
ing, adding to the difficulty of the
workers.
The safes and vaults of the bank
and the broker offices are believed to
be intact, though buried under the
debris. The fire swept toward the
Carey street section, and it was only
by concentrating all ,.vailable facili-
ties that the flames were prevented
from making their way into the whole
sale district
SO rapidly did the flames spread
through the rear of the hotel that all
avenues of escape of the guests in
thata part of the hotel were cut off,
The clothing of several of those who
jumped was on fire.