The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-04-24
COOLIDGE IS GUEST WHENFIRE SWEEPS
 TOP HOTEL FLOOR
Many Prominent Men Routed From Bed When Alarm Is Turned in at New Will
 lard Hotel
Rx Associated Press

Washington, April Z3.-Nlce fres- ident Coolidge and several members of the Senate and House of Repre- sentatives and many other persons prominent in public, business and so- cial life, were among some 600 guests of the New Willard hotel, who were routed out of their beds at an early hour this morning by a fire which swept the top floor of the ten-story gray stone structure at Pennsylvania avenue and Fourteenth street.
 The blaze had it's origin in the bali room on the tenth floor, where a few hours before President Harding, Mr. Coolidge, members of the cab met, senators and representatives, foreign diplomats and others had sat around the banquet board as guests of the Gridiron club at its annual spring dinner. The fire was confined to that floor and the roof above but tons of water poured on the flames seeped through to the floors below.
 There was confusion and excite ment as hotel attaches, policemen and firemen pounded on doors and the telephone operator on duty called room after room in the gray of the dawn, but all guests got out to corridors and lobbies in safety. Many went to other hotels. carrying at least part of their luggage with them, but scores remained and returned to their rooms after the fire had been eXtinguished.
 How the blaze started has not been determined but one story is that a cigarette or cigar stump cast aside at the close of the Gridiron dinner found lodging place under meath rug or in fold Of heavy draperies. It was 40 o'clock when a passing policeman noticed smoke coming from the tei.tn floor windows. He turned in an alarm and then rushed into the hotel, informing she night clerk. Several fire companies were on the scene in few minutes. The chatter of their gongs woke Vice President Coolidge, who, upon going to window, saw the ap- patatus drawing up across the street. He called Mrs Coolidge, remarked
 
 hood and suggested that they go out to see it. While they were dressing they learned that the fire was in the hotel Leaving their apartment on the third floor they descended to the lobby and Mrs. Coolidge was sent 10 the home of the Vice Presidents sec retary. Edward T. Clark.
 Mir. Coolidge remained at the ho- tel. where he was again joined in the afternoon by Mrs. Coolidge. He Is the second successive vice president of the United States to have an ex- perience in fire at the New Willard, blaze having routed out the Vice President and Mrs. Marshall late one night nearly four years ago.
 sawyers Are Awakened
 Brig. Gen. C. E. Sawyer, personal physicians to the President, and Mrs. Sawyer were awakened and later found shelter at the White House. Their apartment was considerably damaged by water and upon their re- turn to the hotel they were assigned to the suite which has been occupied by number of Presidents elect upon the eve of their inauguration.
 Other prominent guests in the ho- tel included Gen. Charles G. Dawes, director of the budget: Gen. T. Cole man ItuIOHls StudNpA iiOhi CtihH eAi VI and one of the owners of the hotel Senators McNary, oregon, and Raw son, Iowa; Representatives Husted and Snyder of New York; c. c. Mac hord, chairman of the interstate com merce comm ssion; John T. Adams of Iowa chairman of the republican na- tfonal committee: Mrs. George May nard Minor, president general Of the Daughters of the American Revolu- tion; John Philip Sousa, Olga Pe- trova, Adolph Zukor, Judge Robert W. Bingham, publisher of the Louis vile, Ky. Courier Journal; Arthur B. Krock, publisher of the Louisville, Ky. Times; Harry Chandler, pub fisher of the Los Angeles Times; Ed ward A. Dickson. publisher of the Los Angeles Express.
 Many Bremen Summoned
 As these and other guests made hasty toilets, firemen from companies that had been summoned from many parts of the city invaded the hotel by the scores to begin their four hours' battle with the flames. Mean time hotel attendants hurried from room to room aiding in the removal of trunks and other luggage.
 Some of the women came down with arms laden with silk lingerie which they dumped into chairs in the celebrated peacock alley" and in the adjacent blue room" where later they set up and packed their ward robe trunks. Nearly all the guests. men and women alike. carried their most prized possessions with them from their rooms. One man arrived l in the alley" clutching the neck of large bottle of a color and shape well known in the -Volstead days l In the case of one woman guest, a poodle dog peeped out from the folds of cape.
 | Official estimate of the damage ranged all the way from s10o,o0o tc