Evening star., 1922-02-07

from lTSt FdSe.)
Austin of Fincastle. one of the vic
Tins of the fire. had come to Rich
mond to attend the execution Of Ed
mund Thompson. negro who was
electrocuted at the state peniten-
tiary this morning. In the Fincastle
party registered at the Lexington
were also J. H. Webb. l. A. Crowder
and H. s. Cahoon. Mr.. Webb threw a
mattress to the street and then
jumped from the window. escaping
with minor injuries.
Vaults Believed Intact.
The safes and vaults of the bank
to be intact though they are buried
under the debris.
/ The fire. once started. swept toward
the Cary street section and it was
only by concentrating all the avail
able streams on the rear that the
flames were prevented from making
sale district. The front of the hotel
was practically untouched.
So rapidly did the flames spread
through the rear. however. that all
avenues of escape of guests in that
portion of the hotel were cut off and
windows. The clothing of several
of those who jumped was afire and it
was only a matter of choice between
probable death on the sidewalk or
death by burning in the furnace in
back of them, which was left those
who dived to the street. The hotel
is four stories is height.
Believes IL or Is Dead.
James j. Donohue. former manager
of the hotel. who was also interested
in it at the time of the fire, said today
that he is strongly of the belief that
between twelve and fifteen persons
lost their lives as a result of the CON
flagration. Samuel Ash, who was a
guest of the hotel, is reported miss
ing. He was seen in the building
last night.
Despite the fact that the ruins Of the
hotel were still smoldering this after
noon, firemen were searching amid piles
of bricks to ascertain whether any per-
sons were buried beneath a COLLAPSED
wall. 1t will probably be day or two
before the exact number of victims is
known.
Those reported as probably fatally
injured are:
John R. Cochran. fifty-three, lum-
herman. New York.
J. N. Hager, thirty-six. farmer,
Boydton. Va.
E. P. Howell. thirty-six, salesman
Norfolk, Va.
Thomas F1agap; thkirty-nine. press
George Cutter, forty-seven. sales
man, Buckroe Beach, Va.
James Folden. thirty-eight, travel
ing salesman, Patton. Va.
B. G. Wright, twenty-six, clerk
Newport News.
Elmer Diffenbaugh. thirty-two, drug
rist Newport News,
B. H. Trice, farmer, Lexington, Va.
Joseph Ebb, twenty-four. laborer
Fincastle, Va.
Andre ( GALES, thirty, dye-maker
J. G. Harivall, fifty-one. salesman
Portland, Me.
A. II. Harrison, fifty-seven, artist
St. Louis.
UNIDENTIFIED By NAMES.
Navy Department officials say they
are unable to identify positively the
az. T. Carter. u. s. Navy" who is re-
ported missing in the Richmond
hotel fire, for the reason that there
/ ara four men Of that name in the
enlisted personnel of the Navy. One
of these men is Ellsworth T. Carter
rated as fireman, third class, who en-
listed at I1dHplon EoduS OCtODer D.
1921, and is recorded as being at the
Naval Training Station. Hampton
roads, When he enlisted he gave his
home address as Shackiefords, King
and Queen county.
At the War Department it is stated
that the records show no officer OF
enlisted man of the Army named
william Hamlin. The nearest ap-
proach to that name is First Lieut.
Winheld s. HamIin of the air station
stationed at Langley Field, near
Hampton, Va, and the department
has no information that he was In
Richmond last night