Arizona republican., 1922-04-24
Flames Cause 100000
Damage to New Willard
Hotel at Capital City
[RepubIIean 4. 2. Leased wIrel

President Coolidge, several members
of the senate and house OF repre-
sentatives and many other persons
prominent in public. business and So
cial life, were among 500 guests OF
the New Willard hotel who were
routed from their beds at an early
hour this morning by a fire which
swept the top floor OF the 10-story
grey stone structure at Pennsylya mia
avenue and Fourteenth street.
The blaze had its origin in the ball
room on the tenth floor. where a
few hours before President Harding,
Mr.. Coolidge. members of the cabi-
net. senators and representatives,
foreign diplomats and others had sat
around the banquet board as guests
of the Gridiron club at its annual
spring dinner and frolic.
The fire was confined TO that floor
and the roof above, but tonS of water
poured into the flames seeped through
to the floors below, causing much
damage.
There was some confusion and ex-
citement as hotel attaches, police
men and firemen pounded OIL doors
and the telephone operator on duty
called room after room. but all those
in the hotel got out OF their apart
nlents to the corridors and lobbies in
safety.
How the fire started may never be
determined, but one theory is that a
cigarette or cigar stump cast aside
at the close of the Gridiron dinner
found a lodging place beneath a. rug
or under a fold of heavy drapery. It
was 5:45 o'clock when a passing pO-
liceman noticed smoke coming from
the tenth floor windows.
Several fire companies were on the
scene in few minutes. The ciatter
of their gongs woke Vice President
Coolidge, who, upon going to win
dow, saw the apparatus drawing up
across the street. He called Mrs
Coolidge. remarked that there was a
fire in the neighborh0Od. and sug-
geSted that they go out to see it
While they We're dressing TREY
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 to this
home OF the vice presidents secre-
tary, Edward T. Clark.
Mr. Coolidge remained at the hotel
where he was again Joined in tbs
afternoon by Mrs. Coolidge. He was
!
OF the United states to have an ex-
perience in a fire at the New Wiilard
4, blaze having routed Vice President
and Mrs. Marshall late one nigh
several years ago.
Guests forced to leave the hotel
some of them with only a few oi
their belongings, included Vice Pres
| ident and Mrs. Coolidge, senators
members of the house. other govern
ment officials and notable womef
Ifrom all over the country here at
tending the annual congress of thu
Daughters of the American Revolu-
| ton.
Brigadier General c. E. Sawyer
personal physician to President hard,
| ing, and Mrs sawyer We're awakened
by hotel attendants and later lounS
! shelter at the White House.
Other prominent guests in the hote
| included Gen. Charles G. Dawes, di.
rector of the budget; Gen. r. Cole
man Du Pont, senator from Delaware
and one Of the owners of the hotel
| Senators McNary. Oregon, and Raw.
| son. Iowa: Representative Hustled
| and Snyder of New York; c. c. Nc
! Chord, chairman of the interestat'
| commerce commission: John A
| Adams Of Iowa. chairman of the Re
! publican national committee; Mrs
/ George Maynard Miner. presiden
| general of the Daughters of tn
4 American Revolution; John Phlllil
/ Sousa, Olga Petrova. Adoll'h Zukoi
1 Judge Robert W. Bingham. publisF1e
Of the Louisville, KY. Courier-Jour
nal; Arthur 3. Brock, publisher Q
the Louisville. KY, Times; Harr,
Chandler. publisher Of the Los An
reles Times: Edward a. Dicksc.,
publisher Of the Los Angeles Express
AS these and other guests mad'
| hasty toilets, firemen from companies
/ that had been summoned from man,
parts of the city invaded the hote
| BY the scores to begin their foul
| hours battle with the flames. Mean
! time. hotel attendants hurried from
room to room aiding in the reInova
cf trunks, and other luggage.
+ St me of the women came dowi
| with arms laden with silk lingeri'
which they dumped into chairs IN tn
celebrated peacock alley" and In tn
| adjacent blue room where late
they set up and packed their war
drobe trunks. Nearly all the guests
| men and women alike, carried thei
| most priced possessions with them
/ One man arrived in the "alley
clutching the neck of a large bottl
of a color and shape well known il
the pre- Nolstead days. In the cas-
OF one woman guest a poodle dol
peeped out from the folds OF .. caps
Those who had taken refuge in III
blue room,' found that it was bu
(Continued on Page Twol