Evening star., 1925-03-19
Ashes of the Breakers and
Palm Beach HosteIries Are
Raked for VaIuabIes.
MILLIONAIRES USE RUGS
AS BEDS ON GOLF LINKS
Two Westinghouse Among
Guests Driven 0ut-Exodus to
North Begins.
By the Associa ted Press.


PALM BEACH, Fla, March 10
More than $4,000 900 worth Of prop
erty lay in ruins here today after the
fire OF early last night which swept
through the Breakers and Palm
Beach hotels. destroying several
shops and cottages and for time
threatened the destruction OF that en-
tire section of the city.
Smoldering ashes were all that
remained of two of the most noted
hotels of the Fairgrounds Of million
aires as efforts were made to check
the damage to property and verify
rumors that there had been loss Of
life.
No verification had come early to
day Of the rumor that an elderly man
and woman had lost their lives in thu
Breakers.
Hunt for ValuabIeS.
The city presented an unusual
scene in the early morning light ss
groups paused in the dull glow of the
graying embers TO discuss the fire or
make an effort to identify or recover
valuables that had been flung from
windows during the excitement Of
the late afternoon.
Farther away on the golf links
groups of millionaires slept upon ex-
pensive rugs and draperies torn from
the floors and walls of the burning
buildings, unmindful OF the distant
tramp of soldiers patrolling the bridge
between Palm Beach and West Palm
Beach
Others of several thousand persons
rendered homeless by the fire were
quartered in other hotels and private
homes of the city. Less happily
Quartered were % persons, most OF
them negroes. arrested on charges OF
looting after the fire, while thousands
of dollars of jewels. money and
clothing they were alleged to have
stolen was being guarded by police.
Guards Placed at Rims.
In the neighborhood of the gray
heap marking the site of the Palm
Beach Hotel guards were stationed to
protect pile of trunks, furniture and
other articles valued at approximate
ly $4,000. Other guards, comprising
members of the Florida National
Guard. patrolied highways Of the
county in an effort to recover other
thousands of dollars worth of prop
erty alleged to have been stolen from
the two hotels during the confiagra-
tion.
lie SSlllllb Ieu UdU6Se lnttuCeQ IIe
property of guests of the hotels, fur
nishings of the structures and the
hotels themselves. The Breakers
building alone represented loss of
81, 600. H. Z. Bemis, general man
ager of the East Coast Hotel Co.'S
properties here. said, and the Palm
Beach Hotel sustained an estimated
loss of one-fourth that amount.
The cause of the fire had not been
H. t.
ously said to have originated from a
carelessly thrown cigarette, a plumb
er's torch and an electrical appliance
in the HANDS of a woman guest
Fire Starts on Upper Floor.
The flames originated in an upper
floor of the south wing of the Break
ers and quickly spread TO other parts
of the hostelry. Pandemonium re
suited, as guests were alarmed when
smoke spread through the Railways
and the flames burst through the roof
OF the structure. The highly infiam-
mahle wood furnished splendid fuel
for the fire
Guests scurried through the hall
ways to safety. others, more alarm
ed over the salvation of their valu-
ables, paused to wrap them in linen
or toss them desperately from win
All Palm Beach fire apparatus was
summoned to the scene, while calls
were sounded for that of West Palm
Beach and Lake North, and a general
alarm summoned equipment from
other cities in the neighborhood
Many Volunteers in Fight.
In the meantime the fire had eaten
its way through the Breakers and
%
though thousands Of people assem-
bled and volunteer firefghters aug
mented the efforts of the fremen,
several shops and cottages were
burned and the flames threatened to
extend to Bradleys Club, long noted
as playground for wealthy Palm
Beach habitants.
The roof of the Royal Poinciana
Hotel, besieged by flaming embers
smoldered and threatened to burst
into flames, but otherwise was not
damaged. AS a precautionary meas
ure, however, guests were ordered to
leave the structures.
The Breakers was about 90 years
old and succeeded the Palm Beach
Inn, built by Henry Flagler in 1896
and destroyed by fire a score of years
ago.
Driver Discovers Fire.
John Mcdonald. driver of the chill
dren's tram car between the Break
ers and the Royal Poinciana, said that
he and Ground Supt. Brannon were
probably the first to discover the fire.
Mcdonald said he noticed burst of
smoke from the south door OF The
Breakers and called to Superinten-
dent Brannon that the hotel was afire.
Guests reclining in porch chairs on
the veranda of The Breakers had not
noticed anything out of the ordinary
until shout from Brannon brought
them rushing from the burning building
Trunks were thrown from windows
and chairs were dragged from porches
to the adjoining golf course where
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