Douglas daily dispatch., 1928-02-08
DISPATCH WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1928

at almost the same moment There
was a glare Of the flame on the
glazing OF the Phelps Dodge mer-
camille structure that flashed into
into the Richelieu restaurant and
caused the proprietor, Gus Toun5os,
to go across the street to see the
cause and seeing it was the hotel
aflame. he ran at once to the office
to notify the clerk on duty Almost
as he ran into the hotel, Pete Drake
chef at Millers cafe, came into the
lobby from the north door and
started the alarm from having seen
the flames en- the north size, having
first told telephone central to call
the firemen. Soon thereafter. John
B. Hart, proprietor OF Hart's cafe.
who, like the other men had started
his days work in getting ready for
the breakfast, came running to the
scene to help alarm the guests in
the hotel and about that time, too,
Emiliano Kota, an employe in the
Pure Food Bakery, ran into the fire
station and notified the firemen OF
the trouble
Switchmen Carry People Out
! Also, there we're two switchmen on
the night crew in the Southern
Pacific yards who had share in
the discovery OF the fire and it would
appear that E. j. Gilmet and j. r.
CresWick, the SWitchmen, were the
first to start the work OF rescuing
the hotel guests from danger OF death
xFtff Ia
crew at the yards only a lew rods
away when he discovered what SEEM
ed to be flames, his attention being
directed to it by the colored man
who works as swamper and dish
washer at the Miller cafe. Telling
the colored man to sound an alarm,
Gilmet ran to the upper floors OF
the hotel and started alarming the
roomers, breaking in doors where he
could not otherwise alarm them and
finally carrying out one or two OF
the women.
1t is the statement OF Gilmet that
the first flames he saw indicated that
the fire started probably in the base
ment and burned up through the
freight elevator shaft. He says that
this is substantiated in the TACT that
there appeared to be heat in the
lower part OF the hotel all the time
and that in some portions when he
was working to get people out, that
the floor was hot under his feet.
indicating that already the flames
we're working between the floor and
the plastering OF the ceiling of the
room below. 1t is Gilmet's belief
that the fire did really originate in
the basement, probably in the furnace
room, and travelled up and thence
along the roof where it was seen by
people at the smelter and the road
by the fair grounds as we'll
brakes Experience
Pete Drake, of Millers cafe, tells
this story OF his discovery and eX-
perience with the tire:
81 came to the cafe at my usual
time, shortly before 4:20 and there
appeared nothing unusual around.
The air was chilly and I met Il
couple OF the boys of the police force
who remarked on the cllilliness and
they stepped into the cafe and had
a cup OF coffee. Then tney went
away and I turned to my work The
time passed quickly and the ynilkman
came. That was inst a few minutes
after S a. m. think. I went to
the side door to take the milk in
and just as 1 opened It, 1 got the
flash of flames and at the same
time, Jim Hall, the drive, remarked
Your neighbor has a fire The
flames were then showing quite bright
at the upper part OF the roof.
suggested to Hall that he go and
ring in an alarm and I went to
the telephone, lifted the receiver
and telephone central responded AMI
I told her to tell the cepaI ment the
Gadsden hotel was ON fire. Then
I ran across the street to give an
alarm there.
Finds TOuntOs AT Hotel
"When I got there, or about the
time 1 got there, Gus TountoS also
came in and we both set about alarm
ing people and there we're others
engaged in the same effort That,
in my judgment, is the only thing
that made it possible to get them all
out as the fire spread very rapidly
from then.
1.-The act OF Erniiiano Kcta asso
helped get results. He works at The
Pure Food bakery and he ran to the
department to alarm the men when
he saw what the situation was"
H. c. Watson, dairyman serving
the Douglas milk consumers, told of
seeing The flames as he left his dairy
and he fixes, the time rather definitely
at about 4:40. He says that he kept
watching the flames and that it was
apparent from the first that there
was fire in the root of the Gadsden.
Watson Praises Firemen
He travelled on, feeling sure that
the alarm had been sounded and
that the firemen were fighting the
flames. He delivered milk to patrons
in two blocks OF Ills route and then
decided that he would travel down
to ascertain what the situation was
and he got to G avenue and 18th
street just as Hall was pulling the
alarm, so that he also supports the
view that the alarm was sounded
about SIP At that moment lie say
it would have been impossible, in