Evening star., 1944-03-12
Inquiry Opens
In Richmond
Hotel Blaze
Rites Set Tomorrow
For Mrs. Price and
Senator A. 9. Weaver

N1Cl1MOND, va, mar. 1-fu-
neral services will be held Monday
for Mrs. James H. Price, widow of
the former Governor of Virginia.
and State Senator Aubrey G..
Weaver. two of the six persons who
died early today in a fire which
swept through the fifth and sixth
floors of the historic Hotel jefferson
here.
Others killed were:
Dorothy Gam, "a, of Newark.
Jean Manfredi, "a, of Irvington,
N. j.
J. Winston Ross, sailor, Camp
Peary, Va.
Ruth Andrews, "a, of Richmond.
Meanwhile. Safety Director M. D..
Baroff said he was investigating a
report that when hotel employees
and guests attempted to use the hose
in the corridors, they leaked so
badly that they were virtually use
less. In addition, the Police De-
partment assigned eight detectives
to check complaints of guests ousted
by the flames that jewelry, money
and clothes had been stolen from
their rooms. One arrest had been
made tonight.
Many Saved by Firemen.
Firemen rescued many scantily
clad guests by ladders from the
block-long hotel and at least 20 were
hosptialized for shock and burns.
The hotel, one of the South's best
known, had its more than $50 rooms
filled with guests, a number of them
being members of the Virginia Gen.
eral Assembly, which ended its 1914
session today.
The flames originated about mid
night, Fire Chief A. E. Taylor said.
in stairway well on the second
floor, and mushroomed quickly to
the upper floors, trapping guests
in their rooms. Most of them re-
treated into bathrooms where they
poured water against the doors and
used wet towels to keep the heat
down while flremen made their
rounds from window to window.
A. G. Bush. manager of the hotel,
said he could not estimate the loss
Immediately. The three lower floors
OF the six-story structure will con-
t1nue in operation, he said. The
Junior Leagues Saturday night
dance for Army officers was held
as usual at the hotel tonight.
Rites Set for Monday.
Last rites for Mrs. Price will be
held at ii am. Monday at the
Ginter Park Presbyterian Church
here. Burial will be at $50 pm.
in Thornrose Cemetery, Staunton,
where Gov. Price is buried.
4 In addition to her son, 1t. James
H. Price, jr., who has seen service
with the Navy in the South Pacific,
Mrs. Price is survived by a daugh-
ter, Miss Lillian Moir Price.
Mrs. Price had been an active
worker in charitable and civic causes
and was former honorary chair
man of the State chapter, National
1nfantile Paralysis Foundation.
Identification of Mrs Price, which
was made from a wedding ring. was
not completed until midmorning
She occupied a room next to that
OF State Senator and Mrs. S. Floyd
Landreth, Galax, who were rescued
after flames destroyed the door to
their room.
A memorial service will be held
In honor of Senator Weaver at
l2:45 pm. at the Warren County
Courthouse in Front Royal. Funeral
services will follow at pm. at his
nome there and will be attended
by delegation from the State Sen
ate and House of Delegates.
Brother Is House Reporter.
Besides his widow, Mrs. Pearl
DAVIS Weaver, Senator Weaver is
survived by brother, Henry B.
Weaver, Front Royal, an official re-
porter OF debate In the House in
Washington, and three daughters.
Senator Weaver, an attorney
educated at the University of Vir-
ginia, was elected to the House of
Delegates in 1912 and served two
terms He was named to the Sen
ate in 1882 and had served since
that time.
He was a delegate to four Demo-
cratic national conventions, served
as president of the State Board of
Law Examiners, was a member of
the Board of Visitors of the Uni
versity of Virginia and a member
Of the Governors Budget Advisory
Commission.
Two other State legislators were
hospitalized. They were Senator
Harry C. Stuart, Elk Garden, who
was overcome by smoke, and Dele
gate Edmund De Jarnette, Ashland,
burns about the face and feet.
Among other persons injured were
Jay w. Johns, Sc, Ash Lawn"
Charlottesville, former president of
the Virginia State Chamber of
Commerce, and Fred Sitterding. jr.,
prominent Richmond businessman
who was graduated from George
town University in 1910. Both were
treated for smoke inhala ton at the
Medical College Hospital.
Delegate Describe Scene.
Delegate Delamater Davis. Nor
folk. and his wife, who were prepar-
ing for bed when they smelled
smoke, told a story that was the
same for many of the rescued
guests.
Il opened the door and smoke
and flames hit me in the face
Mr.. Davis said. Il slammed it shut
and yelled to Mrs. Davis to get in
the batroom. We got In there,
turned on the light, and closed the
door.
If it hadn't been for wet towels
we would have been goners. The
smoke was terribly thick. l waved
towel out the window trying to
attract someone, and finally an
offlcer across the courtway threw a
fiashlight on us. l was yelling all
the time, and you could hear peo-
pie screaming and crying all over
the place. A British sailor and a
soldier did heroic work. They broke