Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1885 — HORRIBLE HOLOCAUST. [ARTICLE]

HORRIBLE HOLOCAUST.

A Chicago Hotel Goes Up in Smoke—Panic-Stricken Guests. o Ten People Buried in the Ruins— Three Taken Out Dead. [Chicago special.] Another sacrifice of life and property has been added to that long list of disasters from fire which goes far to make the methods of Chicago building a reproach. Once more has the wretched shortsightedness which too frequently prevails in the erection of buildings intended for public occupancy contributed to a fatal and startling disaster, and the unequaled combination of a wooden elevator shaft and a shell-like building has within a few hours reduced a valuable and imposing property to a blackened ruin. At five minutes to 7 o’clock last evening a general alarm from box No. 46 conveyed the information of some serious conflagration in the very heart of town. It was soon learned that the Langham Hotel was in flames, and a general rush was made to the scene of the disaster. The Langham Hotel is the five-story and basement pressedbrick and stone building on the southwest corner of Wabash avenue and Adams street —numbers 199, 201, 203, and 205 on Wabash avenue, and 32, 34, 36, and 38 on Adams street. Tnere was an entrance on Wabash avenue and one on Adams street, the hotel bar and restaurant being on the latter street. It was built in 1871 by William B. Burdick, a well-known lumber merchant, and a former County Commissioner. It was then named the Burdick House, and for some years the hotel was run under that name. Afterward it was partially rebuilt and improved, and called the Crawford House. The management of the Messrs. Crawford did not last very long, nor was it very successful, a good deal of litigation resulting among the parties running the hotel. Last fall the property was sold.to William B. Howard and Columbus R. Cummings for the handsome sum of $280,000, and recently Messrs. O. M. Shaw <t Son leased the hotel and expended nearly $15,000 in improvements, fittings, and fixtures. Messrs. Shaw & Son came here from Bar Harbor, Me., where they had for years kept hotel, and the Langham Hotel, under their management, seemed fairly ushered into a career of permanent prosperity at last. The new management of the house had recently put everything in first-rate shape, and the hotel was running more satisfactorily than ever before in its his.ory. About 1(12 guests were living at the house at the time, and of this number thirty were in the restaurant at supper when the fire broke out. Those employed in the hotel numbered fifty persons, of whom fifteen were chambermaids. These gills were all on the topmost floor of the hotel, and escaped with great difficulty, the smoke rolling up the elevator shaft and stairway in such dense masses that escape was nearly impossible, and suffocation seemed imminent for those above, even a few minutes after the sending of thefirstalarm. The progress of the fire was extraordinary rapid, and within three minutes from the discovery of the flames the upper floors were so dense with smoke as to render escape almost impossible. From the first it was seen that the entire building was doomed. The whole place looked like a huge bonfire surrounded by a brick wall, so completely was the light wooden structure of the interior within the power of the flames. From the main floor to the lofty cornices, both on the Wabish avenue and Adam street fionts, the flames leaped to the sky, carrying everything before them, as though the interior of the build ng was but go much dry tinder. The thousands who had gathered around the corners of Wabash avenue, Adams and State streets were in an agony of fear and apprehension respecting the fate of those within the building early after the commencement of the blaze, so apparent was it that all retreat .from the upper floors must have been cut off. About half an hour after the fire broke out, Kannte Thime, Capt. Edward Shepard, Patrick Mu.lens. Edward Jones, and John Walsh, of Bullwinkle’s insurance patrol, went into the store of F. R. Hilger, No. 207 Wabash avenue, for the purpose of covering the goods. A young man, said to be named Burns, a paper-hanger, accompanied them. While they’ were engaged in their labor the south wall of the Langham Hotel toppled and fell upon the building, which is but two stories in height. The roof was broken in, as was the upper floor, upon which they were at the time. They were precipitated to the floor Below, and buried beneath a mass of debris. The fire was quickly communicated to the inflammable material of which the floor was composed. As soon as it was possible to do so, a large force of firemen went to work to clear a passage to the rear of the building where the men were. Capt Ed Shepherd and two of his men, Patrick Mullens and K. Thime, were soon reached and rescued. Shepard was badly bruised and nearly suffocated. Thime also suffered from cuts and bruises and from inhaling smoke. He will be able to be up and around again in a few days, it is said. Mullens was the most fortunate of the three named. He sustained but slight injuries. At 11:40 the fire patrol succeeded in extricating William Burns from beneath the debris. He was removed to No. 217 Wabash avenue, and Dr. Rounseville was called at once. He rendered the man such assistance as he could and had the' patrol wagon called and Burns sent to the hospital. When the injured man was taken into the store he revived sufficiently to give his name and residence, but almost immediately relapsed into an unconscious state. He revived agiin and was conscious when removed, but his injuries were pronounced fatal. He was bruised from head to foot, both legs were broken, the pelvic bone was crushed, and it was apparent that he was injured internally. Burns is married. He is a paper-hanger, and went into the building to save his too’s and render such assistance as he could in preserving the property. After Burns was t tken out, Capt. Bullwinkle and his men returned for the purpose of extricating John Walsh and Edward Jones, two of his own men. Their bodies were found near the spot where Burns was discovered, but both were fast under the heavy debris. A careful examination showed both to be dead. The estimated loss is $250,000, with about $120,000 insurance. A wagon load o’ scrap iron and rubbish which was bought for a song by a De Kalb, 111., junk dealer, developed a pocketbook which contained $1,600 in bank notes. The Canadian Pacific Bailway promises to run its first train through from Quebec to Port Moody Aug. 22, and will make the trip in 105 hours. New York shines are down to 2 cents. This is on Washington Square. About the City Hall they are still 5 cents. Frank France, of Wicklifl'e, Ky., ig “editor and undertaker."