Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 5 June 1946 — Page 10

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Jail Cn Ui ee we INDIANAPOLIS TIMES . = sbi dt WEDNESDAY, JUNE % 1908 ave ricago Hotel Had Been Warned Of Fire Hazards iy mr on. : ta un : “ -. 2 his ? EYEWITNESS— : "0

'| Heard the Frantic Screams As Hotel Burst Into Flames’

(United Press Staff Correspondent Claire Cox was passing the | THEN CAME an endless proces-|cape from the 18th floor by her

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UNNECESSARY

Panic and Hysteria Blamed For Many Fatalities. (Continued From- Page One)

said, “and the way their faces} looked.” James O'Hara, New York City, ran down the fire escape to the sixth floor from his 16th floor room. “Another man and I went inside a room on the sixth floor and found a man and a woman fully dressed lying on their backs,” he said. “They were unconscious, so we loosened their clothes. We grabbed some towels and soaked them in water and started down the hall Find Four Victims “we found four people—but I couldn't tell whether they were dead or unconscious. We went down some stairs and finally found a window which led to a fire escape.” Hotel guests leaned from Windows, screaming for help, One; man, fully clothed and with his suitcase packed, tried to climb out on a ledge from the third-floor window of his room.

Above is the interior of the Silver bar in Chic the fire started that caused the death of 57 persons and injured were among the occupants of rooms in the lower floors of the 18-story

“In the cocktail lounge scores of

customers were at tables and at);; wag believed all of the room's occupants got out safely. Frightened guests

the bar. “A group of men were seated on

R wandered | pants overcome by smoke. the right hand side of the room,”| hough the streets and mingled could do nothing, however, for a

Two doctors went from room to room and gave stimulants to occu-| They |

azo’s Hotel LaSalle said by firemen to have been where injuries to over 200 more. Most of the dead and

through the fire.

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Acme Telephoto

hotel.

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also was set up on the roof of the hotel. More than 25 guests were revived there. One unidentjfied guest slept

He was found

witness story follows.)

By CLAIRE COX, United Press Staff Correspondent CHICAGO, June 5.—I saw the fire break out at the LaSalle hotel. I also heard it. At almost the same moment that flames licked across the sidewalk in front of the hotel, the screams of hotel guests echoed down the LaSalle street canyon of skyscrapers. The screams were frantic and hysterical. I was on a streetcar on my way to work. I rushed to the front of the car, and jumped off, to

LaSalle hotel when the first flames shot out of the windows. Her eye-

see the entrance of the hotel burst into flames. - I rushed to a telephone to call the United Press office and then remained at the scene of the fire watching what seemed to be an endless procession ,of guests leave the hotel, many of them on stretchers.

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THE SHOUTING continued until the fire had been brought under control. Firemen said many people jumped in fright. One was a womap with a baby. Guests who had outside rooms either opened their windows or broke them. One man suffered a badly cut wrist when he broke his window. Several persons stood on ledges outside their rooms.

Many persons waved sheets, frantically trying to get the attention of firemen who moved ladders slowly up the side of the building.

Most of the guests slowly walked down fire escapes. The lobby and entrances were ablaze, Nearly all those coming from the rooms wore pajamas or night gowns. Many were barefoot. Their faces were black-

ened with smoke and they gasped for air.

ple on them were alive, but many stretchers bore lifeless forms, with sheets, blankets or bedspreads hastily thrown over their faces. One woman was nursing an aching tooth. She was barefoot. -I

blackened face sat shaking on a curb. I offered to get her coffee but she disappeared into the crowd. A woman in a fur coat and nightgown was helped down the fire es-

Delbert A. Rousch, 23, Newton, Ia. William Denniston, no address. Maj, Hugh W. Hudelson, Houghton, Mich. Nathan Adelson, Chicago. Eric Sommer, Larchmont, N. Y. Rex M. Gaynor, Elmwood Park, Ill. W. V. Thompson, with the federal security adminis-|Utah. tration at Washington, D. C. Frank F, Evans, Hartville, O. Henry Smith, Waukegan, Ill. Battalion Chief Eugene Freeman of -the Chicago fire department. Effie Harmon, Sayer, Pa. Douglas L. Boyer, St. Louis.

a consultant

| List of Chicago Fire Dead |

CHICAGO, June 5 (U, P.).—The dead in the LaSalle hotel fire in-

Henry Miller, Springfield, Ill. Sam Unger, address unknown. Perry Swern, Oak Park, Ill.

worker at the hotel. Moss Thacker McKenzie, kinsville, Ky. Joseph Barton, no address, Louis Marco, Chicago. Brice McBride, RFD 2, Provo sulk

Mable C. Regnas, Belvidere, Ill. Mrs. Julia Barry, 44, Chicago telephone operator. Francis E, McCarthy, no address

Quincy, IIL

A. A. PF. Schmittennes, known.

Chambersburg, Pa. Dwayne Beatty,

Leonard Austin Salter,

San Antonio, |unknown.

Ruth O. Feely, Springfield, Ill

sion of stretchers. Most of the peo- husband, who had thrown on ane

gave her an aspirin, A girl with a|rived, but the horror of the scene

Edward Farrar, Chicago, a, Negro

Hop- {the night there, although arrange-

Edward J. Schneidman, mayor of Mrs, Anna Diamond, address un-

address |away with this answer:

other of his wife's coats in his haste to get out.

o » ” * A CROWD of bystanders flocked to the scene. They were full of night club hilarity when they are

soon sobered them. At least 200 policemen kept the crowd back. An occasional break in a fire hose did more to keep them under control. I know, I was drenched twice myself, When the excitement subsided, I went into a restaurant next door to the hotel, which had been reopened to give shelter to refugees from the fire,

The restaurant operator gave them hot coffee and soft drinks. Many planned to spend the rest of

ments had been made to accome modate them at two other hotels. One woman refused to budge bee ,|cause she had no shoes. ” » ”n . WHEN I went back to the hote »|again, the lights on the marques still were blazing. The crowd wa .| thinning out. A drunk staggered up to the door. “I have a room in this hotel,” h insisted. A grim policeman turned him

“You mean you had a room in this hotel, buddy.”

reported Frieda. Marianof, 25, 8 gitn the crowd of bystanders. jo.year-old boy on the third floor Waitress. Later they were taken to emer-|and a 13-year-old girl on the fourth ‘Gosh, It's Hot in Here’ gency accommodations in other |foor who died of a$phyxiation. “One of them said, ‘Gosh, it's hot | hotels. The boy's body was found by the in here!’” Many Asphyxiated window, where he apparently had “He stood up and lifted the| prov of the victims died of| dragged himself to seek escape. cushion of his seat and flames shot aspicaiation as dense smoke poured| Niles Garron and Edith Bennett, | floor Bao be ore Lon Se ack: so— AA AE up in the air. He ran out ot the |i. 0h halls and into rooms. Fire both of New York city, were on the | Ser husband rapped her In 8 et room with his clothes on fire” | sommissioner Corrigan said those 15th floor. The halls were filled with |, © =) © 05) oe ihe window ' ‘The flames spread like a flash) yp, died in leaps from windows smoke and they saw Many Persons |, ..'ro.i't revive her through the crowded lounge, even |.would have been all right if they succumb. Mr. Garron and Miss Oye et or igniting bills in the hands of|,4 stayed in their rooms.” Bennett were entertainers in the| , oo ior to the waitresses and customers. However, Mr, Corrigan estimated the dam- {fiotel’s oor Snow. ay | hotel had just closed for the night. + (Advertisement) age at $100,000 and said it was | : I dient Wink we'd gel ony, but The manager reopened it to give the “worst hotel fire in the city's| we found a fire escape,” sald MISS | shelter to hotel guests who had fled

"® - | Still Suffering Ry Misiatier said many ew [0 their night clothes. The, guests,

keeled resuscitated| sh Assists Others 4} ome of them barefoot, were given 1 1 men keeled over, were e was in an outside room and| nd fi drinks “on the Stomach Acid Pains? coffee and soft 1f excess acid symptoms still hang on... if your tomach

and went back to fight the flames. |just stepped from the bathroom,| se.” when full of food or burts when

asleep in his 5th floor room, snor{ing peacefully. Matthew M. Brown, 47, and his wife, Jessie, 54, Oakland, Cal., ran into the corridor from their 18th

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He said 300 firemen and 50 pieces of | when she noticed the smoke. Her| while searching the rooms for equipment were used. {room was less filled with others and| yj tims, police seized a bartender HH One fireman, Battalion Chief Eu-|she herded guests into it. from one of the hotel's night clubs 3

gene Freeman, died of asphyxiation.| Graham Reid, Albion, Mich. was ¢,. questioning about thefts from

a yo advent ried UDGA" Tablets. Over 200 million have

boenged for reli of stomach and weer pane Hysterical women and men clad on the 11th floor. He tried 10 80|the belongings of guests. Spun rayon home trial, Get a 25¢ box of UDGA Tablets | in pajamas fled to other hotels and| down the stairs but was driven back| authorities said they found the coat style from your druggist. You must be eovinced in | stood aimlessly in lobbies. by smoke. Several persons near|partender. Albert Cairo, 53, in a dress ‘with = Burns Fatal to Few him fainted. Finally he found a|{hi.q floor room with a flashlight cap sleeves

ATHLETES FOOT ITCH| Red Cross officials said some of fire escape. land $140 in his possession. Cairo, NOT HARD TO KILL |the victims died en route to hos-| Ay the emergency hospital and who has worked at the hotel 11 IN ONE HOUR, pitals, most of them from-the ef- | nqrgue at the city hall bodies cov-| years, said the money belonged to If not pleased, your 35c back at any fects of smoke. Few burned to ered with fire department blankets him, and he was in the room lookdrug store. TE-OL, a STRONG fungi-|death. Thirty-five persons Were |jinoq the marble corridors. ing for his street clothes.

12 to 20.

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cide, contains 90% alcohol. IT PENE-| given .artificial respiration and re-| pg ini ; i riests administered last rites to teem FS. Reaches MORE germs to KILL| yived, but some died later. ii

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| coffee to the less seriously injured. | Seek Identification By HARRY R. JAFFEE {| The coroner went through bper- As Told te United Press | sonal effects and clothing trying to| CHICAGO, June 5—I was down | identify the victims. Identification in the loop just walking around. It was difficult, however, because many was a nice summery night. There were in night clothes. was music coming from a bar across Before the fire was brought un-| the street. der control. Patrolman John Hanley] Then I heard the sirens and » said he saw hotel guests looting the the crowd started running toward bodies lying in the halls. The po-| the LaSalle hotel. I ran along witl liceman, a veteran of the air force, them. said he “never saw anything like! Flames were shooting out the this in the war.” | second-story windows and smoke Perhaps the calmest person in!/poured in great clouds from the {the tragedy was a blind woman | ypper floors. who was led down a fire escape| Firemen were rushing into the {by her Seeing Eye dog. The woman [hotel and I went along with them.

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{clutched the harness firmly and 1 saw 15 or 18 people lying in Have Them moved down slowly, step by step.|the hallways—and they all looked Crowds cheered as they reached |ike they were dead. I helped carry Examined the street. out three bodies myself. Everywh t a verywhere, there was confusion.| 1 helped the firemen break down Annually Guests threw their belongings from 25 or 30 doors. In one room there

{windows to attract rescuers while was a man asleep. We woke him

| firemen pleaded with them to keep up and the firemen helped him calm, and not to leap. Quickly they | out.

Open from 8 A. M.

to 5 P. M. {raised ladders and spread nets |. I was on the fourth floor when I Closed Wednesdays Pe J. G. Ritter, Los Angeles, told | saw the worst. A fireman or some- » 12 Noon authorities he noticed a small fire body flashed his flashlight outside

|at the top of a steel elevator door!into a well that went down to the ton the first floor. third floor roof. | Dr. Ritter called a bellboy who, There on the roof—at the bottom came with a fire extinguisher, but of the well—were five or six bodies. ‘did not use it. Instead he and the Some of them hadn't any clothes boy went to the desk in the lobby on. . Their arms and legs were (and called the fire department. The twisted. It looked like their backs

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bellboy reported a small elevator had been broken butcher : AUST G RP, Fo fire, Dr. Ritter said. | Those poor devils got scared, I usen Tn i » b } A» | nN : : x 3 y w : Ie AAW HI bv SERVIC Forced to Flee (guess, and thought they could save front, pock= (REE ITLL RITES LE A | Just then flames and smoke swept their lives by jumping. et motif. 12 3 into the lobby. and forced Dr. Ritter to 20.

TEACHER'S COLLEGE out the fire, he said: Mote "ARDS 245 DEGREES

“No, I did not.” MUNCIE, Ind, June 5 (U. P.).— | Oscar Buford, hotel fireman, said Ball State Teachers college today he smelled fire in the subbasement Dad awarded degrees to 245 graduthree floors beneath the ground He ates and 29 certificates of training i notified the hotel engineer, John|!0 nurses graduating from Ball MeBarbary, who said he already had morial hospital. discovered fire in elevator No. 4 More than 4000 persons heard Dr. during a routine inspection, Thomas Vernor Smith of the Uni-The-engineer said he went to the versity of Chicago's department of engine room to cut off the power, Philosophy ‘address the graduating but was informed by Maintenance class last night. Man Fred Wolfe that the fire was - — out of control. Firemen said the heaviest concen(tration of flames was on the 4th,

(6th and 6th floors, especially near HEARING AID SERVICE! . |the south, or Madison st., side of AUDIPHONE CO. of IND, Inc. {the building. Some flames shot even Rm. 1116 Fletcher Trust Bldg. higher in one of two sections, 108 N. Penn, St.—LI-5008 An emergency first aid station Authorized “Western Electric” Dealer

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