San Francisco, California
St. George Hotel Fire
April
17, 1909
FIND BODIES IN THE RUINS
SAN FRANCISCO LODGING
HOUSE BURNS IN THE NIGHT.
FIVE KNOWN TO BE KILLED
Building of Frame
Construction, and Spread of Flames So Rapid That
Inmates Are Handicapped.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 17
– Five bodies recovered and probably eight or
ten others buried in the ruins; six injured, one
fatally, and a property loss of $125,000 are the
results of an early morning fire which destroyed
the St. George hotel, a lodging house for
laborers at Howard and Eighth streets, and eight
other small buildings. The bodies taken to the
morgue were so charred that identification was
impossible.
D.
S. Cartwright, a carpenter, formerly
of Salem, Ore., was fatally burned.
The hotel was a large three
story frame building and burned so rapidly that
none of the 180 guests had tome to dress, and
many escaped by jumping to the roof of an
adjoining workshop. Scored clambered down the
ladders of the firemen and the fire escapes, and
at least four jumped to safety into the net held
by the fire fighters.
When the fire was
discovered shortly after 3 o’clock Night
Clerk Arthur Gronhk,
three or four other employees, and
Policeman W F Kruger
ran through the house arousing the
sleeping tenants. In the smoke-filled halls
they directed the half-crazed men to the exits.
Great confusion and panic prevailed, so that it
was with great difficulty that men were able to
find their way through the labyrinth of halls
which threaded the 400 small rooms.
Firemen and policemen
worked heroically, and but for their efforts the
loss of life would have been much greater.
Before the ruins had
cooled, firemen began the search for bodies.
Within two hours five charred bodies had been
found and only a small portion of the burned
area had been explored.
Later another body was
recovered, bringing the total number of known
dead up to six One body had been partially
identified as that of
C. H. Johnson, of San Antonio, Tex
Two hundred people were in
the hotel when the fire broke out. One hundred
and thirty-seven of these were regular boarders
and the rest transients.
The only body which it has
been possible to identify is believed to be that
of C. H. Johnson
of San Antonio, Tex Thirty-eight guests of the
hotel are still unaccounted for, among them
Herman Muer,
a cigarmaker of Rochester, N Y The proprietor
of the hotel, J. W.
Shananhan, had been in trouble with
the board of public works since the building was
erected shortly after the great fire. On
December 13, 1906, he was arrested, charges with
violating the building law, but was dismissed on
promising to make altercations.
Fire Chief Shaughnessey said tonight
there are numerous unsafe lodging houses in the
city which he proposes to close.
The Nebraska State
Journal, Lincoln, NE 17 Apr 1909
GUESTS OF LODGING
House Thrown Into Panic
by Fire and Twenty Are Missing.
MANY RECEIVED MINOR
INJURIES
In Frantic Efforts to
Escape. Building Was Burned Down.
San Francisco, April 16.
– Three hundred guests of the St. George hotel,
a lodging house in Howard street, between Eighth
and Ninth streets, were thrown into a panic by a
fire which completely destroyed the building, a
three story frame structure, shortly after 3
o’clock this morning. While it is not known
that any lives were lost, it was reported by the
clerk that at least twenty of the guests could
not be accounted for. Six men were severely
burned, one probably fatally, and many received
minor injuries by leaping from the upper stories
or by being trampled in the rush to escape. The
seriously injured were hurried to the Central
emergency hospital for treatment, and the other
few of whom saved their clothing, were housed in
nearby lodgings.
Corporal Fontaina and
Policeman Judger
discovered the fire and dragged many of the
guests from their beds. There were scored of
narrow escapes. The building burned rapidly and
within an hour was a ruin.
Those most seriously
injured were: ____
Cartwright, Salem, Oregon, probably
fatally burned; Patrick
Guerin, John Neil, John Erison, John Potts, John
Main.
Most of the guests were
laboring men.
Lima Times Democrat,
Lima, OH 16 Apr 1909
Articles Transcribed by
Jenni Lanham. Thank you,
Jenni!
 Search
for more information on the San Francisco Fire and other disasters in the Historic
Newspapers Collection. The number of
newspapers on line has recently doubled - search
over 1000 different newspapers. Use this
Free trial to search for your ancestors.
Search for ancestors in
San Francisco, CA among billions of names at ancestry.com. Use this
Free trial to search for your ancestors.
California Census,
1790-1890
Use this
Free trial to search for your ancestors.
| 
