Buffalo, New York

Clarendon Hotel Fire

November 10, 1860

Hotels burnt — loss of Life.

Buffalo, N. Y., Nov. 10.--A fire broke out at one o'clock this morning in the kitchen of the Clarendon Hotel, and rapidly spreading, destroyed the main building situated on the corner of Main and South Division streets, and the wing extending through to Washington street. The wing on South Division street was saved.

H. Q. Chamberlain, oyster dealer, jumped from the fourth story and was almost instantly killed. Mr. Carland, of the firm of Carland & Beirne, clothiers, was burned to death. The building was owned by Orson Phelps, and valued at $90,000, upon which there is an insurance of $40,000 in New York and New England companies. The furniture, owned by Mr. Hodges, of the American Hotel, and Mr. Bickford, proprietor of the Clarendon, was mostly destroyed. Loss on furniture about $9,000; fully insured. Mr. H. Peabody, druggist, loses about $3,000 above his insurance.-- Minor losses will make the total loss not far from $120,000, upon which there is an insurance of $30,000. There was a heavy rain falling at the time, which prevented the fire from spreading beyond the building. It is rumored that four servant girls are lost, and it is thought that many strangers may have perished also. One man, in the fourth story, raised a window and exclaimed that he was a stranger and could not find the way out and couldn't live another minute in his room, and begged the crowd to save him. He was not seen again.

The Daily Dispatch, Richmond, VA 12 Nov 1860

The Fatal fire at Buffalo.

The destruction by fire of the Clarendon Hotel, at Buffalo, N. Y., on the night of the 9th instant, has been noticed by telegraph. It was the result of using camphene, the watchman having, while going his rounds, dropped his lamp and then fled from the blaze. The loss is estimated at $95,000. The Commercial says:

The most terrible feature of the night's disasters, however, is the loss of human life; two well-known citizens being among the lost. Mr. H. L. Chamberlain, of the firm of Rowe & Chamberlain, oyster dealers, on Washington street, who boarded at the Clarendon, and whose room was in the fifth story, was awakened too late to make his escape by the stairs, and in his terror, as it is supposed, leaped from his window, on the Main street side, to the payment below, by which he was so horribly crushed and mangled that, having been removed to Mathews' drug store, he died, after lingering in unspeakable agony for about half an hour. It is probable that he lost his presence of mind in consequence of excitement and terror, as he was spoken to by those below, and told to wait a few moments and a ladder would be raised, by which he might safely reach the ground.

William A. Carland, of the well-known firm of Carland & Beirne, of "Gothic Hall," also lost his life. Two women employed in the hotel, Bridget Mulcahey, cook, and Ann McAulay, chambermaid, are also set down among the lost, as their friends, after diligent search and inquiry, have been unable to discover any traces of them.

A woman named Alice White, also one of the employees, was rescued by a fireman. She was at the window of the rear portion of the building, on Washington street, and Mr. G. mounted a ladder which had been raised, and, surrounded by smoke and flame, seized the woman in his arms, and bore her part way down the ladder, where he delivered her into the hands of a spectator, and immediately returned into the building in search of another, said to be still in the hotel. No other person, however, was discovered.

The Daily Dispatch, Richmond, VA 15 Nov 1860

Search for more information on the Clarendon Hotel 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 Buffalo, NY among billions of names at ancestry.com. Use this Free trial to search for your ancestors.

The New York Times, New York, New York  Read it online at ancestry.com.  Use this Free trial to search for your ancestors.