1933 — Feb 8-9, Millard Hotel Fire, firefighters killed by falling walls, Omaha, NE — 7
–7 AP. “Life Loss Heaviest in Omaha History.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 2-9-1933, p. 2.
–7 AP. “Open Inquest into Death of Firefighter.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 2-10-1933, p. 3.
–7 AP. “Summon Firemen and Guests…Fire Investigation.” Beatrice Daily Sun, 2-10-1933, 10.
Narrative Information
Feb 9: “Omaha, (AP). One fireman was killed, one was missing and ten were injured Wednesday night [Feb 8] when fire partially destroyed the Millard hotel, historic landmark at 13th and Douglas sts. in downtown Omaha. The dead fireman is Capt. Ed Smith [Schmidt], who was caught and crushed under tons of debris when a second section of the north wall of the hotel collapsed into an alley. Captain Smith was directing his company’s hose crew at the time. The nozzle man on the crew was reported missing.
“A short time before eight firemen were injured when the first section of the north wall collapsed. They were struck by flying bricks. Two others were injured in other accidents. Collapse of the wall was due, firemen said, to an explosion in the hotel paint shop, situated on the ground floor in the rear.
“The fire was discovered by Mr. and Mrs. Gus Lindee, who had rooms on the third floor. The lights in their room flickered and when Mr. Lindee opened the door to seek help a wave of dense smoke greeted him. He leaped back into the room and started wrapping bedclothes about his daughters, Jean, 7, and Marion, 10, while Mrs. Lindee called the hotel desk and gave the alarm. They left their rooms each carrying one of the girls, and attempted to reach the stairs. Dense smoke cut them off and they returned to a rear fire escape. They left the building by this route and were quickly followed by six other third floor guests….
“Meanwhile, Harry Weiner, proprietor of the hotel, was notifying all guests by telephone to leave their rooms, and Jim Lewis, bell captain, made tour of the rooms to warn all guests. It was believed that all the forty-six guests successfully fled the building. Several were carried out by firemen.
“The fire, it is believed, started on the rear of the second floor and the flames ate thru to the fourth floor and a short while later broke thru the roof….
“While firemen battled the blaze the temperature stood at 11 below zero….” (Associated Press. “Fireman Killed in Omaha Blaze.” Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, 2-9-1933, p. 1.)
Feb 9: “Omaha, Feb. 9 (AP) — The Millard hotel fire today was the most costly to life in Omaha’s history. Never before has a fire here caused the death of seven persons and only twice before has the death toll reached five….” (AP. “Life Loss Heaviest in Omaha History.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 2-9-1933, p. 2.)
Feb 10: “Omaha, Feb. 10 (AP) — City, county, state and insurance forces joined hands here today in a formal inquest into the deaths of seven firemen, killed in the fire that began late Wednesday night [Feb 8] in the Millard hotel and raged throughout the early hours of Thursday morning. Fire captains, hotel guests, police officers and even spectators will be called to testify, said Henry Beal, county attorney, last night….He stated that insurance investigators were highly interested in finding out the cause of two explosions, the first of which brought the north wall of the hotel tumbling down, killing five firemen, and the second of which resulted in the collapse of four floors and the roof on the south side of the building, which had not previously been badly damaged. Four firemen were trapped in the basement by the latter collapse, two being killed….All but one of the bodies of the seven dead firemen had been recovered from the debris last night. The body of Clarence Urban, fire inspector who was trapped in the basement, was recovered late in the day….The bodies of Captain Thomas Shandy, Pipeman John Brandt and Fireman John Cogan were recovered a few hours later in the alley at the north end of the building. They had been buried by the wall collapse. The bodies were found after tons of brick had been hauled away. Searchers found the helmet and flashlight of Fireman Franklin Kane in the alley but could not locate the body. Kane is believed to lie buried deep under the largest pile of bricks….” (Associated Press. “Summon Firemen and Guests…Fire Investigation.” Beatrice Daily Sun, 2-10-1933, p. 10.)
Feb 10: “Omaha, Feb 10. (AP) — As an inquest into the Millard hotel fire got under way here today, rescue crews removed from the ruins the body of Fireman Franklin Kane, last of the seven who lost their lives to be recovered.
“The old four-story building, once Omaha’s leading hotel, was destroyed early yesterday [Feb 9] with a loss estimated at $250,000. The seven firemen lost their lives when walls collapsed and floors caved in.
“The inquest, called by County Attorney Henry Beal, was technically in inquiry into the death of Louis Morocco, one of the seven killed, but was actually a general investigation of the cause and handling of the blaze. County Attorney Beal, who last night said serious charges would be filed if there developed any evidence of a criminal act, conducted the inquiry….
“First witness at the inquest was Louis Kornbeck, night clerk at the hotel. Kornbeck said someone came running down the stairs shouting ‘fire!’ He said Harry Weiner, the proprietor, called the fire department and began to notify guests. About 20 minutes later, Kornbeck said, the lights in the building went out.
“Howard B. McConahy, a salesman who was in a room on the second floor, said the lights went out at about the time he heard there was a fire. He said he saw smoke and flames at the north end of the building as he escaped down the stairs.
“David Rankin, bookkeeper, said he learned of the fire about 10 o’clock (apparently about 15 minutes after it was discovered). He was sitting in his room talking to Ed Kreitz, a guest at the hotel, when a man burst in the door shouting, “fire, fire!’ Rankin said the man went down the fire escape. Rankin said he did not know the man and thought he was not a guest at the hotel.
“Courthouse records today showed that a decree of foreclosure was entered in district court against the hotel property on January 16. The mortgage dated back to May 17, 1918, and the original amount was $100,000. It was held by the Central Life Insurance society, and signed by Harry Weiner, Sam Epstein, Louis Epstein and Jacob Rosoff. The mortgage required that the property be kept insured for $90,000. Weiner said yesterday that the hotel and contents were insured for $220,000.
“Captain George Cogan, one of 22 firemen injured at the blaze, was still in serious condition today but attending physicians gave him a fighting chance to live. He was pinned for six hours under debris in the basement before rescue….
“Otto Maurer, of Omaha, told the coroner’s jury that the sprinkler system in the hotel had been turned off all day Tuesday before the fire and up to 5 p.m. Wednesday [Feb 8]. The alarm was turned in shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday night. William Milder, proprietor of a drug store in the hotel building, had previously stated the sprinkler system was working during the fire.
“Maurer, day engineer at the hotel, also testified that the alarm bell system connected with the sprinkler system did not work unless at least a three-quarter inch flow was running through the pipes. He said he reported the defect to Harry Weiner, the owner, who said he would have to get it fixed. Maurer said nothing had been done to this end.
“The blowing off of three and even four sprinkler heads, Maurer testified, would not sound an alarm to the guests in the hotel. This evidence was obtained after Walter R. Gage of Kansas City, representing the national board of underwriters, questioned the witness.
“Howard B. McConahy of Des Moines, a salesman, testified he was in his room with two friends, when the lights suddenly went out. They thought something had gone wrong, temporarily, he said, and waited for the lights to come on. After several minutes, they opened the door and saw smoke and fire in the hall. McConahy seized his clothes and ran downstairs into the lobby and out into the street. He said he heard no alarm bell, nor was he notified by telephone the hotel was on fire.
“Kane’s body was found in the alley at the rear of the hotel less than three feet from the edge of the debris piled up by a collapsing wall. The position of his frozen body indicated he had almost run to safety before the avalanche of brick piled down on him. The party that found the body was headed by Fireman Howard Kane, his brother.” (Associated Press. “Open Inquest into Death of Firefighter.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 2-10-1933, p. 3.)
Feb 11: “Omaha, (AP). A score or more witnesses paraded to the witness stand Friday as city, county, state and insurance company authorities opened their investigation of the Millard hotel fire that resulted in the death of seven firemen — but the results were practically gainless as far as uncovering the cause of the fire….
“Assistant Fire Chief Hartnett, a leading witness, testified that the fire had been burning at least ten minutes and possibly twenty-five minutes before firemen arrived on the scene. He said that nowhere in the building was there evidence that the sprinkler system was operating. The system, he said, was not in operation on the second and third floors, center of the early fire, when he made a tour of these floors shortly after arriving at the fire. Fire Inspector Urban, trapped in the basement when four floors and the roof collapsed, died in an attempt to check up on the sprinkler system to see if the valve in the basement was turned on, Hartnett said. He testified that Urban entered the building against his advice. He also testified that he distinctly hear an explosion before the north wall collapsed, burying five firemen under tons of brick, but said he could bive no reason for the blast. He said the entire north end of the building was ‘aflame from the second floor to the roof within a few minutes after the firemen arrived.’
“Otto Maurer, day engineer at the hotel, testified that the sprinkler systems had been turned off all day Tuesday and up to 5 p.m. Wednesday for repairs, but that they had turned it on at 5 p.m. Wednesday when he went off duty.
“Some guests of the hotel, called as witnesses, testified the alarm bells, attached to the sprinkler system, were ringing; others testified they heard no bells.
“Walter R. Hutson, fire inspector, said he inspected the hotel on Jan. 3 and found the wiring in a store room on the Northside of the building ‘so bad that I marked it no good.’ He said he did not know of action being take on the basis of his report.
“Sam Cohen, who was in charge of the hotel lunchroom at night, said positively that he saw the six sprinkler heads in the restaurant pouring out water, tho he said the fire had not reached the room and the temperature in the room had not changed at all. The sprinklers, he said, began to operate after the lights went out, and he saw them by the light from the coffee urn. W. R. Gage of Kansas City, underwriters’ representative, asked, ‘don’t you know it takes a temperature of 167 degrees to make those sprinkler heads work?’ Cohen said he didn’t know.
“Mrs. Ella Sullivan, housekeeper, said she heard the fire alarm bell on the first floor (operated by the sprinkler system) working. She also told of carrying water to help Manager Harry Weiner put out a small fire in a switch box earlier in the day. Questioned by County Attorney Beal, Mrs. Sullivan said that Weiner had told her four or five months ago that business was bad and he would have to close up if it didn’t get better….” (Associated Press. “Confusion Reigns at Opening Fatal Hotel Fire Probe.” Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln. 2-11-1933, pp. 1 and 5.)
Feb 11: “Omaha, Feb 11. (AP)….The inquest, opened yesterday, was continued this morning after County Attorney Henry Beal had visited the ruins and obtained evidence contradicting testimony give at yesterday’s hearing. After his inspection, Beal said there is no evidence to show that the sprinkler system in the hotel restaurant operated during the fire. Sam Cohen, manager of the restaurant, testified yesterday that he saw the sprinkler heads spouting water but Beal said the sprinkler caps were still intact today, never having been blown off….
“Criticism of the fire department’s handling of the fire was voiced from the witness stand by W. S. Rathbun of Evanston, Ill., fire protection engineer for the National Board of Fire Underwriters. Questioned by Walter R. Gage of Kansas City, investigator for the underwriters, he said he did not believe the fire was handled ‘in the most satisfactory manner.’ Rathbun’s severest criticism concerned the failure of firemen to connect a line to the outside valve of the sprinkler system. The sprinkler system, in his opinion, was not working. Rathbun said he had come here to investigate the department’s efficiency, and when he got a report a bad fire was in progress he went at once to see how the department operated. ‘One thing in particular led me to believe something was wrong,’ Rathbun testified. ‘That is, no effort was made immediately to connect to the sprinkler system and force water through it.’….” (Associated Press. “Millard Fire Stories are Conflicting.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 2-12-1933, p. 1.)
Feb 13: “Omaha, Feb. 13. (AP) — W. W. Cameron of Chicago, investigator for the National Inspection company, today concluded after an inspection of the Millard hotel ruins…that the sprinkler system in the building was not operating when the fire started but that it did operate at some time during the conflagration that destroyed the building. Arriving here today, Cameron dug through the debris with County Attorney Henry Beal and Detective Inspector Ben Danbaum. They went through the upper floors, breaking open locked doors and into the basement….Cameron was asked whether any mechanical means could have turned the system on during the fire. ‘I don’t see what it could be,’ he said. ‘You would think it would have to be by human means. Mt impression is that the fire got a good start before the sprinkler was put in operation. ‘There is not one chance in a thousand that the fire could have gained such headway if the sprinkler had been working at the start.’ Cameron, who plans to remain here until the coroner’s jury inspects the ruins Friday, said the sprinkler system appeared to be in good working order and was ‘an unusually good system.’
“On the third floor, in the east corridor near the collapsed north wall, Cameron found the sprinkler heads blown off. The sections of wall around them ere not seared, but farther away the wood was charred. On the charred sections, streaks showed that water had been thrown against them with considerable pressure. In other places, notably in the lobby, Cameron found heads blown off and indications that the sprinkler had thrown only a little water under slight pressure. The pressure would have been low after firemen had their lines working, he explained.
“Inspecting the check valve in the basement, Cameron came to the same conclusion reached by W. S. Rathbun, investigator for the National Board of Fire Underwriters — that it is turned on now, but was turned off when the fire started. Beal said the valve had been tampered with lately. Several bolts had been loosened, and two or three of them removed, and the end of the valve was out of position. Beal blamed state sheriff’s deputies, who investigated yesterday, for this.
“Beal, disagreed with Cameron and said he had formed these conclusions:
“The sprinkler system was turned on when the fire started.
“The fire started in the rehearsal room on th second floor, rear. This room has a ceiling two floors high, taking in both the second and third floors.
“Much inflammable [flammable] material, such as scenery and mattresses, was stored in the rehearsal room.
“The wiring, especially in this part of the building, was very bad.
“When the fire started in the rehearsal room, it got well started before the sprinkler heads in the ceiling (two floors high) were heated enough to pop off and release water.
“The rooms on the fourth floor above the rehearsal room were lightly supported. When the supports for these rooms were weakened by the fire, the rooms dropped into the rehearsal room. The crash and the pressure caused by this forced out the building’s back wall, killing five firemen.
“In compliance with an order by City Building Inspector Rex Edgecomb, the portion of the north wall still standing will be razed within two days, an attorney representing Harry Weiner, the proprietor, stated today. The wall was reported to be a growing menace.” (Associated Press. “Sprinklers Examined in Fire Probe.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 2-13-1933, p. 2.)
Feb 14: “Omaha, Feb. 14 (AP)….Defying Edgecomb’s order, L. L. Dunaway, Nebraska inspection bureau expert who believes the hotel’s sprinkler system never worked at any time during the fire, continued to burrow through the debris. He worked most of the morning in the hotel basement and no effort had been made at noon to remove him forcibly. Water streaks on the wall paper in some rooms, be believes, were simply caused when whatever water was in the pipes flowed out as the plugs in the heads melted.” (Associated Press. “Firemen Feud Rumors to be Investigated.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 2-14-1933, p. 8.)
Feb 14: “Omaha. (AP). W. S. Cameron, inspector for the National Inspection company who came here to aid in the Millard hotel fire probe, Monday night said he was on the belief that the fire was permitted to gain headway before the sprinkler system in the hotel was put in service. ‘In my opinion,’ he said, ‘it was not the fire department which allowed the fire to gain headway. Everything points to the view that the fire gained headway before the alarm was turned in.’
“Cameron ruled the previously expressed theory of some investigators that the sprinkler pipes may have frozen in the north section of the building where the fire started. If the pipes had frozen and the valve had been open the sprinkler heads would have blown off, releasing pressure which would have caused a water leak somewhere in the pipe, he said.
“Cameron said he agreed with County Attorney Beal’s theory that defective wiring might have started the fire, but said it is impossible to find any real clues to prove this. He said be believed the sprinkler system operated at some time during the fire but too tale to be of real service….” (AP. “Thinks Fire Raging Before Alarm Given.” Lincoln State Journal, NE, 2-14-1933, p. 4.)
Feb 18: “Omaha, (AP). The coroner’s jury investigating the…Millard hotel fire here last week, late Friday [Feb 17] rendered a verdict which recommended ‘that immediate steps be taken to prevent such catastrophes in the future by more thorough and frequent authorized inspections of buildings.
“The jury held the cause of the fire unknown… [and] ruled the fire started in the north section of the building and was confined there. The verdict was rendered after deliberations lasting one hour….” (AP. “Cause of Fire ‘Unknown’.” Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, 2-18-1933, p. 1.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Cause of Fire ‘Unknown’.” Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, 2-18-1933, p. 1. Accessed 7-3-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lincoln-nebraska-state-journal-feb-18-1933-p-1/?tag
Associated Press. “Firemen Feud Rumors to be Investigated.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 2-14-1933, p. 8. Accessed 7-3-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/beatrice-daily-sun-feb-14-1933-p-8/?tag
Associated Press. “Fireman Killed in Omaha Blaze.” Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, 2-9-1933, p. 1 Accessed 7-2-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lincoln-nebraska-state-journal-feb-09-1933-p-1/?tag
Associated Press. “Life Loss Heaviest in Omaha History.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 2-9-1933, p. 2. Accessed 7-2-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/beatrice-daily-sun-feb-09-1933-p-2/?tag
Associated Press. “Millard Fire Stories are Conflicting.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 2-12-1933, p. 1. Accessed 7-2-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/beatrice-daily-sun-feb-12-1933-p-1/?tag
Associated Press. “Open Inquest into Death of Firefighter.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 2-10-1933, p. 3. Accessed 7-2-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/beatrice-daily-sun-feb-10-1933-p-3/?tag
Associated Press. “Sprinklers Examined in Fire Probe.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 2-13-1933, p. 2. Accessed 7-2-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/beatrice-daily-sun-feb-13-1933-p-2/?tag
Associated Press. “Summon Firemen and Guests of Hotel for Fire Investigation.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE. 2-10-1933, p. 10. Accessed 7-2-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/beatrice-daily-sun-feb-10-1933-p-10/?tag
Associated Press. “Thinks Fire Raging Before Alarm Given.” Lincoln State Journal, NE, 2-14-1933, p. 4. Accessed 7-3-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lincoln-nebraska-state-journal-feb-14-1933-p-4/?tag