Show IRE FIRE TO TOLL MOUNTS TS TO I 23 Probe r Ordered i iI I Into Blaze Five Five Bodies Located I Searchers s Dig in Smoldering Ruins Polices Drag Ic Ice Strewn River iver for Victims I Wf W of f Tragedy in rf B By J L LANSING LANSING- Ii 1 Mich hi Dee Dec l 12 As 12 As fire blackened shroud ice q ed ruins of the Kerns began ban gan giving up their d dead ad today state police announced tHat 23 persons persons had b been el listed as victims victims vic vic- tims of f the flames that hat trapped the sleeping g guests yesterday ester y morning The roster of known dead in Michigan's most horrible fire lire tragedy trag trag- tra tragedy edy included those whose bodies were taken from the icy waters waters' of the Gra Grand d river into which many terrified guests plunged those who leaped to the str street et dying of injuries and those definitely reported by rel rd relatives to to- have spent the night nigh in the hotel and to be missing now Five Bodies Found Se Searchers began digg digging sg into th the still smoking debris this morning and anda a temporary morgue el up near nea the scene contained the blackened bones of the first five victims to be re r moved had been identified One had died in inthe inthe the lobby The other four found close together evidently were those of gues guests The charred bones bones' found in the thi lobby were believed d to b be those of David Monroe the There was the strong poss possibility that the other bodies were those of persons named in a an official list of known dead but neither eri that nor their ide identity could be told definitely As searchers probed th the blackened ruins of ot the hotel for addi addi- a a way three inquiry Jot got under way today into the lire one of ot the most frightful 1 in Mi Michigan ht ii history 23 Known Dead Dud Th The known kown death list lisl stood at nt 23 including ding six members of the Michigan Michigan Mich Mich- igan legislature legislature and and it was estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated by C Captain Laurence Lyon of the s state ate po police ice that between 30 and 40 more died cither in the flames or by jumping into inlo the Grand river riveral at al the back of ot the hotel and into the street in front Early today firemen pulled down downall all that remained of the walls of f the story four structure which for tor years had been a favorite meeting pl place ce for politicians While workers du dug duff into the ruins for bodies poli police with grappling hooks maneuvered a boat through the ice floes on the Grand river hunting hunting hunt hunt- ing for those who plunged to their deaths in the water valer below the blazing blazing blaz blaze ing hotel Inquiry Launched The way three inquiry was started by E L. L Welch of the state fire marshals marshal's marshals marshal's mar marS office Prosecutor McCullough tough lough of Ingham county and and the state police The fire marshals marshal's office oUke questioned question ed witnesses in an effort to determine the cause of the fire lire and whether there was any negligence involved McCullough said he had called a coroners coroner's jury to meet next week One of the prime questions of ot the investigation will be the report of Mrs William Lesher a permanent resident of the hotel that she w was was s awakened by the smell of smoke at 5 a a. a m. m The alarm was turned in at a. a m. m The inquiry according to the fire marshal will try to d de determine determine de- de termine whether there was any delay delay de dc lay in sounding the llie al alarm rm n. n Guest Reports Fire Mrs Lesher said her husband nd Reported Re ree e. e ported the lire fire to the clerk and Night Clerk Jones said he sent hotel em em- to investigate the report The complete list of dead will not be known until the ruins and the river have been thoroughly search cL The hotel register was lost in the fire and eyen among the of ot the house there is a wide variance in estimates as a. to the number of ot guests The Kerns hotel was reported to have been filled to capacity Tuesday night and it has rooms William G. G Kerns the owner whose name has las b been n associated with the hotel since 1902 estimated the guest list at 90 or while Night Clerk IS Isaac D. D Jones said he believed there were in Irr the house |