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Show cno HAS HOTEL FIRE Five-Story Structure Is Destroyed in Downtown Down-town District Chicago, Dec. in. Nearly 1,000 hotel ho-tel guests were routed In panlo early today by fire which totally destroved tho Open Board of Trade building, a five-story landmark, at 325 South I a Salle street Within 15 minutes after the first alarm was sounded at 2 30 o'clock, the flames had the building at their mercy. mer-cy. The roof fell In a few minutes after tho arrival of the first fire company. com-pany. Three furnace stokers, who were In the basement, are missing and u is not known if they are safe Alarm was immediately felt for tho guests In tho Kalserhof, New Victoria and Stafford hotels, all of which were near enough to be touched by the flames from tho burning structure. The first two hotels face on Clark street Bell boys, elevator men and even the city firemen did heroic work lu the hotels Every room was vjslted in tho hotels and the guests awakened. awak-ened. The sight of the flames throw-women throw-women and men alike into panic and there was a hurried scramble for clothing and valuables Scores of persons per-sons appeared half clad In the hotel lobbies and many dragged trunks or carried suitcases. Although the window win-dow sashes of the Kalserhof were burning on the thrco upper floors at one time a steady play of water on the building alwa'ys kept it out of danger. No person was injured In any of the hotels. DIrccth across from the Open Board of Trade In La Salic street stands the Chicago Board of Trade and with which thr Open Board has no connection con-nection Marshall Seyferdlch of tho fire department cfctlmated the total loss at $200,000 His only comment as to the cause was that there would be a rigid Investigation, hinting that tho fire may have been of incendiary origin. Within the building many labor unions un-ions had their possessions. Books and records of many of these organizations organiza-tions arc sal'1 to have been destroys!. Tho fire was ono of the most spectacular spec-tacular seen In downtown Chicago for months. Flamo3 leaped more than 200 foot Into thq ir an-J -flro" brands were carried for blocks bv the wind Tn little more than an hour after it started the fire was under control Tho guests in the hotols represented nearly every stale In the union Tind there wcer a few from Europe. One little guest, driven from her parents In tho New Victoria, May Edgren of Milwaukee, was said by her father. Jesse L. Edgren, te have boen the first white child born t Dawsop Citv, Y. T., while ho and bis wife were gold hunting there |