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News Notes From B.J*s CornerTuesday, February 15, 1921 cial Hotel before or after Hotel Burns in Grandview the flre- , . ,,In 1921 A lot of ood couldThe whole city of Grandview was horror stricken by the tragic death of Jim McDonald of Grandview and Paul Lockhart of Henrietta,Texas, who were burned to death Sunday night at 2:45 when the second great fire occurred in Grandview within a year, and totally destroyed the Commercial Hotel.W.W. O'Hara was slightly injured while jumping from a window to safety and most all the other guests had very narrow escapes from being seriously injured as they made tneir escape by leaping from windows and from ladders placed at the windows of the burning building.The fire caught on the ground floor of the hotel in one of the bathrooms. The fire had gained a big headway, the building being almost enveloped in flames when the night watchman saw the fire and turned on the electric alarm. The inmates of the hotel would doubtless have been burned in their beds as none had awakened when the alarm was turned in. This was the first time there had been an occasion for the use of the new electric siren and it proved successful, being heard for as ► farw as seven miles around.The hotel, which , was a two story wooden structure about eight foot square in size burned about one and one half hours. The fire company in Grandview is to be praised for the hard work they put in to fight the fire to keep it confined to one spot. Several other buildings were in much danger of being destroyed, one of which was the Woodard Livery Stable.There were 12 guests in the hotel at the time of the fire, and also the families or J.P. Harrell and Virgil Hess. The building was under lease by J.P. Harrell who had $1,000 insurance on the furniture and equipment.The building was owned by J.V. McCown, but it has not been determined whether or not he had any insurance.The bodies of the two victims were recovered from the ruins this morning about 5:00 o'clock.The body of Mr. McDonald was identified by his cuff buttons. It seems that he had dressed himself and had gone in the hall to awaken the other guests when overcome by the flames and burned to death.The body of Paul Lockhart was found in his bed so it seems he never awakened.Jim McDonald wasan employee of O'Hara and Harrell of Grandview and was well known in that city, having livedthere a number of years.Paul Lockhart wasa young boy of 16 formerly of Grandview but whosehome was in Henrietta.He had been in Grandview several weeks and was employed at the mill.He is a nephew of Mr. and Mrs. Carnes of Covington.This is the second large fire in Grandview witnin a period of one year, much business section, save two blocks, and the hotel of last night's fire, the choice residential section of that city being swept away by fire last March.The Commercial Hotel was one of the old landmarks of Grandview being a fixture in that town for a number of years.It was first located on First Street facing west and was Just back of the M.K. T. Station, (copied with excerpts, from a Cleburne Semi-Weekly Tribune).Maybe someone has pictures of the Commer-
Newspaper Details
Grandview Tribune
Grandview, Texas, US
Fri, Jul 27, 1990
Page 3
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Anonymous
USA 09 Mar 2025
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