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<\/a><\/p>\nWhen the closest firefighters pulled up in front of the Royal Beach they went right to work, throwing up ladders to panicky residents hanging out windows. But as they scrambled to save those trapped inside, flames and smoke thwarted their efforts by cutting off escape for many tenants and forcing some to jump. After stretching hoselines through the building and positioning a snorkel in the alley next to the hotel, firefighters gained the upper hand by extinguishing the main body of fire. But when they conducted a room-by-room search, instead of survivors they found unconscious and lifeless bodies. Most of the victims had been asphyxiated by dense smoke. Nineteen were dead and 14 injured.<\/p>\n
The cause of the fire was attributed not to the actions of any resident but to faulty electrical wiring in a first-floor laundry room. Fire officials also suspected that a second point of origin might have been in the rear stairwell, though this was never officially determined due to the extent of the damage. Investigators did reveal that the hotel’s management had been in and out of housing court for numerous building code violations. The Royal Beach had no sprinkler system, and because smoke detectors in the building reportedly failed to operate, many occupants were unaware of the fire until it was too late. As in previous hotel fires, some of the Royal Beach victims were never identified because they lacked proper identification and had no known family.<\/p>\n Culled from:\u00a0Great Chicago Fires: Historic Blazes That Shaped a City<\/a><\/p>\n The Royal Beach Hotel building is still there, interestingly enough. <\/p>\n Whilst antiquing one day I stumbled across a copy of \u2018Slovenly Peter\u2019 (aka Der Struwwelpeter<\/a>\u00a0aka \u201cShock-headed Peter\u201d<\/em>),\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>an 1845 German\u00a0children\u2019s book\u00a0by\u00a0Heinrich Hoffmann. Per Wikipedia: : \u201cIt comprises ten illustrated and rhymed stories, mostly about children. Each has a clear moral that demonstrates the\u00a0disastrous consequences of misbehavior\u00a0in an exaggerated way.\u00a0 The title of the first story provides the title of the whole book.\u00a0Der Struwwelpeter<\/em>\u00a0is one of the earliest books for children that combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, and is considered a precursor to\u00a0comic books.\u201d<\/p>\n Here’s one of the jolly stories: The Story of Cruel Frederick!<\/p>\n And here are the words for our visually-impaired patrons:<\/p>\n The Story of Cruel Frederick<\/strong><\/p>\n This Frederick! this Frederick! The trough was full, and faithful Tray So Frederick had to go to bed; But good dog Tray is happy now; <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\nMorbid Mirth Du Jour!<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nA naughty, wicked boy was he;
\nHe caught the flies, poor little things,
\nAnd then tore off their tiny wings;
\nHe kill’d the birds, and broke the chairs,
\nAnd threw the kitten down the stairs;
\nAnd oh! far worse and worse,
\nHe whipp’d his good and gentle nurse!<\/p>\n
\nCame out to drink one sultry day;
\nHe wagg’d his tail, and wet his lip,
\nWhen cruel Fred snatch’d up a whip,
\nAnd whipp’d poor Tray till he was sore,
\nAnd kick’d and whipp’d him more and more;
\nAt\u00a0 this, good Tray grew very red,
\nAnd growl’d and bit him till he bled;
\nThen you should only have been by,
\nTo see how Fred did scream and cry!<\/p>\n
\nHis leg was very sore and red!
\nThe Doctor came and shook his head,
\nAnd made a very great to-do,
\nAnd give him bitter physic too.<\/p>\n
\nHe has no time to say “bow-wow!”
\nHe seats himself in Frederick’s chair,
\nAnd laughs to see the nice things there:
\nThe soup he swallows, sup by sup,\u2014
\nAnd eats the pies and puddings up.<\/p>\nAndersonville Prisoner Diary Entry Du Jour!<\/h3>\n