Richmond, MO Hotel Richmond Burns, Oct 1964

TWO FOUND DEAD AFTER RICHMOND HOTEL FIRE.

Richmond, Mo. (AP) -- The bodies of two fire victims were found today in the ruins of the downtown three-story Richmond Hotel.
The body of LAWSON W. SANDERSON, 81, retired school teacher, was found in a section of the building which had collapsed.
Later firemen found the body of the other missing resident, JAW WALL, 61, by the door of an entry way into his third floor apartment. It was a section of the floor which had not collapsed. WALL was a clothing store employe.

Fireman In Hospital.
A Lexington volunteer fireman, GEORGE GRAHAM, collapsed while fighting the fire here and was taken to a Lexington hospital where he was reported in serious condition. It was believed he had suffered a heart attack. GRAHAM is superintendent of maintenance at Lexington Memorial Hospital.
ALBERT KALBERICH, night clerk, said before the fire broke out he saw WALL go through the lobby, headed for his room. He said when the fire broke out he was unable to reach WALL on the telephone.

Told To Stay In Room.
The clerk said SANDERSON called him and reported the smoke was so thick on the third floor he could not get out. KALBERICH said he told SANDERSON to stay in his room and firemen would get him out on a ladder.
Firemen, however, were hampered by heavy smoke and were not able to reach the man.
The three-story brick building at the southeast corner of the courthouse square was built in 1889 and also housed a restaurant, a plumbing shop, a pool hall, a second hand store, a paint and appliance store and the Richmond branch of the state department which issues automobile and drivers' licenses. All were destroyed or heavily damaged.
The fire apparently started at the back of the building about 6:30 p.m. and burned out of control across the third floor.

Other Towns Send Help.
Fire departments at Lexington, Liberty, Excelsior Springs, Carrollton and Hardin sent help. The blaze was brought under control about 8:30 p.m. but embers burned through the night . Sparks set fire to roots of nearby buildings but the flames were extinguished before there was major damage.

Moberly Monitor Index Missouri 1964-10-05
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!