SCHENECTADY FIRE LOSS WILL REACH $250,000.

Schenectady, Dec. 3. -- Schenectady's entire fire department battled hours yesterday afternoon and last night against flames which destroyed two of the four stories on the fround floor of the New Vendome hotel building at State and South Center streets, Schenectady, the heart of the business district. Loss to buildings and stock is estimated at a quarter of a million dollars.
All the lodgers were forced from their rooms in the hotel quarters which occupied the second story on the State street side of the building and the second and third stories on the South Center street side.
The hotel was badly damaged by smoke and water and not a room escaped serious loss to furniture and personal effects. Thirty-five rooms were occupied at the time of the fire.
The most serious loss was to the L-shaped quarters occupied by the Schenectady public market and the upper store of QUINN'S Inc., druggists, on the north corner of South Center and State streets.
Little or no damage was caused to the store of the Paris Cloak and Suits company or the Walkover Shoe store, although business was suspended in these places.
The fire started in the basement of the QUINN store. The exact cause is not known. One theory is that the flames were caused by a short circuit due to crossed electric wires.
Broken gas mains in the basement of the public market added to the confusion and danger to the firemen and was the direct cause of a number of the firemen being slightly overcome by the fumes. Other firemen were partly suffocated by fumes believed to be the result of burning chemicals and drugs stored in the cellar of the drug store.
WILLIAM JONES, JOSEPH PICKETT and TED MOSSETT, all paid firemen, and WILLIAM BARTON, a volunteer assistant chief, were temporarily blinded by the acid fumes and were sent to their homes.

Oneonta Daily Star New York 1922-12-04
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!