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About noon on Tuesday flames entirely consumed Steamboat's historic 100-room Cabin hotel, a landmark for 30 years. The fire broke out about 11:45 a.m. and despite efforts of firemen and others it was less than an hour until the ruin was complete a smoking bed of embers.

So rapid was the spread of the flames that two occupants of the hotel, Merle E. Sweet, 71, ranchman of the Strawberry park section, and Miss Mildred Keltner, 24, formerly of Mead, Kans., but for several months employed in local establishments, were trapped in the burning building and met their death.

C.P. Homer, manager of the hotel, had gone thru the corridors as soon as he discovered that the hotel was burning. He rapped on doors and called to tenants to leave the building. Then he rang the buzzers in each occupied room. It was supposed that all had left the structure, until two of the tenants were unaccounted for.

The fire originated in the south wing near the chimney that leads to the furnace room and where the chimney of the kitchen range is located. Zack Whetstine was the first person to notice smoke issuing from the roof of the building. He notified Mr. Homer and turned in the fire alarm. The large frame building was like tinder to the racing flames which soon spread over the entire structure. The firemen could do little to control the blaze, and they centered their activities on preservation of the nearby buildings.

Lincoln avenue in front of the hotel was thronged with men, women and children, who watched the fall of the hotel which had become well known thruout the country.

A small amount of personal property was taken from the building, but most of the tenants lost all of their possessions.

Those registered at the hotel as permanent tenants were Mildred Keltner, Eleanor Mathers, Mrs. Mabel Hill and her son, Mrs. Bomgardner and daughter, the Paine family of four, the Everett Stapleton family of three, Clyde Elder, Philip Weeks, Rev. R.O. Graumann, pastor of the Lutheran church, Kathryn Elward and son Dickie, Al Wicks, Mr. and Mrs. Merle Barry, Mrs Margaret DeLonge, Mrs Margaret Gayhagen, James Gilleland, Luther Scoggins, Mr. And Mrs. George Steele, Merle E. Sweet, W.M. Suffivan, Charlie Johnson, Walter Pritchard and Mr. Reynolds.

Mr. and Mrs. C.P. Homer were operating the Cabin hotel under a lease from the county commissioners. They had previously been managers for an association of business men who opened the hotel two years ago for the benefit of the town.

The burning of the Cabin hotel was the largest fire in the history of Steamboat Springs. The telephone office was swamped with calls, many inquiries coming from outside points. J.V. Bradley, manager, stated that Tuesday, January 24, 1939, held the record for number of calls in one day at the Steamboat office. The telephone wires were cut in the vicinity of the burning building. Walter Webber and Charles Birkett cut the electric wires immediately to prevent danger from contact with dangling wires.

Mrs. Homer had left the burning building and then re-entered in an effort to save some valuable. She was obliged to make a hasty exit by means of a window onto the front porch. Mrs. Margaret DeLonge also came out thru the window. Efforts to reach the room of Mr. Sweet were frustrated on account of the dense smoke which filled the hall. Dr. M.L. Crawford had entered the building to be of service and he was obliged to make a crouching exit because of the smoke fumes and the flames which seemed to be rolling behind him. The gas and flames drove Mayor Claude Luekens from the building. Other men who make attempts to enter the building had the same experience.

After the flames had raged for about an hour, all that was left of the hotel were two brick chimneys. They were shot down Wednesday morning to avoid a crash. The bricks tumbled in to the debris.

Tuesday evening the charred remains of the two victims of the fire were removed and taken to the mortuary. Mr. Sweets form was on the springs of the bed on which he was no doubt lying when trapped by the smoke and flames. The form of Miss Keltner was lying at some distance from the point where her room was located, indicating that she had made an attempt to leave her room or else had been thrown with falling materials to another place.

Coroner A.W. Heyer empanelled a jury Wednesday morning for the purpose of making it possible for the relative of Mr. Sweet and Miss Keltner to arrange for burials. An inquest will be held at a later date.

The Cabin hotel was built in 1909 thru the efforts of enterprising citizens determined that a large hotel was a necessity. As a result of the campaign a 100-room hotel was built entirely by home capital. The committee appointed in February by the Commercial club to make the drive for a new hotel included F.E. Miller, George H. Miller, F.A. Metca1f M.E. Houston and Floyd Frazier. Since that time it has been under several different or corporate ownerships.

At the time of its destruction by fire, the Cabin hotel was county property having been taken over for some $16,000 of delinquent taxes. The county carried insurance of $5000, all that could be secured. Mr. and Mrs. Homer had $1000 of insurance on their personal property.

Flames Entirely Destroy Steamboat's Historic Cabin Hotel Tuesday