Martin Lee Shaw was widowed, worked as a Car Builder and at the time of His death, was living in the Gulf Hotel boarding house in downtown Houston, Harris Co., Texas.
Source:
Texas Deaths: 1890-1976
------------------------------------------
Martin Shaw was one of the 55 men who died in the Gulf Hotel fire in Houston, Texas on Sept. 7th, 1943. Here's part of a blog about Houston's past by J. R. Gonzales and provided by Find A Grave member, Matt #46559125:
------------------------------------------
70 YEARS AGO: The deadliest disaster in Houston's history -
Most nights when I leave work I drive up Louisiana and head out of downtown on I-10. When I come up on Preston Avenue, I glance over at the empty parking lot behind the imposing Houston Ballet Center for Dance. Lately, and in preparation for this blog post, I've been thinking about the early morning of Sept. 7, 1943.
Back then, a three-story building sad at that spot, much of it facing Louisiana. Star Bargain Clothing, the White House Cafe and a few other shops were on the first floor. The Gulf Hotel and Hotel Windsor occupied the second and third floors.
There weren't upscale hotels like the Rice, a few blocks away. These were flophouses for the most part many of which dotted the downtown landscape for much of the 20th century.
At the Gulf Hotel, rooms started out at 20 cents for an iron cot in a communal space on the third floor. Throw in a few more cents and You could get an 8X10 room with a table and chair.
Only men stayed there. Some were elderly, while others came to the city to work in the war production effort. Unable to find places to rent, they got rooms anywhere they could find it, like these hotels.
Just after midnight, a mattress in Room 201 caught fire from a cigarette. The night clerk put out the fire with water and put the bed sheets in a linen closet. About 30 minutes later, the night clerk was called up to the third floor to look into complaints that someone was using a flash light. Nothing was found but upon returning to the second floor, the clerk saw smoke and flames coming from a wall that separated the sleeping section and the lobby.
The fire spread quickly. A panic erupted as the men made their way through the labyrinth of partitions to an interior stairwell, only to find it blocked by flames. A fire exit was jammed with dozens trying to escape.
A crowd of onlookers, reporters, officers, soldiers and sailors gathered at Louisiana and Preston to watch as firefighters battled the blaze for the next three hours. At one point, a horrific sight played out before the hundreds watching. In all, the fire claimed 55 lives, making it the deadliest event in Houston's history. Fire authorities determined the blaze was accidental.
On August 24, fire inspectors had put the hotel on notice for not repairing a red exit light that marked the location of the second-floor fire escape. The city was supposed to follow up with the hotel on Sept. 8th. Authorities said the lack of such lighting helped lead to the mass confusion in trying to escape.
In the days following the blaze, fire inspectors fanned out across the city to inspect similar flophouses, drugstores and restaurants. Authorities cited 15 businesses that had failed to act on prior warnings.
On Sept. 9th, 36 hearses - the longest funeral procession Houston had ever seen, worked its way south along Telephone Road to South Park Cemetery. Of the 36 laid to rest during that funeral, 21 were unidentified.
Source:
Texas Deaths: 1890-1976
------------------------------------------
Martin Shaw was one of the 55 men who died in the Gulf Hotel fire in Houston, Texas on Sept. 7th, 1943. Here's part of a blog about Houston's past by J. R. Gonzales and provided by Find A Grave member, Matt #46559125:
------------------------------------------
70 YEARS AGO: The deadliest disaster in Houston's history -
Most nights when I leave work I drive up Louisiana and head out of downtown on I-10. When I come up on Preston Avenue, I glance over at the empty parking lot behind the imposing Houston Ballet Center for Dance. Lately, and in preparation for this blog post, I've been thinking about the early morning of Sept. 7, 1943.
Back then, a three-story building sad at that spot, much of it facing Louisiana. Star Bargain Clothing, the White House Cafe and a few other shops were on the first floor. The Gulf Hotel and Hotel Windsor occupied the second and third floors.
There weren't upscale hotels like the Rice, a few blocks away. These were flophouses for the most part many of which dotted the downtown landscape for much of the 20th century.
At the Gulf Hotel, rooms started out at 20 cents for an iron cot in a communal space on the third floor. Throw in a few more cents and You could get an 8X10 room with a table and chair.
Only men stayed there. Some were elderly, while others came to the city to work in the war production effort. Unable to find places to rent, they got rooms anywhere they could find it, like these hotels.
Just after midnight, a mattress in Room 201 caught fire from a cigarette. The night clerk put out the fire with water and put the bed sheets in a linen closet. About 30 minutes later, the night clerk was called up to the third floor to look into complaints that someone was using a flash light. Nothing was found but upon returning to the second floor, the clerk saw smoke and flames coming from a wall that separated the sleeping section and the lobby.
The fire spread quickly. A panic erupted as the men made their way through the labyrinth of partitions to an interior stairwell, only to find it blocked by flames. A fire exit was jammed with dozens trying to escape.
A crowd of onlookers, reporters, officers, soldiers and sailors gathered at Louisiana and Preston to watch as firefighters battled the blaze for the next three hours. At one point, a horrific sight played out before the hundreds watching. In all, the fire claimed 55 lives, making it the deadliest event in Houston's history. Fire authorities determined the blaze was accidental.
On August 24, fire inspectors had put the hotel on notice for not repairing a red exit light that marked the location of the second-floor fire escape. The city was supposed to follow up with the hotel on Sept. 8th. Authorities said the lack of such lighting helped lead to the mass confusion in trying to escape.
In the days following the blaze, fire inspectors fanned out across the city to inspect similar flophouses, drugstores and restaurants. Authorities cited 15 businesses that had failed to act on prior warnings.
On Sept. 9th, 36 hearses - the longest funeral procession Houston had ever seen, worked its way south along Telephone Road to South Park Cemetery. Of the 36 laid to rest during that funeral, 21 were unidentified.
Martin Lee Shaw was widowed, worked as a Car Builder and at the time of His death, was living in the Gulf Hotel boarding house in downtown Houston, Harris Co., Texas.
Source:
Texas Deaths: 1890-1976
------------------------------------------
Martin Shaw was one of the 55 men who died in the Gulf Hotel fire in Houston, Texas on Sept. 7th, 1943. Here's part of a blog about Houston's past by J. R. Gonzales and provided by Find A Grave member, Matt #46559125:
------------------------------------------
70 YEARS AGO: The deadliest disaster in Houston's history -
Most nights when I leave work I drive up Louisiana and head out of downtown on I-10. When I come up on Preston Avenue, I glance over at the empty parking lot behind the imposing Houston Ballet Center for Dance. Lately, and in preparation for this blog post, I've been thinking about the early morning of Sept. 7, 1943.
Back then, a three-story building sad at that spot, much of it facing Louisiana. Star Bargain Clothing, the White House Cafe and a few other shops were on the first floor. The Gulf Hotel and Hotel Windsor occupied the second and third floors.
There weren't upscale hotels like the Rice, a few blocks away. These were flophouses for the most part many of which dotted the downtown landscape for much of the 20th century.
At the Gulf Hotel, rooms started out at 20 cents for an iron cot in a communal space on the third floor. Throw in a few more cents and You could get an 8X10 room with a table and chair.
Only men stayed there. Some were elderly, while others came to the city to work in the war production effort. Unable to find places to rent, they got rooms anywhere they could find it, like these hotels.
Just after midnight, a mattress in Room 201 caught fire from a cigarette. The night clerk put out the fire with water and put the bed sheets in a linen closet. About 30 minutes later, the night clerk was called up to the third floor to look into complaints that someone was using a flash light. Nothing was found but upon returning to the second floor, the clerk saw smoke and flames coming from a wall that separated the sleeping section and the lobby.
The fire spread quickly. A panic erupted as the men made their way through the labyrinth of partitions to an interior stairwell, only to find it blocked by flames. A fire exit was jammed with dozens trying to escape.
A crowd of onlookers, reporters, officers, soldiers and sailors gathered at Louisiana and Preston to watch as firefighters battled the blaze for the next three hours. At one point, a horrific sight played out before the hundreds watching. In all, the fire claimed 55 lives, making it the deadliest event in Houston's history. Fire authorities determined the blaze was accidental.
On August 24, fire inspectors had put the hotel on notice for not repairing a red exit light that marked the location of the second-floor fire escape. The city was supposed to follow up with the hotel on Sept. 8th. Authorities said the lack of such lighting helped lead to the mass confusion in trying to escape.
In the days following the blaze, fire inspectors fanned out across the city to inspect similar flophouses, drugstores and restaurants. Authorities cited 15 businesses that had failed to act on prior warnings.
On Sept. 9th, 36 hearses - the longest funeral procession Houston had ever seen, worked its way south along Telephone Road to South Park Cemetery. Of the 36 laid to rest during that funeral, 21 were unidentified.
Source:
Texas Deaths: 1890-1976
------------------------------------------
Martin Shaw was one of the 55 men who died in the Gulf Hotel fire in Houston, Texas on Sept. 7th, 1943. Here's part of a blog about Houston's past by J. R. Gonzales and provided by Find A Grave member, Matt #46559125:
------------------------------------------
70 YEARS AGO: The deadliest disaster in Houston's history -
Most nights when I leave work I drive up Louisiana and head out of downtown on I-10. When I come up on Preston Avenue, I glance over at the empty parking lot behind the imposing Houston Ballet Center for Dance. Lately, and in preparation for this blog post, I've been thinking about the early morning of Sept. 7, 1943.
Back then, a three-story building sad at that spot, much of it facing Louisiana. Star Bargain Clothing, the White House Cafe and a few other shops were on the first floor. The Gulf Hotel and Hotel Windsor occupied the second and third floors.
There weren't upscale hotels like the Rice, a few blocks away. These were flophouses for the most part many of which dotted the downtown landscape for much of the 20th century.
At the Gulf Hotel, rooms started out at 20 cents for an iron cot in a communal space on the third floor. Throw in a few more cents and You could get an 8X10 room with a table and chair.
Only men stayed there. Some were elderly, while others came to the city to work in the war production effort. Unable to find places to rent, they got rooms anywhere they could find it, like these hotels.
Just after midnight, a mattress in Room 201 caught fire from a cigarette. The night clerk put out the fire with water and put the bed sheets in a linen closet. About 30 minutes later, the night clerk was called up to the third floor to look into complaints that someone was using a flash light. Nothing was found but upon returning to the second floor, the clerk saw smoke and flames coming from a wall that separated the sleeping section and the lobby.
The fire spread quickly. A panic erupted as the men made their way through the labyrinth of partitions to an interior stairwell, only to find it blocked by flames. A fire exit was jammed with dozens trying to escape.
A crowd of onlookers, reporters, officers, soldiers and sailors gathered at Louisiana and Preston to watch as firefighters battled the blaze for the next three hours. At one point, a horrific sight played out before the hundreds watching. In all, the fire claimed 55 lives, making it the deadliest event in Houston's history. Fire authorities determined the blaze was accidental.
On August 24, fire inspectors had put the hotel on notice for not repairing a red exit light that marked the location of the second-floor fire escape. The city was supposed to follow up with the hotel on Sept. 8th. Authorities said the lack of such lighting helped lead to the mass confusion in trying to escape.
In the days following the blaze, fire inspectors fanned out across the city to inspect similar flophouses, drugstores and restaurants. Authorities cited 15 businesses that had failed to act on prior warnings.
On Sept. 9th, 36 hearses - the longest funeral procession Houston had ever seen, worked its way south along Telephone Road to South Park Cemetery. Of the 36 laid to rest during that funeral, 21 were unidentified.
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