The walls were in such a state that the firemen now began to disconnect the hose and to get the engines away.

They warned back the crowd, and policemen began to shout orders and to enforce them with batons.
In the meantime, what was Bart Hodge doing, and what had befallen Frank Merriwell?
Hodge was sure that Frank had made his way to the stairway where Willis Paulding had said Jack Ready had fallen.

It was the center stairway leading from the third story.
Hodge had not much difficulty in passing through the hotel office, for, after the dash through the doorway, he found the smoke not so dense.

It seemed to be sucked into the doorway, and the clerk's desk and vicinity were comparatively free of it.

The room was deserted, and there were everywhere evidences of a hasty leave-taking.
Bart ran first to the elevator, thinking he might be able to use that, but the door appeared to be warped, and he could not get it open easily.
He did not know whether the elevator was in running condition, and much doubted it, because of the explosion in the basement.