The New York herald., 1872-12-14
TEE FIRE MARSHAL'S IVESTIGA-
TION.

What Martha Fisher, Nary Burke and
Mary Mooney Know About the Fire.
Fire Marshal McSpcdon continued yesterday the
Investigation OF the disastrous fire which last
Tuesday night caused the loss of so much life in
the Fifth Avenue HOTEL The following is the test-
mony taken
TESTIMONY OF MARY MOONEY.
live at the Fifth Avenue Hotel; am employed
In the laundry; slept in the attic, in room
No. 5os Bridget Murray occupied the room
with me; this room is just at the head OF the
attic stairs; there is an entrance to the ele-
vator on the noor below us. but none on our
floor; on the night OF the fire / left the linen
room at ten O'Clock and went up to my room and
from there to the room OF one OF the chamber
maids I remained there while, then went back
to my room and did some sewing; after that went
down the servants staircase to the sixth floor;
this was about twenty minutes before l dis
covered the fire; l was partly undressed
when heard a cracking noise; opened my door
e c an up me ne @
ing below; should think 1t was three floors be-
low me; called Bridget, then cried fire several
the passage leading from the staircase to the
guests hall on the sixth floor; there were
as did; think they occupied room No. 5i5,
the next room to mine on same side Of the
passage; the flames came up very rapidly and
| scorched me somewhat when was going down;
when first discovered the fire head no noise
below, no cry OF fire, and the first alarm in the
way down stairs until got to the fourth noor,
think, and then ! saw one of the gasmen and
the main hall near the staircase; saw one OF the
office boys ringing the bell and speaking through
the ane Sa him ,S Where the e and he
on the pack staircase; there was no grating
on my window, and there was another window
further down Twenty third street side which had
no grating on; believe that several of the girls
got out there; there Is an opening in the elevator
box on each floor; think there Is no door to the
openings; rooms 511 and 513 were occupied exclu-
tasn themselves; ! andsrstand it is the bust
to look after the attic and come up
there every fifteen minutes after twelve O'clock
before tnat do not know; saw nothing OF him
at the time OF the FIRE; have been employed at
the hotel about two years; heard there was slight
fire on one OF the landings about six months ago;
1t amounted to nothing; understand it caught in
barrel OF rubbish; have talked to good many
OF the girls who escaped from the attic: some es-
capped to the roof through the windows which had
no wires on, and some escaped through skylighJ
end OF the attic and some through the door lead.
| ing to the private attic. which had been broken
open.
| lam forewoman of the cleaners; occupied room
509 located directly at the head of the stairs in the
| cuped rooms 5l1 and 5l3; No. oil was the second
door from me, on the same side OF the passage and
girls in room 5li, and nine in 5i3; occupied room
| by myself; went to bed on the night OF the fire
| at fifteen or twenty minutes to eleven O'Clock;
think went to sleep and was reused by the girls
crying fire in the hall; did not suppose it would
amount to much; bat got up and went to the
window and saw the smoke below; | then went to
the door; smoke coming a hot, thick smoke
and the floor was very hot: when Iopened the door
| saw the fire coming up the stairs; it was very
way was filled with smoke; l heard no noise
in in. the attic tic and supposed everybody
along the passage towards the private
attic, and, as it felt cooler, knew was going
through a window, somewhere near the entrance
| to TIE private attic; have been employed at the
laundry about SIX or seven Years ago there was sa
fire once IN barrel OF rubbish on the landing OF the
servants s staircase; don't remember any other
girls had Keys to their rooms, and locked them
selves IN.
TESTIMONY OF MARTHA E. FISHER
am housekeeper at the Fifth Avenue Hotel;
have been there twelve years next May; have
supervision n Of the chambermalds, scrubbers and
my department; they occupied rooms Nos. 5ll and
5lS In the girls attic near the head Of the STAIR
hall-past ten TO eleven O'Clock; the night watch
man on the sixth moor also looks after the attic;
O'Clock; had not been in bed long when | heard q
sound in the hall which reused me up; on looking
landing on the third 1oor from the street, the
window on this door IS directly opposite my
room and but lew leet distant: was not
at all alarmed not supposing that 1t would
amount to much: stepped to the door and found
! that there was a great confusion in the hall, and
! heard CRIES Of "Flreln returned to dress myself
but could not on account OF the smoke; by this
time heard screams from the girls in the attic:
was nearly stned with smoke and obliged to leave
the room in my night clothing; there were nine
girls occupied room No. 513 and SIX in No. 5ll four
oil the girls escaped from No. oil by pushing the
screen OF the window they all agree in saying they
saw the other two on the noor and ready to follow
them and they supposed that they also made their
escape; we had slight fire In the drying room
six or seven years ago, and after that Mr. Darling
took additional precautions To guard against ire
| which he called my attention to; the means ior
eXtingushing fire were so ample and the hose so
near the stairway that we supposed IL could be
flooded In moments there were no doors to the
openings in the linen elevator.