, 1872-12-31
Els Investigations on the Spot
What an Eye Witness Has
to Say.
tie General Subject Of Security Of
Euildinss-E5r. Royington's 0bse=-
vations in Boston.

-:,. I arrived in New York tho day :.
s<!e.c thu fire, entered my namo -
iron tho books at Fifth Avenue Hotel, q
s:.. left my baggage. That evening visited b
SEQ friends st Newark, \. j., and stayed ill {
-::l. returned to the hotel early next morn : :
- ar:l found there Lad been serioue fire in t
;,a building AID great loss Of lie. ct once
; ,osc3 foi John 4. Rice Of the Sherman, one of {
::e ,cesees Of the Pacific Hotel. who WAS travel
Ia, With me end stopping at the Fifth Avenue. ,
". lice Informed me that he rco.ned on tho
second door tho side and near the origin o.
lie ::-e We at once so. G permit from Mossrs.
FAILING & Griswold. to so about the premises OF
lie burnt ari damaged portion of the hotel
7L;c5 vas under c strong guard OF police. I
.y:.=;5e:cd it rare opportunity to investi3ass
tie working Of d tie 60 successfully controlled
.ra subaued III s large hotel, and to see
.ah5rs proventiycs might havo been
::e!e successfully applied in iis original con-
z;-3ci!on. I am satisfied that ut the time that
l.l<i:us erected eomo twelve years ngc. it
vas Eic:e thoroughly built than any building Of
lis lird il this country. claim to hayo some
knowledge in this particular, as I was engaged
il lui.lin., several tirst-class hotels about tho
s~1ae ri:ne, and have since end am now con
s:-ictinG some of the largest hotels IN the world.
l--i to determine, have no doubt it WIS one of |
no t-;n3*, r;z., eiter from superheatel steam |
r;rcs over tie laundry, or the carelessness |
q servants in lighting the gas the landings of
re service stairway, which exposed closets Of
co:h;ng. Which ever it was it brought the firein
c:3se Yr,'xiuity to the service stairway and SER
7!ce elevator, both Ct which extend from the
laundry to the attic in DIRECT line. Ihe
IN or midway up, alarm could hardly be
gwen before the whole height from bottom to
IN would be enveloped in flames and smoke. OF
curse. these two channels would burn extensive
i teforc spreading much. In this case the fire
3: orco extended to the attic story and there
spread. The room in which the unfortunate
servants we're found suffocated nnd burn
ii vas undoubtedly where tho fire
1;l;c Their room was near the landing of the
sarvice stairway. The smoke having iirst rush
Cd up this stairway and elevator must have
sided and emothered .hoso unfortunates before
tie ire reached them, as the corridor door to
.1eir room was within their reach ard on the
ether side from the approaching fire, which first
~zns up into the roof and spread between the
1afters that formed tbs ceiling Of these ser
-ants rooms. The only defect in the
construction OF this portion Of the building
~hich is desirable to prevent the spread OF fire,
7as in not having built the brick division-Tolls
across the corridors between the rafters. There
we're heavy brick walls carried up to the roof, I
::lSe every twenty feet, but did not extend
ec7c=s overhead the corridor between the rafters
Had this been dono, in all probability, the fire
/ .Tould have been confined to the first section
between walls, where it first originated. As it
vas the fire run along between these rafters
and spread, between the see!ion-WsEs prln:
as:ic-rooms. Some Of tho newspaper notices
in New York stated that the fro spread rapidly
as it reached the tsr and sfavei m nbssry
I its working. I know from my personal lnspec
ion that the fire did not spread one inch on tht
composition and gravel roof, The root wa
.on tcp. Where the roof entirely burn
I'D ont below, or where holes wer
lErt through for the purpose OF getting at II II
.4ompositioE, as it spread not at all. Ihe roo
2xas covered with tin when first built and Ia
Aecently been covered With heavy coat OF con C;
5tion aud gaEel On TOP %1 eno cove1in
,;l.at can be put to wood constructor
1Trom my observation, the Fifth Avenue ls tn
Es1oEt thoroughly built hotel OF any in this coul
T.ry of it's age. 1t seems to have been well PR
t7ide1 with water stand-pipes and hose conne
lions, and force-pumps ready to operate Al! {
which was brought into Immediate roqu1sltlo
;,efore general alarm: The z'anagement o. II! r.
proprietors in preventing an alarm which shcu
produce o panic among the guests III
most eommendablo. Everything seemed t
pass of systematically. Even the wife Of OF
OF our citizens, who has been very u anu un
ble to leave her room in the hote! for soFer
months past, WIS told by her husband, the d'
/ before the fire, that she was improving, but yye
weak and nervous Things we're mnnagsdt agst
not leave her room. None of the gues
/ Of the house were injured in pc
son, but some few decidedly fri htene
Il was informed by aIr: Rice, who vas presste y:
I throughout the fire, that as to the story th
i there Was no adequate alarm given, the City i
parsment had hose up through the bulidi
/ before ,Ir. Darling ono Of the propneto
i could be summoned from nus private I9alosr h 81
Il end had passed over tho stairs where the tire
! cured twice within thirty minutes. The gue
/ were called three times byas many messengerace
i eucccEsvelv to every room i'll the house. E'
a had not the Fire Department been prompts
] Mr. Rice says there we're four engines on
d Epor before Lc could dross,-tho ire depaTttn'
d Of the house was competent ana tholouK1s
] ganized, and made the first attack on the
Il keepiny it to tie place where 1t broke out. /
Griswo1d was among the foremost and most
i tive in this matter. As to the unfortunate 81
he fact that their bodies we're found on the II
7 Sresses shows that they were su1focatcd ny
il rush OF smoke. The effectiveness OF the &c
j enin5 Of the floors Of tho Fifth Avenue
& shown by the fact that the great Hood OF va
Il only slowly penetrated the floors below.
Rice's room IN tho second story, directly IN
1 tie fire. was not invaded by tho water Tor
l8 hours and q half.
j y Now word about points to be guarded
IN modern construction Of hotels, to preFe:1l
81 spread OF fire beyond the sectional Walls vi.
q which it first takes. In these tunes or 3
j elevator shafts Of wood, or allow them to
{ cased up with wood. We should ID! not os a. a.
= steam. gas, and eca7 pipes to be carried u!
E1 wood boxes or partitions from cellar to att'
ii one straight line. AL these should be an IN
81 epcascmsnts. It is not good plan to ooa have
II tinnous line from cellar to attic. It
r Should not be allowed any contin!
s. WOOD partitions or wall furrings + i
sd story to story without brick filing at the ~ II II
Id section Of ali tho floors. There should 6e gll
d3 and beam filing between the joistss at the CT
q vail intersections Of all floors. Also from
4 iaga 10 root which, together With ta thprGI pi3i
j deafening all the floors througnout sa te con
pt4 tions in several places on each
u together with ample reservoirs
81 foSce-pumps, a fire should aS aoot;nn no.
aa discovered in. The modern application
5a automatic fre-ala1m telegraph should DO np
ID to every in hotel, Ylth o sgaaiMs gf ISL q