The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-12-19
The GorOner's Investigation Into the gns,.ss u
G
i the Disaster Commenced Yesterday.
IMPORTANT EVIDENCE ELECTED.
A Jury that is Determined to Find
Out the Facts of the Case.
NOTHING TO BE HUSTLED UP.
The Inquest Adjourned Until Sat
urday Evening.


| The Coroner's inquest la the case Of the eleven
| girls who persisted during the Fifth Avenue Hotel
| fire was commenced yesterday morning at ten
| O'Clock, In the City Hail. There was very large
| attendance of witnesses. and much interest was
manifested In the proceedings The jury is very
intelligent one. three Of Its members being law
yers, and strong disposition Is manifested to
make the inquiry as thorough and complete as pos
| sibie About dozen OF the female servants OF the
| hotel were present as witnesses, but as yet only
/ one woman, Mary Groves, has been examined.
GENERAL Spin0la, who Is one OF the Jurors with Mr.
! Gardiner, put most Of the questions which
. arc asked to the witnesses, anu nothhg
could throw light upon the mystery Of
.nas ANTS deaths was left untouched by them.
"oronors mir mer seemed " ps hurry to get
.s.s.... .s.s the examination as quickly as posss-
Ma "a ,,or,,s 'carcey allow time for the necess
sary questions tvA asked before ne T ysau" uu''s
witnesses of the stass ~ '".lou' "i.hesx
who were examiner - .usa 0siuonie oo'e "a
Lightly upon the hotel az ..s.' anu 'nis iacs
was commented upon by >sne, spectators and some
Of the jurors The evdenceA o. the Fire Marshal,
Mr. Mcspedon, as TO the originN of the fire and the
locality in which 1t broke out, h as been disproved
by the subsequent evidence Of M Sry Groves, the
female domestic who occupied the loom In which
the marshal stated the fire had orig, Qated. The
investigation Is adjourned until Saturd W evening,
when 1t will be resumed at the Fifth Avenue Hotel
william Bouton was the first witness swo.~n, and
testi fed as fOlows:-I reside at % Lexington
avenue am engineer OF the Fifth Avenue Hotel;
on the evening Of the fire was home at my house
1 was sent for when it broke out; when the
messenger came for me 1t was about halfpast
eleven O'Clock; got up and dressed aud came to
the hotel; don't know what time it was when l
got there; when arrived found that the house
was on fire on the Twenty-third street side; the
1re-engnes were at the house when l came
found that my own apparatus was working; my
men were working it; we have
TWO LARGE PUMPS
and one small one; the fire was on the servants
stairway; it extends from the basement to the top
Of the house; there are small rooms on the land
ings; one room was measured, it was nine feet by
six it was used as sleeping apartment By one of
the girls; small elevator passes through these
rooms; the elevator is enclosed with wood; 1t
has openings on every moor; the fire
originated in my opinion In room No. sos; the room
was occupied by Mary Groves; some Of the rooms
In the attic are eight feet by six some twenty by
twelve; the windows are secured on the outside
by an iron grating, which is nailed on; could not
tell how many girls were in the attic; there might
be about ffty the rooms were occupied by scrub
bling girls; the fire had reached the attic rooms
when got to the aote the ICON e M S5 Jfupf
the screens first put on; took some of the iron
gratings or myself; 1t is the carpenters business
to see to them in the first place.
To q Juror-The screens could not be easily
pushed or by q girl she might do it II she was
frightened; did not interest myself in resculng
any Of the girls; was on the roof and saw no one
make any attempt to rescue any OF the girls; it
was about halfpast eleven O'Clock when got on
the roof; the fire was then rapidly burning hinges
on the inside OF the screens would have answered
the purpose as well as mailing them on the outside;
they were kept fastened by the girls own request,
so that the men could not look In.
E. d. Burr, sworn-I reside at the Fifth Avenue
Hotel; have lived there eight or ten years was
there the night Of the fire; went in about eleven
O'Clock, and was told by John f. Tracy that
THE HOUSE WAS ON FIRE
In the laundry; went up stairs in three or four
floor with my room; do not know anything about
an alarm having been given, but when got to my
hose to the best OF my recollection 1t was about
twenty minutes from the time entered the house
S Snrn se En- sr enrs was present
behave better, and | never saw any men cooler
than the employees Of the hotel; deal in stocks on
Wall street; the clerk whom asked about the fire
persons endeavoring to arouse the inmates but did
not; no intimation that any attempt to arouse the
inmates had been given to me al the Office OF the
L. r. Jewell sworn-I live in the Fifth Avenue
Hotel; occupy room 60; ! was In my room in my
man; heard him shout "Fire 70 and "Bring the hose
quick;' knocked open the hose apparatus, and
threw the stream OF water on the fire; went back
to my room and found nay wife had got lot OF
traps rolled up In sheet; ! saw when went out
stairway; went down to the parlor floor and took
some things with me; went over the street to q
friends house and woke him up; when came back
/ N pf tba
house; ! cannot tell how long 1t was after the Ore
broke out
UNTIL THE ALARM WAS GIVEN,
but was astonished how short the time was after
the alarm was given until the i1emen were on the
ground; was much pleased with the facility with
which the servants OF the hotel, the 1remen and
the police did their work.
To a juror did not notice any alarm being
given to the employees OF the hotel on the upper
Some questions were asked about the origin OF
the fire, when General spinola, interruptlng,
sad-We are here to inquire about the death OF
the girls not the origin OF the fire. AS under
stand it, this is our duty. ana we have also to see
II there was any dereicton OF duty on the part Of
those who keep the hotel.
Evidence continued-when examining the
servants rooms thought would be Just as safe
as in my own room In case OF fire; there was fire
escape provided in the rooms; partition separat-
ed the mems rooms from the girs' 1t could have
been easily Knocked down; l have had no expert
ence fireman either here or at any other place.
the post-mortem examination The bodies were
all more or less burned; some of them were more
charred than Others; cannot say that death in
to think most OF them persisted that way.
Captain Burden, OF the Twenty-ninth precinct
sworn-About twenty minutes past eleven an alarm
came In to the station house that there was q
FIRE AT THE FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL;
started down to the hotel and went up stairs
made my way as far up as the fourth floor, when
had to return on account OF the smoke; came
down to the third floor and went out on the roof;
was told two hours afterwards by the Chief Eng
neer that there had been four bodies found in q
room; got small ladder and went up to the
rn0Un mi
bodies down. and they were sent to the M0rRue;
previously to this had found girl on the paror
| 1oor, badly burned-Mary Pagan; she was sent to
! Bellevue Hospital; came back to the ONCE and
inquired II any one was missing, and they said not;
| l do not remember what time. the was