The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-12-12
NEW YORK CITY.
Fire In Fifth Avenue IIOIel..WeSt
Wing Burned.
Twenty-Five Persons Burned 10
Death.



broke ont shortly alter II o'clock on the
81 COnd floor OF the hotel. The staircase
upon which the fire started was one at
the back Of the house, leading from the
laundry in the basement 10 the servants
room on the attic flO9r. The flames ran
rapidly up the stairway; il was MS u
chimney, there being no openings from
It but at the top and bottom. 1t ate up
the staircase and charred It's surround
ings. Reaching the open space into which
the rooms Of the servants opened, i! burst
into It's fullest strength. The flames in
their passage did little or no damage un-
til they reached the corridor at the top;
the draught driving it through the narrow
passage way, carrying the flames
quicker, making them more destructive,
rs they went on they spread over the Gu.
tire extent Ofthe west wing the woodwork
of the rooms where the servants slept i'm.
mediately caught the flames and soon the
entire wing was mass Of livid flames;
the flames spread so rapidly that the ser.
wants asleep in rooms at the top Of the
stairway were over taken, and before assiS.
tance could reach them were completely
shut of from the main building. The
fireman who had in the meantime arrived,
were too late for assistance, as by this
time the apartments OF the poor creatures
were envelopcd in flames. Shortly after
one o'clock, when it was found num-
Der Of persons were missing, the police
officers and the chici Ol the fire depart.
ment effected An entrance by means OF
an iron ladder 10 the room where
the people were supposed 10 be; they
there found the charred and burned bodies
Of thirteen persons. The bedding aud
furniture were strewn about the rooms
confused with human remains; the bodies
lay at different places, from which the
poor people had tried 10 find means Of
egress. Some had endeavOred 10 escape
through the windows; others in their en-.
deavor to find air had fallen at the head
Of the staircase. The bodies Of two wu-
men were halt concealed under the bed in
an outer room, where they evidently tried
To shelter themselves from the binding,
suifuCating smoke and sCathinS 1llmes
When the iiremcn nnd police got into the
wing floors OF this room they were SDunl,
but the roof timbers were burned and had
fallen upon the floors in confused mass
upon the bodies. Water was thrown from
the hose, which was several inches deep
on the floor, and was tilteriug through 10
the ground. Heavy beams of the root
had fallen upon the buried bodies, suv-
Cring the limbs and mutilating the re-
mains horribly. The bodies were speedily
removed 10 Bellevue, from where to-day
they will be sent TO the Morgue. Owing TO
the confusion andexcitement, the names of
the victims could not, up to 90 minutes
past o'clock, be ascCriained. Twenty.
Two dead bodies had been recovered
sixteen in one room ana six in another,
which Is probably all. The alarm was
first given by one oil the female servants,
who shrieked fire through the hallway,
awakening the guests, Of whom there
were about 500 IN the hotel. Many OF
them went 10 the Office and inquired
as to the cause Of the excitement, but
were informed by the clerks, that there
was only little fire in the laundry.
This attempt TO keep the fire quiet so as
TO avoid q panic, helped to bring about II
terrible result. When the guests became
cognizant of their danger, scenes OF con-
fusion ensued, people moving about in
apparent Distraction; baggage filled the
Railways, the smoke was suilocating, and
water drenched the floors 1t was nearly
twelve O'Clock before any one gave the
alarm. A passing policeman learning Of
the flrc inside, caused the fire engines to
come 10 the spot. The flIe by this time
had made considerable headway. The
ladies were in wild state Of excitement.
The carpets were still covered with
water. One of the poor servant girls
was found on the third floor writhing
in the agony Of pain, her body being
frightfully burned. The shrieks Of the
servants in the upper stories were heart
rending as the tiremen were making their
way to rescue them. Large crowds had
in the meantime gathered in the streets.
The excitement outside was kept up till
about two o'clock, when the fire was
about cxtinguished.
The UerdM editOrially says it is stated
that gross carelessness was apparent in the
condition Of warmingapparatus, and that
there was too much anxiety to keep the
fire secret, and too little effort made to
save the unfortunate girls.
The whole subject will, no doubt, be
investigated The losses arc estimated at
from 100000 to $4,000. There are
various statements as 10 tho origin Of the
fire. One says it was caused by a bursting
steam pipe in the laundry. Some seventy
or eighty servants altogether were awak-
ened from the top floor and hurried down
stairs. Their clothing was utterly ruined.
A fireman named DGavey was seriously
injured by falling through the crCvicG to
the pavement The hotel furniture was
worth about 100000 Fully one fourth
Of this ia utterly ruined. The house is
owned by A. Reno, but was leased TO
Darling, Gr;swnld S Co. Just before the
alarm a guest was asSigneda q room which ,
on reaching, he discovered to be on fire.
Returning to tho clerk hG was informed
that there was no other room vacant. The
fire was not known at this time in the OIL
flee. Among the most prominent guests
were General Burnside, General Horace
Porter, and G. N. Pullman, Of Chicago
Several Of the lady guests were aCCOlnmo.
dated in the neighbOrIng holcls and
| houses, lllb5 NClllhuHH AuC hNllN6SI was
one OF the lady guests, The building was
80 slightly constructed that the water
went through the floors as u scivo.
Late PRTtic llaTs.-Only Eleven Lives
Reported Lost.
New YoRK, December II. - Large
crowds, rich and poor, gathered at the
Morguc this morning, to ascertain the
names Of tho persons taken there from tho
Filth Avenue Hotel fro. Eleven bodies
arc already at tho MOrguc. Only two so
lar aro recognizable, the others being
burned almost to crisp. These two arc
Mary MCCabo and Mary Pagan, both ser.
wants. Mary Heany, one Of the servants,
Is at the Bellevue. She states that when
the alarm Of fro was given shG knocked
atncarly all tho doors Of the other scr
wants. She then tried to get down
stairs, but tho dense smoke and fumes
drove her back, when, with Mary TurnOy
L aN