The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1872-12-19
HORRIBLE.
Fire in the Fifth avenue
Hotel, New York.
The Servants Room in the
Attic Enveloped in
Flames.
Thirteen of the Unfortunate Girls
Suffocated and Afterward Burned
Sensational Rume-s Concerning the
lzy;cTnat;OnaiI.ts.

From telegraphic dispatches in the Chi
| cago Inter Ocean, Of the 10Th instant, we
gather the following particulars of the
/ burning of the Fifth avenue hotel in New
York city, which was attended with the
| loss Of thirteen lives:
THE CALAMITY.
| New YORK, Dec. 1.-THE loss By the
/ fire at the Fifth Avenue itotel last night
viii reach 100000. Abous one-ffth of
the damage was on the building. aud the
rest on furniture, carpets, and other things
belonging to the lessees. Thirteen ser
wants were burned to death or suffocated
| There was largo crowd at the Morsue to-
day to see the remains. None of the pa
irons of the house were injured. Many
persons stopping at the hotel left it last
night, and others have gone to-day, SO
that the house is comparatively empty.
The fire is now thought to have originated
in one Of the rooms occupied By servants
who left lamp burning near the curtains
and the light woodwork. Nearly all the
hotels in the city have taken warning, and
put their fire apparatus in good condition.
The proprietors of the Eth Avenue an
nounce that the hotei will De in good con-
dition by the end of the week, and they
are urging their former patrons to return.
The papers, commenting on the fire, call
attention to the generally insecure condi-
ton of hotels in the city.
THE INTERNATIoNALIsTs SUSPECTED.
The suspicion is increasing that the
Fifth Avenue Hotc! was fired by iucend;-
ar IS, and hints were thrown out this even.
ing that the fire was caused by the Inter
nationalists. One circle Of International
lists had q meeting ton ghs, but the pro-
ceedings were secret. 1t is also intimated
that other large fires may be expected
shortly, and orders have been issued for
increasing the insurance patrol torcc in
some parts Of the city. Sc, eral robberics
were committed during the fire last night,
while the patrons of the hotel had tempo
rariy left their rooms. About 5000
in money and jcwclry were stolen from
rooms on the third floor.
4 subscription has been opened for the
relief of the servants in lhe hotel WHO were
made destitute by the fire, aud about $500
have already been contributed. Some of
the girls lost everything except the night
dresses they Wore at ths.sisse Of the fire.
THE DETAILS.
New York, Dec. lE-A fire broke ont
at the Fifth Avenue Hotel last night, short
ly after IL O'Clock, on the second floor
The staircase upon which the fire started
was one at the back of the house, leading
from the laundry in the baseman5 to the
servants rooms on the attic floor. The
flames ran rapidly up the stairway, which
operated as q chimney, there beiu. uo
opening from it except at the top and bot
tom. 1t ate up tho staircase and charred
its surroundings, reaching the open space
into which the rooms of ths servants open
ed, where it burst into its fullest
strength.
TAe flames in their passage did little or
no dam ge until they reached the corridor
at the TOP, the draught through this mar
row passaseway carrying the Hangs quickly
and making them more destructive. As
they went on they spread ever the entire
extent OF the west wiz The woodwork
Of the rooms where the servants slept Im
meIiately caught FIRE, and soon the entire
wing was mass of lurid flame. The
flames spread SO rapidly that the servants
asleep in The. rooms a. the top of the stair
case were oTcrtaksa before assistance could
reach them, and they were completely shut
off frcm TIE main building The fremen
Who had in the meantime arrived, were
too late for their assistance, as by this
time the apartments of the poor creatures
were enveioped IN flames.
There are various statements q, to the
origin of the fire. One says that it vas
caused by the bursting of a steam pipe in
the laundry. The building was so sligh tly
constructed that the water went through
the floors like sieve