New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-12-19
THE FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL FIRE.

THE FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL flRE.
BEGINNING OF THE CORONER's INoUEsT-THT
WIRE SCREENS HARMLESS-FIRE-ALARMs
NEEDED IN EVERY HOTEL
Coroner Schirmer began an inquest soon after
dOa NJ yesterday the bodies of the IL victims Of the
late fire az the Fifth Avenue Hotel The following
list OF the jurors:
WBam Johnston merchant Of Washington and MsisOu
o s s.5. S1i S;s S X S,. William
a.. sSo ' %s.s ii s'' D Val Stois
ave- W Sioos oSss 10 No 40 we a Gsn
asfsSaa Ono w.st ii Il Martin holsE q
Fort, sSst s. Nichols stagssch proprietor no an West
Twenty srt; Andrews merchant Of No 4H West Twenty
Hsstes, mechanic, ONO. 80 Henys.
The Coroner seemed anxious have the investigation
hasened to conclusion exclude all testimony
not bearing directly upon the Of death On the
other hand large majority Of the jurors appeared to
structon Of the Building Che origin Of the
1ro and all the circumstances. Much time
was consumed OF different intervals during the
proceedings in settling the mode Of procedure, and
much time lost in the taking Of Irrelevant testimony
Finally however the inquiry proceeded with tOlerable
smoothness, and the witnesses were examined by the
Coroner and the jurors alternately. The inquestroOm
badly ventilated that it decided to hold the
remaining at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, for which
purpose the OF room rendered by the propri
etors Only OF the witnesses had testified before
the Fire Marshal The statements OF the Fire Marshal
wire screens could easily have been removed from the
windows. but that in this as in hotel adequate
nreslarm apparatus lie required. An outline OF the tes
SimOny Is presented below
william Bouen, whose testimony has been published
before said, part: engineer at the Fifth Avenue
Hotel: an eevstor, which was on FIRE, passes these
rooms leading from the laundry It Is cased with Woo
was occupied by servants there were wire gratings
they could easily removed the wire gratings to
protect the girls IRON Intrnson and also 10 prevent
pnt on AZ the request Of the girls the could have
been pushed on from the inside by the girls. but not
with bolts they might have answered the purpose
e. d. Burr and Lyman B. Jewell, guests Of the hotel,
Known hing new.
Henry burden, captain OF the Twenty ninth Police
Precinct testified ia parts Ireceived the alarm at ll20
D. NJ. when reached the hotel the nremen taking
hose into me aan9 nS creP6
again went up, and succeeded IN reaching the roof;
room about 10 bodies the fire then burning
in the sent the bodies to the Morgue previous to
iors badly burned sent her to the hospital where she
sfterward died the bodies not found TIL a or a.
there were any servants in the upper part Of the house
Thomas Mcspeson, Fire Marshal, testified in part l
of the fire the fire originated in No sos, on the
LANDING Of the servans stairway, between the second
room the room feet by feet the bed was on the
Gs Of t9s 81 s s Th ns an
tended from the basement 70 the top OF the house
iseSce on the part Of the pfOprietors Of the hotel
Ss others in my opinion the screens ; could have
could have then got upon the roof where they would
have been almost safe II in the street some of the
Gated by smoke before the FIRE reached their rooms
satisfied that the servants rooms were fuli OF smoke
the girls whose lives lost were asleep
awakening any ordinarily vigorous healthy person
could have pushed the screens from the windows think
roof instead 81 stopping the top floor the smoke and
also the flames would have been carried on no elevator
hOuS Be- Of sTeproof material Il the girls had
left their rooms by the doors they would |
would have been through the windows 70 the roof the
stairway very narrow 1t would admit OF two per
FIRE had the roof instead Of in the stairway, the
90 60 girls In the attic rooms could have escaped
quickly by tins stairway, because they couldhave left 1t
az the Top entered the Railways OF the
hotel; the alarm 70 the Pre- Department was sent |
BY police at 1873 O'Clock, and the hotel people
had then all probability been at work the nre from
II 10 Is minutes.
Deputy Coroner Cusbman testified that he bad exam
ined the bodies OF the deceased but had found them
badly burned that IL impossible to form positive
or baGns BE ~ss ncnsd 20 the ScSsf thai msorty
Of the wonen were surOoated. Mary Grove, In whose
she gave before the Fire Marshal
BrATEMEET or The sUPERMTEKDERT OF BUILDINGS
eat Of Buildings in this city the Pfth Avenue Hotel
finished in $780, before the present building Law was
sss L complied with the rsque%ens Of the law ioIS Se
sSS %s Ssy Were w9s , ana so % 20
safe; We went up 70 the servants attic rooms, and
thought then ssie think the wire ne,tngs could have
better the screens had not been placed at the win
oows hink that no hotel IL safe without IRE alarms
warn inmates Of FIRE N time for escape suggested 10
the propet0rs OF the Fifth Avenue Hotel thai they pro-
we sne nose with slarms bat they have not done
smendmfpt has since been passed. think hotel safe
w. Ssas tns al The star in hotels should
t1e fhbh Avenue Hotel are properly ventilated but