Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-12-19
A HOTEL HOLOCAUST.

Quartrrs-Elevem Dead Bodies Found
LIT. TWS TO- tfSSm:.I'1s :.. SEa Hotel Badly DANE
A fire broke out in the Fifth Avenue
Hotel, New York city, shortly after
staircase upon which the fire started.
was one at the back of the house, lead
ing from the laundry into the base
ment, to the servants rooms on the
attic floor.
The flames ran rapidly up the stair
way. 1t was as chimney, there being
no openings from it but at the top and
bottom. 1t ate up the stair case, and
charred its surrounding. Reaching the
open space into which the rooms Of the
servants opened, it burst into it's fullest
strength.
The flames in their passage did little
or no damage until they reached the
corridor at the top draught, driving
through the narrow passage way, car
rylng the flames quicker, and making
them more destructive as they went on.
They spread over the entire extent Of
the west wing. The wood work of the
rooms where the servants slept imme-
diately caught the flames, and soon
the entire wing was mass of lurid
flame.
The flames spread SO rapidly that the
servants asleep in the rooms at the top
OF the staircase were overtaken before
assistance could reach them, and were
completely shut off from the main
building. The firemen, who had mean
time arrived, were too late for assist
ance, as by this time the apartments of
the poor creatures were envelOped in
flames.
Shortly after one, when it was found
that a number of persons were missing.
a police officer and the chief of the
fire department effected an entrance by
means of an iron ladder, to the room
where the people were supposed to be.
They there found the charred and burn
ed bodies Of several persons. Bedding
and furniture were strewn about the
rooms, confused with human remains.
The bodies lay at different places, from
which the poor people had tried to find
means of egress. Some endsavored to
escape through the windows Others,
in their endeavor to find air had fallen
at the head of the staircase.
The bodies of two women were half
concealed under a bed in an outer
room, where they evidently tried to
shelter themselves from the binding,
suffocating smoke and scathing flame.
When the firemen and police got into
the wing the floors of this room were
sound, but the roof and timbers were
burned and had fallen upon the floors
in confused mass upon the bodies.
The water thrown from the hose was
several inches deep upon the floor, and
was 1iltering through to the ground.
The heavy beams of the roof had fallen
upon the burned bodies, severing
limbs and mutilating the remains hor:
nbly.
Up to twenty minutes past two
O'Clock eleven dead bodies had
been recovered, six in one room
and five in another, which is probably
all
The alarm was first given by one of
the female servants who shrieked fire
through the Railways, awakening the
guests, of whom there were about five
hundred in the hotel. Many of the
guests went TO the Office and enquired
AZ to the excitement, but were inform
ed by the clerks that it was only little
fire in the laundry. This attempt to
keep quiet about the fire, so as to avoid
a panic, helped to bring about the ter
rible results. When the guests became
cognizant of their danger, scenes of
confusion ensued. People moved about
in apparent distraction, baggage filed
the Railways, the smoke was suffocat-
ing, and water drenched the floors.
It was nearly twelve O'Clock befor
any one gave the alarm, and q passing
policeman then learning of the fire in.
side caused the fire engines to come to
the spot. The fire by this time had
made considerable headway. The Ia
dies were in a wild state of excitement.
The carpets were covered with water:
A poor servant girl was found on the
third floor writhing in agonies of pain, !!
her body frightfully burned. The
shrieks Of servants in the upper stories |
we've heartrending, as the 1iremen were
making their way to rescue them.
Large crowds had in the meantime
gathered in the streets. The excite
ment outside was kept mp till about
Two O'Clock when the fire was almost
The Herald '.editorially says: ut
is stated that gross carelessness was
apparent in the condition of the warm.
ing apparatus and that there was too
much anxiety to keep the fire secret
and too little effort made to save the
girls: The whole subject
will no doubt be thoroughly investi-
gated" -. :.
The losses are estimated at from
$3.50, 900 to $3.50, 900. ;.
There are various statements "a to !
the origin of the fire. One says it was
caused by the bursting of q steam pipe
in the laundry. Some seventy or.
eighty servants altogether were awak- /
ened on the top floor and hurried
down stairs. Their clothing was ut
terly ruined. !
A fireman named Deavy was seli-
ously injured by falling through a
crevice to the pavement. :
The hotel furniture was worth about
$400, ,000.. Fully one-feurth of this was
utterly ruined. -. !
The house is owned by A. R. Emo,
but leased to Darling, Griswold & Go.
The fire originated, according to evil
dence before the Fire Marshal, in a
servants room on the third floor. One
of the proprietors says, however, the
origin of the fire is not at all known.
Another Of the proprietors says he Or
dered the alarm to be given after the
1iacovarv If tho f3re Roth aro of tho