Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-13
THE FIFTH AVENUE HORROR.
Additional Particulars- Screams Of
the Burning Girls Unheeded in View
Of the Elegant SaratOgas OF
the Guests-0piniOHs Of
the Press.

NEW YORK, December 12.-Mary
Ann Pagan, a victim of the Fifth
Avenue Hotel, died at the Bellevue
/ Hospital yesterday.
The fire originated, according to the
evidence before the Fire Marshal, in a
servants, room on the third floor. One of
| the proprietors says, however, that the
origin Of the fire is not known, and
another of the proprietOrs says he or
dered the alarm to be given after the
1 discovery, while both are of the opinion
I that the poor girls met their death from
I suffocatiOn.
The loss on the building viii be onIv
ten thousand dollars, while the furAi-
I ture is damaged to the extent of eighty
| thousand dollars.
An eye witness says that no doubt if
the alarm had been sounded on the dis
covery of the fire, they would have
been saved. The general impression is
that the hotel proprietors, in their anxi-
ETY. to save the furniture and carpets,
wanted to put out the fire themselves.
The loud,
PIERCING sCEEECHEs OF THE GIRLS
on the top floor Were dis iHctly heard in
! the basement, and at this time the fire
had made great headway, but even then
the hotel employees, whose attention
had been directed TO the great glare,
said, "Oh, it's nothing and again,
''Those girls will scare the guests if they
go on that way"
General Shaler, fire official, says the
alarm was not given soon enough, and
! Chief Engineer Perley says the location
of the fire was first telegraphed to him
at eighteen minutes past eleven O'clock.
| Firemen were on the ground five min
utes later. He thinks there was an un-
accountable
DELAY AT THE HOTEL IN GIVING THE
ALARM.
The tortuous ways OF the interior Of
the building prevented the firemen from
doing very effective service. The fore
man of one of the companies says that
at first be was refused admittance TO the
hotel, with the excuse that they did not
wish to create a panic among the guests.
He finally insisted upon entering.
The Fire Marshal says that nothing
like sufficient precaution had been taken
TO guard against loss of life in the event
of fire in the hotel, and that he finds
that no efforts We're made by the people
in the hotel TO rescue the girls. He
thinks the authorities were so concerned
about the baggage Of the guests, that
human lives were forgotten, because the
workmen were looking after the bag
gage, instead Of attempting to relieve
the endangered people.
Over twenty-five thousand persons
went to the MOrgue yesterday. The
sights there We're of the most ghastly
character.
The press of the city calls for a thor
Ough Investigation.
The Herald heads a leading editorial
thus
" THE FIFTH AVENUE HOL0CAUST-IT
WAS CRIME; WAS IT MURDERP'
and proceeds in lengthy article to
strongly condemn the authorities of the
hotel for their conduct.
Six bodies are yet unrecOgnized; three
of these cannot be identified. Some Of
the bodies look like mummies, they are
so bIackened. Three sof these roasted
victims were found in a room as though
burned embracing each other. A great
deal of indignation Is manifested to-
ward ithe authorities at their course in
sending the corpses Of the unfortunates
to be stared at in all their horrid disfig-
urementat the MOrgue. which is intend
ed only for the reception of unknown
dead. Some charitably disposed citi-
zens propose to aid the relatives of the
burned.