The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-10-17
The Leland Hotel Fire, Syracuse.

SYRACUSE, N Y, Oct. 16.-The magnif-
cent Leland hotel, the most modern and
finest appointed hotel in central New Y ork,
is to-day nothing but mass of shoulder
NC ruins. At 12:45 this morning the
fire was first discovered in the region of
the kitchen on the second floor. Inside of
fifteen minutes the building was in flames
from end to end and before thirty minutes
elapsed the walls had fallen with the ex
ception of the northeast corner. The
whole was one seething furnace to which
was added the horror that many lives were
involved. At first it was feared the loss
of life was about thirty, but as the night
wore along the number of missing and
dead was reduced to seven or eight.
When the flames began to sweep
through the hotel, Night Clerk Jones set
the automatic fire alarm bell ringing. Be
fore the rudely awakened guests could
realize what was the matter, the flames
and smoke rushed through the halls, cut
ting the usual means of exit off. Each
room was provided with a common rope
| fire escape and by means of these many
| lives were saved.
| During the fire, the hotel as viewed from
the street, presented a scene which will
never be forgotten. AT the many win
dows of the five stories of the burning
buildings could be seen men and women
p1teously Gcalling for help or try
ing to escape by means of the
rope appliance. In window of the fifth
story man and woman were apparently
struggling in each others arms. The
woman evidently wanted to throw herself
out of the wondow. Below them was a sea
of flames Soon after they were lost to
view. On she fifth floor, toward the Fay
cite street side, four women appeared at a
window. Their screams for help were
heard above the din and roar, and the fire
men shouted to stay where they were. The
hook and ladder were put into position, but
the evils of overhead wires were again
demonstrated. The wires in the way pre-
vented the raising of the ladder. Minutes
seemed hours while one of the ladder men
mounted the rounds and cut the wires
Among the frightened women at the win
dow was Annie Cummings, one of the ser
wants. Her companions tried to persuade
her from jumping headlong into the street
while the ladder men were at work hosting
ladders. Willing hands had hold of the
jumping net The Cummings woman
Jumped with the evident intention of land
ing in the net, but missed and was dashed
to death. On all sides men and womer
could be seen dropping from the windows
or sliding down the fire escapes. Or
the roof of the boiler house, located
at the side of the building, at one
time lay seven persons unconscious and in
jured. Cora Tanner, the actress, wher
aroused roushed into gentleInan's room
ana cried ''For Gods sake save me-" HI
let her down by rope and she ESCAPED
with only lacerated hands saving her valu
ables Other members Of the company als(
had narrow escape.
Tbes following is the list of the deaf
as far as known: Annie Cummings
, jumped from the fifth floor, killed in
, stantly; William Harrop, Elizabeth
N j., lowered himself by a rop
half way down from the fourth foor whel
the rope burned off he fell to the groun'
and died at a. M; Rose Schwartz
hotel domestic, jumped from the fifth floor
died from the shock and interenal injuries
an unknown woman, a hotel domestic, VIII
{ jumped from the fifth floor ana was in
!, stantly killed The missing are Mar
Doyle, servant; Robert Miles. New York
guest; A. j. VanDuten, Jersey City, guest
!, George E. Wood, Dexter, Newly ork, guest
At o'clock this AFTERNOON the superiI
/ intendant of public works ordered the me
engaged in exploring the ruins to sto
l work as all the missing have been a,
r counted for.