The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-10-22
TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE IN A
HOTEL FIRE.
Betweer Twenty-Five and Fifty People
Burned To Death IN the Leland Hotel.
at syracuse, N. IA scene of Wild Con-
fusion-Guests Crazed with Fright

of the Leland Hotel here, the largest
hotel i'm Central New York. The build
ing will prove total loss. An eye wit
ness SAYS that he saw twenty-five people
lose their lives i'm attempting TO escape,
and guest who narrowly escaped death
says that fully twice that number have
persisted In the burning building. The
fire started few minutes after / o'clock
this morning. and almost instantly the
large structure was envelOped in flames
from cellar to roof Every effort was
made TO arouse the sleeping guests, but
| the smoke in the halls was so dense that
| it was found impossible To reach the up
per floors, and IL is believed many per-
sons were. suffocated and their bodies
| burned. A number of people jumped
! from windows and were killed or in
| iured.
The fire started in the kitchen near tho
elevator, and shot up the shaft with al
most incredible rapidity to the sixth
| story and burst through the roof. All
the fire engines OF the city were quickly
upon the scene, but the fire continued
To gain Roadway, and IL soon became
apparent that the building would be
destroyed The firemen worked hero
icaly 10 save the inmates OF the hotel,
and a number were dragged uncon-
scous from the first, second, and third
stories, above which the rcscuers
could not ascend on account of the
dense smoke which filled the upper sto-
ries.
The scene was one of the widest con-
fusion. People were seen at the windows
on every floor, shrieking frantically for
help, which could not be given them.
Many fell back into the flames, faintngl
and exhausted, while others hurled them
selves from the windows, meeting instant
death on the pavement. Many who es-
capped from the lower stories will die
from the effects of their injuries, occa-
stoned by the flames and portions Of the
falling walls.
How many victims persisted will not
| be known until the fire has spent its
force and the debris has been cleared
away. Indications, however, are that
at least fifty persons have lost their
! lives, and probably a much larger num-
Der. The hotel was well filled with
guests, and though many escaped. it
seems almost certain that the loss Of
! life has been very large.
Five bodies partially hidden by bricks
are lying in the alley. but cannot be
reached. owing To the intense heat. Two
Of the victims were women, and arc sup
posed from the location OF the bodies to
have been domestics who jumped from
their dOrmitory on the sixth floor.
One woman was being lowered from n
window by the aid of n rope and had
reached a point opposite the third story
when the rope became ignited from
burning sill. The rope parted and the
woman fell TO the pavement. Her brains
were dashed out and her body fattened
! into shapeless mass
So great is the confusion and excite
ment that the indemnity of those killed
and injured cannot be ascertained. I'm
dcrtakers and ambulances are flying in
all directions, and the streets in the
neighborhood OF the Inflated hotel are
1 thrOnged with excited crowds of people.
Every physician in the city is on the
scene, and the wounded are being cared
for as well as possible.
Among those injured is Cora Tanner,
the actress, who was severely burned
about the head and feet. She was play
ing an engagement at the Grand Opera
House and had room in the hotel.
Frank Casey Of Glens Falls, y. Y,
and Emil Forbes, prominent brewer Of
! Syracuse, are among the dead.
Many lives were lost by people crazcd
with fright jumping from windows.
One man says he saw six people jump
! from different windows on the Fayctto
street side Of the building within a space
| of four minutes. and the sight sickened
| him with its horror. and he was compel
| led to leave the spot.
The building was provided with both
! iron fire escapes on the outside and
ropes on the inside which were the
means of saving many lives. Burnet
| Forbes, a stock broker, escaped into the
street almost naked. He was slightly
injured about the hanGs. He loses a
| gold watch valued at $500 and all his
clothing.
One woman was found with nursing
babe in her arms crouched in stairway,
where she had been overcome by smoke.
| She was removed by the fremen, but has
not yet regained consciousness, and it is
| impossible TO say what her name or eX-
pericnce was.
Escape by the stairways was cut off,
and those in the upper stories were com
PEELED TO jump. The clerk of the hotel
began sounding i'm the alarm by tele-
phone, but the flames spread so rapidly
that he was driven from the instrument
and compelled to jump to save his own
| life. Nothing is left of the building eX-
cept the elevator shaft and the chimney.
The New York Central Depot, which
is across the street from the hotel was
in great danger, but was finally saved.
The loss will exceed half million dol
lars. This covers the hotel and furni-
ture, the stores on the first floor and
their stocks. The insurance will prob
ably be about eHe-half the amount of the
| loss
The hotel was one of the finest in
Central New York. 1t stood on one OF
the most prominent corners of the city,
and was well known to the travelling
public of the United States. There were
400 rooms in the house, and, owing to its
convonient location as regards the rail
road depot, IL had always been filled with
guests. The New York Central Rail-
roads station adjoined the hotel. Re-
Gently all the rooms and parlors OF the
house were redecorated and renovated.
Elegant furniture was put i'm, and the
entire hotel given practically new APP
pearance. lt was a six-story structure
built of stone, brick, and iron. There
| p,f