Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-16
Hotel Guests Aroused BY the Sound
of Advancing Flames.
STORIES OF SICKENING SIGHTS
Persons Who Jumped From Their
Rooms Dashed to Death.
THE LELAND AT SYRACUSE BURNED.
BURIED IN ITS ASHES,
Destruction of Syracuse Hotel With
Heartrending Casualties.

L DSSeAeSpou VI u syracuse Hotel WItD
Heartrending Casualties.
SYRACUSE. n. Y, Oct l6-The splendid Le-
land Hotel lies buried in its own ashes and the
prophesy OF huodreds who viewed the building
| IN the course OF construction that IL was Gre
trap has been woefully verified To give an
adequate description Of the horrifying sccne
/ OF its destruction. which began at l2:<5
| O'Clock this morning. would be impossible.
| To those VINO witnessed the scene the cries Of
| the poor wretches doomed to death by the SLOW
torture OF fire were blood-curdling. The cries
| OF See him jump and There's one burning"
| coming repeatedly IRON the throats OF the
spectators only added TO tho intense agony Of
| the scene. The streets were filled with people
| escaping barely with their lives, bringing tales
| OF horror OF those left 90 their fate within the
| burning building.
| 1t seemed an interminable time before the
lire department could get stream TO play upon
| the names. Hoarse cries Of men and shrieks
| OF women tllod the air as they would appear at
| the windows at the upper stories and fall back
| exhausted. The tales of halrbreadth escapes
| by those who did succeed in getting out would
| fll volume. The New York Central depot
Congress Hall, the Globe Hotel. the Wander
| bilt House, the Mansion House and every avail
| abe place was turned into inirmary for the
care OF the injured and refuge for those who
| came out OF the dreadful holocaust alive.
| DISCOVERING THE FLAMES.
Lewis Leland, proprietor OF the Ocean Hotel
at Long Branch, who has been visiting his
cousin, Warren Leland, jr, in this city, was the
first to discover the fire. He was going from
! the office at l2:i5 o'clock this morning when he
noticed light through the cracks in the door
| opening into the stairway which led to the
kitchen and store room above. Opening the
| door, he saw that the upper end of the stair
| way was In flames, aud he quickly closed tho
| door and ran back into the Office, call
ing to Night Clerks Porter d. Jones
and John Bridgeman to give an alarm.
| Mr.. Bridgeman rang the electric alarm
that rings bell in every room OF the house,
and Mr. Jones seut an alarm OF fire to tho tole-
| phone Office. In the, meantime Lewis Leland
and the elevator boy. Henry Roocher had
run up stairs and dashed through the halls,
calling 10 the guests TO get out OF their rooms.
| Clerk Brldgeman joined in giving the alarm
| through the halls and Clerk Jones kept at work
on the fire alarm. In less than a minute how
ever, the entire northwest corner Of the build
ing was atre and all efforts of the hotel EN-.
| ployes TO check the progress Of the flames were
unayailing.
srIFLEp by THE SMOKE
Even before a majority Of the guests were
awake the light shaft in the center Of the build
ing was burning, and there being no opening
at the top the only draught was through the
windows of the rooms opening into the we'll
The flames licked up the window sashes, and
| gaining headway into four rooms on each door
at the same time the fire swept through the en-
tire building. Scores OF guests who had been
awakened by the cracking of the flames or the
| ringing of the electric bells rushed out of their
| rooms into the halls only to find them full OF
smoke. Some of those who got out of their
rooms just succeeded in escaping by the stair
case.
7. b. Brayton Of this city was in q room on
tho fourth noor. he was aroused and quickly
got into some OF his clothes and went down the
staircase through clouds of smoke, breathing
through a wet bath sponge that he put in his
mouth. The halls were flied with tho cries and
shrieks of frightened men and women Al
though the gas was burning in all tho
halls the light could not be seen more
than few feet off on account Of the
dense smoke. Dozens Of men and women
who had fallen on the floor and
stairs overcome with the intense heat and
smoke were dragged to tho exits. Capt Quig-
ley of the night watch had responded 10 the
alarm OF fire with about twenty-five men, who
did excellent service in rescuing guests. In less
than ten minutes after the alarm had been
gwen the rescuers we're driven from the
inside of the building, and the only means of
assistance was from the outside
AHUsBAND AND WIFE LOSE
On the outside pandemonium reigned Spec
tators glanced at the burning structure for sn
instant and then turned away sickoned. Shrieks
still filled the air when the Office Of the hotel
was abandoned to the flames. In a window in
the fifth story ON the northeast corner a man
|
arms. The wife seemed to make strenuous Of
forts to hurl herself from the easement and the
husband appeared strongly 10 oppose her
awful purpose. Below them was o sea % fire.
the tongues OF which framed the window
wherein they stood A piteous wall from the
thrOats CT the two finally told the story that
the couple had ceased their struggles and bad
fallen back exhausted TO be consumed by the
flames.
, BRAVE FIGHT FOR LIFE.
hafo fhaoa fxro L.. -
woman scantily clad appeared at a window but
one floor below to mutely appeal for assist
ance-a plea that seemed in vain. Her courage
was remarkable. She waited and called for
help. Once or twice she climbed upon the
casing as if to jump and the crowd turned their
eyes away with horror. But she stood fast
Either from fear or through courage she crept
back from the easement and into the
room. Every effort made that could
be made to reach her with ladders, but
all were Intellectual Again the fremen tried
TO throw a stream Of water to her that she
might gain refreshmont from il and that the
flames might be stayed somewhat in their
course while further efforts were being made
to reach her. The scene at this time was but
a repetition of others equally horrifying on
every side Of the building. At last, after the
brave struggle she had made, tho woman feu
back without hope.
NEEDLESS SACRIFICE OF LIFE
Frenzicd people crowded to the windows oy-
ing for help. The Hayes truck run up 10
the building and an attempt made to hoist the
ladder There was some hitch in the machln-
cry of the hosting apparatus, which made
delay of several minutes. At one window on
the sixth floor were three women, employees of
the hotel They were Miss Walker, pantry girl
and Madeline Hennessey, the linen room gnl
and her sister, Lizzie Hennessey, a chamber
maid. The three women rushed 20 the window
threw their arms about each other and called
for help. Behind them the crowd on the
street saw the flames. A hundred voices from
the street called to them to be quiet until q
ladder could be placed, but the Walker girl
suddenly stepped onto the window sill and with
a cry, I'D rather be killed than burned"
threw herself out into tho street. She was
killed by the fall. The Hennessey sisters
crouched in the room and moment later they
| were rescued by the fremen, who carried then
down the ladder in their arms.
| JUMPED TO THEIR DEATH.
At Q window on the fifth floor two women
screamed for help. The big ladder was at an
other window and jumping net was brought
out One of the women, Bridget Doyle, jumped
| before the net got into position. She
| struck on her head and shoulders and was
dead when she was picked up. She wa
hotel employe and her home was in Marcellus.
Mary Padden, laundry girl, jumped from Q
rear window and was killed.
The time finally came when the cries we're
ceased and nothing could be seen in the great
structure but seething, moaning billows Of frs
A. n