Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-10-23
HOTEL HORROR.
Burning OF the Leland Hotel at
Syracuse, N. z.
Tweniy-hve Persons Reported as Having
Perished Guests Jump From Windows
and Are Dashed to Pieces-Shock-
ing Scenes.


SYRACUSE, n. Y, Oct. f6.-What
proved to be the most disastrous IRE
that has visited Syracuse for many
years was discovered in the Leland
Hotel at 1890 o'clock this morning.
An eye witnes to the fire says it Is
positive that at least twenty-five per-
sons have lost their lives and many
more have been more or less injured
One woman was being lowered from
window by the aid of q rope. She had
reached 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
being dashed out and her body fattened
into shapeless mass.
Frank Carrick. of Glenns Falls, n. Y,
has been identified as one of those that
were burned to death.
Many people crazed with fright lost
their lives by jumping from windows
One man says he saw six people jump
from different windows on the Fayette
street side of the building within a
space of four minutes and the sight
sickened him with its horror and he was
compelled 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
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
Most of those killed were on the
fourth and fifth stories.
Frank Casey, of Glenns Falls, N. Y,
and Emil Forbes, prominent brewer
of Syracuse, are among the dead.
The building will be a total loss It
was built two years ago at cost OF
$3.50, 600 and the total loss must be $780,
600. 1t was six stories high and con-
tanned 400 rooms.
The fire, which started in the kitchen,
spread by means Of the elevator we'll,
which was near the stairway, and so all
means of escape were cut off and those
in the upper stories were compelled to
jump.
Within fifteen minutes after the blaze
was first discovered the entire building
was wrapped in flames It was impos-
sible for the guests to escape. The
scene was one of the widest confusion
and people were to be seen at the win
dows on every floor shricking frantically
for help, which could not be given them.
Many were seen to fall back into the
hameso fainting and exhausted, while
others hurled themselves from the
windows, meeting death on the pave.
ment.
The scenes and incidents connected
with the rescue of inmates were heart
rending in the extreme. man and
woman were seen locked in each others
arms in window on the fifth floor at
the northeast corner of the building.
Below them was perfect sea of flame,
with no possibility of escape except by
the window and that seemed newt
able death. No assistance could reach
them. The woman seemed to be
anxious to jump, but her husband
was earnestly entreating her to Gesist.
The crowd below waited with bated
breath. The woman made one Inst eff
fort to jump, was restrained by her hus-
band. and the cry Of the crowd signaled
the awful end that must have befallen
them as they fell backward into the
room into mass of flames.
At a window on the fourth floor, al.
most directly under this, woman ap-
peared under the window. She was sur
rounded on all sides from the interior
of the room by fierce flames She
seemed irresolute as to whether to jump
to the pavement or to face the fiery foe
that was fast encroaching on her life.
She did not jump, but seemed to be
withheld by either fear or feeling that
escape would come from some other
source. Sho stepped down from the sill
into the room. but remained at the win
dow but an instant when the whole room
became enveloped in flames and the
woman sank back from view.
The fr,ghtful shrieks of the guests
and the crackle of the flames could be
heard for blocks away. The building
burned 50 rapidly that most of the peO-
PIE on the upper floors were obliged to
use the fire escape or jump for their
lives.
Seven or eight men and children
jumped from the upper stories onto g
shed in the rear of the building. Al
one time seven persons were struggling
togeth on the shed. which had already
caught fire from the flying sparks The
victims were half naked Several OF
them were seen to tear off of theil
body under garments that had caught
fire.
One of the most frightful incidents OF
the fire was The terrible death of g
woman who jumped from the fifth story
OF the building. Several policemen
stood on the sidewalk holding nets
ready to catch the guests as they jumped
Two persons. man and woman,
jumped into one of the nets almost a,
the same moment and escaped with
broken limbs
The next to jump was a woman who
appeared in a window on the fifth story
in her night clothes She le ,ped ou
of the window, ana missing thu net was
dashed to pieces on the stone ridewall1
She was picked up and removed to the
morgue.
Alliance Stock Yards.
KANSAS CITY, No., Oct. 16. The in
tended extension of its business by the
Faymers' Alliance of the Southwest wa:
discovered when it was learned tina
thew are about to establish an independ