The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-10-25
HOTEL FIRE.
Twenty-Five Lives Are Supposed
to Have Been Lost.
Awful Scenes Presented to tho View Of
Spectators Bclow-Victims Appear
at Windows, Hesitate, and
Sink Back Into tho b.
EIa,naa

What proved to be the most disastrous
fire that has visited Syracuse, N. Y. for
many years was discovered in the Le-
land Hotel at 1890 o'clock Thursday
morning. AT 3 o'clock the fire was still
burning fiercely, although the entire
fire department, consisting of nine en-
gines was working hard to save further
loss of life and limb. An eyewitness OF
the fire says it is positive that at least
twenty-five persons have lost their lives,
and many more have been more or less
injured. One woman was being
lowered from window by
the aid Of rope. She had
reached a point opposite the third-story
when tho rope became ignited from a
burning sill, the rope parted and the
woman fell to the pavement, her brains
dashed out and her body flattened into
shapeless mass. Frank Carey, OF
Glens Falls. N. Y, has been identified
as one of those that was 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 build
ing within space Of four minutes,
and the sight sickened him with its hor..
ror, and he was compelled to lecve tho
spot The building was provided with
both iron fire-escapes on the outsides
and ropes on the inside, which were the
means of saving many lives. At 1:12 a.
m. a man and woman were seen locked
in each others arms in window on
the fifth floor ut the northeast corner
OF the building. Below them was
perfect sea of flame. No possibility Of
escape except by the window was open
to them, and that seemed inevitable
death. No assistance could reach them.
The woman seemed to be anxious to
Jump, but her husband was earnestly
entreating her to desist The crowd be-
low waited with baited breath. Tho
woman made one last effort to jump, was
restrained by her husband. and the cry
of the crowd signaled the awful end that
must have befallen them as they fell
backward into the room into a mass OF
flames At window on the
fourth floor, almost directly under
this, woman appeared at the win
dow. She was surrounded on all sides
from the interior of the room by fierce
flames. She seemed irresolute as to
whether to jump II The pavement or to
face the fiery foe tnat was fast encroach'
ing on her liberty and life. She stepped
upon the sill of the window and placed
her hands above her head. People in tho
street below shuddered and turned their
faces to shut out the horrible sight that |
must meet their gaze should the woman
jump to the ground. The woman did
not jump but seemed to be
by either fear or a
feeling that escape would come from
some other source. She stepped down |
from the sill into the room, but remain
ed at the window but an instant, when
the whole room became enveloped in
flames and the woman sank back from
view. A number OF guests were injured,
among them Cora Tanner, the actress,
who was severely burned about the
head and feet. The fire is said to have
started in the kitchen. The building
will be q total loss. 1t was built two
years ago, at total cost of $3.50, ,0OO 1t
s six stories high, and contained four
lundred rooms.