Evening journal., 1890-10-16
A HOTEL HORROR.
Many Guests Wrapped in a
ShrOud of Fire.
OVER A SCORE ARE DEAD.
Fatal Flames in the Leland House
at Syracuse.
FER A SCORE ARE DEAD.

rhe Fire Broke Out Early This Morning
and Spread with such FrIghtfu Rapid
ity that Many Of the Inmates Of the
Hotel Found Their Escape Cut or and
They Were Either Roasted 10 Death
or Leaped to the Earth Far Below.
Narrow Escape OF Cora Tanner, the
Actress-scenes Of Horror at the Holo-
caust-AIany Persons Injured by Jump
inG-The Hotel Entirely Destroyed.
SYRACUSE, N. Y, Oct l6.-What prom
ises TO be the most horrible holocaust in
the history of Syracuse occurred last night
and this morning in the burning Of the
LELAND hotel, and the city is in furor of
excitement The hotel which is by far
the largest in central New York, was to-
tally destroyed by fire, and it is believed
that twenty-five OF the guests and en-
ployes perished in the flames. Frank
Casey, of Glens Falls, n. Y, and Emmett
Forbes, prominent Syracuse broker, are
among the dead Miss Cora Tanner, the
famous Brooklyn actress, who was play
ing an engagement at the Grand Opera
house. had room in the hotel She es-
capped with her life, but was badly burned
about the head and feet The majority of
the killed were on the fourth and fifth
floors.
Their Escape Was Cut OF.
The Gre, which started in the kitchen,
spead 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 The
clerk of the hotel began sending in the
alarm by telephone, but the flames spread
so rapidly that he was driven from the
instrument and compelled TO jump to save
his own live. The firemen saved many
lives. Nothing is left OF the building ex-
cept the elevator shaft and the chimney.
The total loss will reach $500, 200.
1t Spread with FrightfnI Quickness.
The fire started at 1850 p. III. last night
and spread with such frigntful quickness
that thirty minutes after the first alarm
was given the entire hotel was entirely
wrapped in flames. Many of the guests
escaped IN their night clothes. but at least
fifteen met horrible death in the flames.
Nine engines were engaged in fighting the
fire, and by 2;30 a. M today the confagra-
Ulon was under control.
Leaped for Their Lives.
A later account than the above says:
The most disastrous fire that has visited
Syracuse in years started in the Leland
hotel at 1880 o'clock this morning. The
fire was first noticed coming from the
kitchen on the second floor Immediately
| the blaze was communicated to the dining
room, and from there spread in a very few
l m f.f ht.tl
| The bell sounded tue warning to the guests
| in every room in the building and from the
windows heads of frightened people were
thrust. Then they came down the elevator
and down the stairs, many with hardly any
article of clothing upon them.
| One man jumped from the fourth story
| to the top Of the American express build
| ing. Several other guests, including the
| ladies, sprang from their windows. There
were perhaps one hundred guests in the
hotel. The people injured were taken in
the ambulances to the hospitals of the city.
| The flames were all-powerful at 1;l5 o'clock
and sprang forty feet above the six story
building
From Ten to Twenty Lost.
| 1t is estimated that from ten to twenty
/ people have lost their lives. One woman
| jumped from fourth story window and
/ was killed Cora Taner, the actress, and
| her company were guests at the hotel
| Miss Tanner slid down a fire escape and
was cut and burned by the rope on her
hands. II is said that some Of her com
pany is lost The register of the hotel
was saved, and it is believed that list Of
the lost can be made within few hours.
Forbes Was Not Killed.
Forbes, the stock broker reported dead,
has been found wandering in the street al
most naked He was injured about the
head and hands. 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 in
side, which were the means Of saving many
lives. One woman was found with a nurs-
ing baby in her arms crouched in a stair
way where she had been overcome by
smoke. She was removed by the firemen,
but has not yet regained consciousness,
and it is impossible to tell her name or
what her experience was.
e. ID. Nichols, of Dunkirk, had his leg
broken by jumping. w. H. Harron, OF
New York city, jumped and had both legs
broken. The building was built two years
ago at a cost Of s9O0,0OO. 1t was six stories
high and contained 400 rooms.
Two Of the Injured Dead.
Frank Casey of Glens Falls, was burned
to death, and his brother, j. ]. Casey, had
his leg broken and sustained internal in.
juries. John C. Carritt, Of 1856 State street,
Brooklyn, rescued Miss Tanner, who be
found wandering about in the corridors.
William b. Harris and Annie Kennel
died at 4;30 a. IN. at an hospital. Two
ladies, whose names are unknown, jumped
from the fifth story. and though badly
hurt they escaped with their lives. Sam
uel Goodman, assistant general freight
agent OF the New York Central railroad
who was q guest at the hotel, escaped In
safety ,rn
All the physicians, preachers and priests
of the city nEe' on the spot, aiding the
wounded Rs best they can.
Some Of the Dead apd Injured.
1t is reported that one Of the Dey Broth
ers, clothing merchants Of this city, wa'
burned to death. A son of Division Super
intendent Burrows, of the New York Cen
! tral railroad, jumped from window Rnc
was badly injured. Frank X. Abbott, :
travelling man from Louisville, Ky.
jumped and was badly hurt sac
William j. Foster attempted to slid'
down hotrod. When he got within onl
story of the grouud he had to let go bis
hold and he fsll to the ground but escapeS