The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-10-29
A HOTEL DISASTER.
THOUGHTTO HAVE BEEN THE WORK
OFAFlRE FlEND.

lamitouS ConflaGration Since the Lor
cue Point Insane ASYLUM Was Destroy
ed-How Many Lives Were Saved.
SYRACUSE. Oct. l6-The magnilicen
Leland. the most modern and finest az
pointed hotel in Central New York. i
to-day nothing but a mass of smoulGe1
inc ruins. 1t was 12:45 this mornin
when fire was discovered in the regiol
of the kitchen, located on the seccn'
flood, in the rear of the west side Of tn
building. Inside of fifteen nlinutes tn
building was in flames from end to end
and before thirty minutes had elapsed
the walls had fallen, with the exception
of the northeast corner. The whole va
one seething furnace, to which was add
ed the horror that many lives were II
yolved. At first it was feared that tht
loss of life was in the neighborhood o.
thirty, but as the day wore along, The
number Of missing and dead was re
duced to seven OF eight.
Strong men seemed .paralyZed with
fear and knew not what to do. Others
more cool hurriedly donned some Of theil
clothing and girded about them the pat
ent fire escape, with which each room
was equipped. 1t was nothing but
piece of webbing and rope, but by its
means many lives were saved. The
burning hotel, viewed from the street
presented a scene which will never be
forgotten. It was agoniZing in the ex
treme. In many windows of the five
stories of the burning building could be
seen men and women plteously ealing
for help OF making their escape by
means of the rope appllaners.
In a window on the fifth story man
and woman were seen to be apparently
struggling in each others arms. The
woman evidently wanted to throw her
self out of the window. Below them was
sea of flames. Shortly after they were
lost to view. On the fifth floor toward
the Fayette street side tour women ap.
peared alta window Their screams for
help could be heard above the din and
roar. The firemen shouted to stay where
they were. The hook and ladder was
put in position. The evils of overhead
wires were again demonstrated. The
wires were in the way and prevented
the raising of the ladders. Minutes seem
ed hours while one Of the laddermen
mounted the rounds and cut the wires:
Among the frightened women at the
window was Annie Cummins, one of the
servants. Her companions tried to per
suade her from jumping headlong inthe
street while the ladder men were at work
hoisting ladders. Willing hands had
hold of the jumping net. The Cummins
woman jumped with the evident lnten-
ton of landing in the net.
The CummlnS woman IN Ter descent
struck the wires, and her body bounded
over and over, and she fell a bruised and
mapgled heap seven feet from the net.
Meanwhile the ladder men were work
ing with will and succeeded in plac-
ing the extension ladder against the
building. A cry of horror rang out
from the spectators when it was
foundit was short, but this was quick
ly succeeded by cheer when one
of the ladder men mounted the ladder
and, standing on the topmost round,
reached up and helped down the three
women. 1t was the work of a horo.
Had the Cummins women waited a
moment or two her life would have
been saved.
On all sides men and women could be
seen dropping from the windows or
sliding down the fire escapes. In the
centre of the building was a court yard.
Here was being enacted similar scenes
to those on the outside of the building.
The guests in the rooms facing this
court in many instances had to make
their escape by this means. Some
Jumped, while others used the fire eS-
capeS.
On the roof of the boiler house loca-
ted at the west side Of the building, at
one time lay six OF seven persons un-
conscious and injured. They were re-
moved by the fremen and others to
places Of safety.
The flames swept through the build
ing with unparalleled rapidity. Chief
Engineer Riley, of the fire department,
says that when he arrived at the scene
he and his men made for the upper por-
ton of the building. He with couple
of hosemen, had reached the fourth
floor, when they could go 40 further.
Cora Tanner, an actress, Wade escape
by the fire escape Upon being aroused
she rushed into the hall and dashed in
to the first open room, which was oc-
cupied by a gentleman who was about
to lower himself by the fire escape. She
cried to him, For Gods sake save me!''
And the man stopped in his flight and
adjusted the escape to Miss Tanner.
He lowered her to the ground and then
followed. Miss Tanner was not SER
iously injured, but the palms of her
hands were lacerated by holding so
tightly to the erope. Miss Tanner saved
her Jewels aud $500 in cash and her je-
wei case and tied it about her neck
Miss Tanner was taken to the Wander
bilt House and tended to in the ladies
parlor. The other members of her COM
pany are also at the Vanderbilt House
Miss Dupree and Miss Klein, both OF
the same company, had narrow escapes
They were On the fifth floor. and would
doubtless have perished had it not been
for the courageous boy who ran the ele.
vator. They CROPPED around the hal
till they heard a shout to come to the
elHNdgOl. 1lef ICllOSSN LliS ooUsAN VI
the voice and found the car. They were
taken down safely, although flames shot
into he elevator at nearly every floor
Vim. T. Glover acting manager fol-
Miss Tanner, who was tiilingan engage
ment at the Grand Opera House, says
Nearly if not all of the young ladies
of Miss Tanners company. who occu
pied rooms on the third and fourth
floors of the hotel, had retired, but sey
praI of the gentlemen were still gu
when the fire started threw a few
OF my clothes and personal effects int
my trunk, but lost them in the end
| was on the fourth floor. Among
others on that floor was Miss Adj
Dwyer of the company. We met II
the hall and started in the direction 0
the sound of the voice Of fireman
who was showing frantic men ant
women the way to the stairs. We go
separated in the crowd in the halls
where the scene was an awful one