Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-10-25
A MIDNIGHT HORROR.
Destruction by Fire Of the Leland
Hotel, at.Syracuse, N. Y.
Eight Persons Perish in the Flames and
Thirty Others Badly Injured-Inmates
OF tho Burning Building Seen to
Tall Backward from tho Win
dows Into Sen OF Flames

did Leland Hotel lies in ashes and the
prophecy OF hundreds, who viewed the
building in tho course of construction,
that 1t was fire trap has been woefully
verified. To give an adequate descrip-
tion of the horrifying scene of dcstruc-
tion, which began at 12:45 o'clock Thurs
day morning, would be impossible. To
those first on the scene the cries OF tho
poor wretches doomed to death by tho
slow torture of fire were blood-curdling.
The cries OF "See him jump" and
"There's one burning" coming repeat
odly from the throats OF the spectators,
only added to the intense agony of the
scene. The streets were filled with peo-
pie who had escaped barely with their
lives, bringing tales OF horror Of those
left to their fate within the burning
building.
1t seemed an interminable time be-
fore the fremen could get a stream to
play upon the flames. Hoarse cries OF
men and shrieks OF women filled the air
as they would appear for moment at
the windows of the upper stories and
fall back exhausted. The tales of hair
breadth escapes by those who succeeded
In getting out would fill volume. Tho
New York Central depot, Congress Hall,
the Globe Hotel, Vanderbilt Hall, Man
sion House and every available house
was turned into an infrmary for the in
jury and refuge for those who came
out of the fire alive. Lewis Leland was
the first to discover the fire, He was
going from the office when he noticed q
1ir.ht ~, ho
ing into the stairway which led to the
kitchen and store room above. Opening
the door he saw that the upper end Of
the stairway was in flames, and he
quickly closed the doors and ran back
into the Office, calling to night clerks
Jones and Bridgeman to give an alarm.
Mr.. Bridgeman rang the electric alarm
that rings bell in every room in the
house, and Mr.. Jones sent an alarm OF
fire to the telephone Office. In the mean
time Lewis Leland and the elevator boy,
Henry Roescher, had run up stairs and
dashed through the halls, calling to the
guests to get out of their rooms. In less
than minute the entire northwest COR
nor Of the building was afire, and all
efforts of the hotel employ es to check
the progress Of the flames were unavail-
Ing. Even before majority Of the
guests were awake the light shaft in
the center of the building was burning
Scores ofguests who had been aroused
by the cracking of the flames or the
ringing of the electric bells rushed ont
OF their rooms into the halls, only to
find them full of smoke. Some of those
who got out of their rooms just sue
ceeded in escaping by the staircase.
The halls were filed with the cries and
shrieks of frightened men and women.
Although the gas was burning in all the
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 were dragged to the exits. In less
| than ten minutes after the alarm had
| been given the rescuers were driven
from the inside of the building and the
only means of assistance was from the
| outside.
| The Hayes truck was run up to the
building and an attempt made to hoist
| the ladder. There was some hitch in
the machinery of the hosting appara-
tus which made delay of several min
utes At one window on the sixth floor
were three women, employees of the
hotel. They were Miss Walker, pantry
girl, and Madeline Hennessy, the linen
room girl, and her sister, Lizzie. The
three women rushed to the window,
threw their arms about each other and
called for help. A hundred voices from
the street called to them to be quiet till
ladder could be placed, but the Walker
girl suddenly stepped on the window
sill and with cry: "I'd rather be killed
than burned. threw herself out into the
street. She was killed by the fall.
Tho Hennessy sisters crouched into the
room and moment later they were
rescued by the firemen.
At window on the fifth floor two
women screamed for help. The big lad
der was at ano ther window and a jump
Ing net was brought out One of the
women, Bridget Doyle, jumped before
the net was gotinto position. She struck
on her head and shoulders and was dead
when picked up. Mary Padden, laun-
dry girl, jumped from a rear window and
was killed. The time finally came when
the cries were hushed and nothing could
be seen in the great structure but seeth-
ing, consuming billows of fire, as they
mounted above the highest cornices and
made the stars in the sky look dim.
The following is list of the killed:
Annie Cummings, OF New York, aged
twenty-five, jumped from fifth floor; in.
stantly killed. William e. Harrop, of
Elizabeth, N. j., place Of business No.
70 Worth street, Now York, aged forty;
lowered himself by rope half way
down from the fourth floor, when the
rope burned off and he fell to the
ground. Rose Schwarz, hotel domestic,
Jumped from the fifth floor; died from
shock and internal injuries. Unknown
woman. aged about twenty-five, jumped
from fifth floor and was instantly killed.
The missing are: Mary Doyle, serv-
ant. RobertT. Mills, of New York, a
guest. A. j. Van Houten, of Jersey
City. guest George q. Wood, of Dex'
ter, n. Y, guest
Thirty persons were more or less In
iured.
Wealthy Farmer Wants II Divorce Be'
| a., ul.I.