Evening journal., 1892-02-08

was seriously burned and bruised, but alive
and the crowd cheered him wildly.
Mrs Keuper and her daughter Julia, who
occupied a room on the third floor and who
registered from Pennington, N. j., We're
rescued by policeman and fireman, who
carried them down a ladder They lost all
their clothing, save their night dresses,
which they had on. Mrs. Keuper suffered
greatly from the shock and Miss Keuper's
long black hair was badly singed by the
flames, which burst out Of the window as
she stepped on the ladder to safety.
Richard Meares, proprietor OF the Hotel
Royal, miraculously escaped death with his
wife They were asleep on the second fioor
in the middle Of the building and only few
feet from the elevator shaft, which formed
the draft for the fire. The ianitor succeeded
~ awakening the people on this floor, but
could get no further up into the building,
owing TO the progress Of the flames. He
awakened Proprietor Meares and his wife
first, but when they emerged into the hall,
only partly clothed, they found connagra-
tion. The stairways were filed with fame
and smoke and tongues Of flame darted out
from the elevator shaft
Saying, Follow me- Mr.. Meares with
his overcoat over his head, clambered over
the hanisters at the head Of the stairs and
dropped to the iioor below. Turning to
catch his wits when she dropped, he was
Mortified to see that she had not followed
him. The frantic man would have rushed
back up the burning stairs, but the firemen
| seized him and roughly hastened him out Of
the building and turned him over to po-
liceman nnhurt. Meantime, Mrs. Meares
had acted for herself with rare presence Of
mind She rushed to the window and
loaped to the roof Of the portico over the
entrance and was taken down by the fire.
men. She sustained a sprained ankle but
/ was otherwise unhurt by her thrilling ex-
perience.
/ Swallowed Up in the Flames
I These escapes occurred before the walls Of
the building fell, while the hremen were
/ doing their utmost TO stop the progress OF
the flames, which at that time threatened
10 engulf not only the hotel but the entire
block Of buildings To the south
| When the walls did fall people were seen
at several windows on the upper floors cry
/ ing for help, but they fell back and were
swallowed up In the outburst OF flame
/ which rose from the ruins. How many then
met their death and how many We're suffo-
Gated in their rooms is not known
When the fire had spent its fury the place
was a smoking mass Of ruius, and the scene,
surveyed by the iiremen, the police and the
crowd Of citizens, was one Of complete and
soIrowful wreck. Ambulances had carried
away the injured, and those who had es-
capped unhurt had gone 10 tho hotels or TO
the homes Of friends All that remained
was a smoking, blaekened mound Of debris
that rose to a height Of twenty-five feet
Beyond 10 the south, the eyes gazed un-
obstrueted by floors or roof up through
that portion Of the building that remained
standing 10 the sky. To the west were the
walls Of a section Of the building but they
had been dismantled Of all woodwork, and
in the cellars were the debris Of the whole
interior Of the Hotel Royal Aud under the
debrisl What would the men set to work
Immediately TO clear away the wreck-what
would they find therel
The first body was horrible sight to be-
hold, burned, blackened and bruised. Il was
hurried away TO the morgue, where after
much difficulty it was Identified as the body
Of Harry O. Levy, a member of the firm Of
Strauss q Freeman, 7O7 Broadway.
The other four bodies taken out were also
/ burned 10 cinders, and were sckening to
look upon They were also moved to the
morgue for identification.
A hundred men viii be put 10 work on
the ruins at once, and the work Of recover.
ing the victims win be pushed with vigor.