Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-08
Looking for the Dead Among the
Hotel Ruins.
A HUNDRED LABORERS PUT qO WORK.
Crowds of Spectators Watch the
excavating.
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
SEARCHING FOR THE DEAD.
Recovering Bodies from the Ruins Of the
Hotel Royal


Hotel Royal
NEw loRK, Feb s-The fremen OF Hook and
Ladder Company No. II, vhile searching in
the ruins Of the burned Hotel Royal at O'Clock
this morning found the body OF a woman in q
room on the 9th floor Of that portion OF the
building still standing on s0;h street. A few
minutes later tine body Of a man was found be-
meath pile Of debris under the sill Of the
dining room.
1t WIS intended to put force OF men at
work on the ruins last night 20 remove the de-
bris and search for the bodies supposed 20 be
buried In II. but this was found TO be impossi-
bic, as the fire continued burning in the base
ment and IN the coal bins IN the cellar and the
RUNS were too hot 90 permit of any organized
search. At O'Clock last night the engines
were sent TO their houses and two lines Of hose
were connected with the fire hydrants and
streams OF water kept on the smoking ruins
throughout the night.
At midnight Police Sergeant Sully, with q
squad OF fifty men. relieved the police force
that had been ON duty up TO that hour. and
they settled down TO an all-nIght watch beside
the heap OF smoldering ruins beneath which
lay no one knew how many charred and
mangled bodies.
MANY CURIOUS SPECTATORS
In the early part Of the night there wero
hundreds OF curious spectators standing gazing
at the ruins, but the police strictly maintained
the fire lines, and only those having business
there were permitted TO approach nearer than
200 feet TO the burned hotel. The heavy mist
that prevailed in the early hours OF the night
changed TO cold drizzlIng rain. and the ranks
OF spectators gradually dwindled until but few
| remained.
CLEARING AWAY THE RUINS
At6 O'Clock this morning there came babble
ofapproaehlng voices and there appeared upon
the scene i25 Italian laborers each bearing
pick, crowbar or shovel. and the days work Of
searching for the dead was begun. They were
under the charge OF Contractor Galligan who
had been employed TO clear out and search the
ruins. There had already assembled out
side the fire lines large numbers Of spectators.
many no doubt drawn thithorby idle curiosity
but others who were friends or relatives of per-
sons missing from their homes and who. il was
feared, might be victims of the fire, watched
the work begun by the laborers with strained,
eager eyes.
THE FIRST BODY FOUND.
The first body found at 3 o clock on the hfth
floor was badly burned and could barely be
identified as that of a woman There was
nothing on the body by which il could be
Identified except a chased gold ring on a finger
OF the left hand. While the extension ladder
was being placed in position for the removal
OF the woman body workman took hold Of
what seemed TO be a charred end of a
piece OF wood, but he started back
with cry OF alarm. The seeming piece OF
wood was the charred leg of a man protruding
through and above the debris The body was
found TO be lying head downward. where il had
evidently fallen with the upper noors. Ii was
jammed so tightly in the timbers aud mortar
that II took over an hour TO remove il. Then
1t was found to be that of about thirty-five
| years DID, hve feet seven inches high, with dark
hair and mustache and dressed in dark cloth
| ing. On him were found a gold watch and
chain and a triangular gold emblem which
were engraved the words Life, Love and
| Truth"
This body. which vas the seventh found. was
taken to the mOrgue with that OF the woman
4 found at o. clock.
| At l:sO o'clock the eighth body was found
about ten feet from the spot where the seventh
body had been discovered. 1t was that of u
woman, without clothing. about Twenty-Five
years old AID five feet two inches in height
Beneath the body were found a black cam6ric
skirt, bunch of keys. small bottle OF
cologne IN a case and check book. ON which
was written the name &C. A. HUffy, Phila-
! delphia." Near by were a new pair Of ladys
| shoes, a leather trunk and valise.
DELAY IN GIVING THE ALARM
Victor follerin. a waiter, who worked in the
hotel some time ago, gave in an interview this
morning some interesting facts that throw
some light the origin of the fire. He said
| that while he was working there it was a habit
for rubbish TO accumulate in one corner Of the
| kitchen. This pile of rubbish on three differens
occasions caught fire, but was quickly extin-
thought of il at the time, but Follerien believes
that II was here that the fire originated
This morning IL is also learned on good
| authority that Herbert Harding. the fireman Of
the hotel who first discovered the fire. fought
| the flames for fifteen minutes before he raised
/ an alarm. This was the general belief among
people who saw the nature and swiftness of the
| lire, but Harding denied it.
1t il now said that he has confided this fact
to friend and by the friends indiscretion
some OF Inspector Iyrnes men have learned
the fact and are investigating.
FRESH ESTIMATE
From a careful examination of the hotel reg
lister aud the journal which was furnished by
Night Clerk Underwood the number of persons
in the building when the fire broke out was
152. OF these eight are known to be dead.
Eighty-one were rescued by the firemen as
sisted by citizens, before the walls collapsed
| and sixty-one are still missing.
Among those who were rescued from the
flaming building twenty-four who are
more or less seriously burned and bruised.
Three of these at Bellevue Hospital and
there is one each at the New York ana Presby-
terian Hospitals. The others have been cared
for by friends at neighboring hotels or at their
houses.
Ii is not improbable that a number of those
who are still among the missing today may
have escaped the frIGhtful fate which so many
are known 10 have met, but the thought of the
possible loss is appalling Until the great heap
of bricks and mortar and half-consumed beams
and rafters which are packed tightly into the
death pit have been removed no one can tell
what that awful grave will disclose
There are immense crowds around the ruins
and the work OF digging for human remains is
watched with eager interest One hundred
laborers are engaged in the work, which ID going
on steadily hour by hour. Ii is a difficult mat
ter to remove the outer surface Of the ruins
and get at the interior.