Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-02-13
HOTEL BURNED.
About Thirty Persons Perish in a
New York Fire.
Men and Women Leap to Death--Others
Cry for Help the Walls of the
Turning Building Crumble.


burning Building Crumble.
About o'clock A. NJ, fire broke out in the
basement of the 6ve-story brick Hotel Roya',
that well-known landmark which has stood
for more than quarter of century at the
southeast corner OF Sixth avenue and Fortieth
street. The hotel was burned to the ground,
and large number of people were burned,
sufocated or crushed in the ruins. At the
time of The disaster there were nearly loo
guests in the hotel. The hotel employees, all
told, numbered fiity-6vs. Ofthis number OF
people FIVE have thus far been found dead, six
are in the hospital and sixty-three have been
repoi ted alive. One hundred are still missiny.
The number dead will probably not exceed
thirty persons. The pecunisry loss is esti-
mated at S250, 600.
the disaster recalls wildly the collapse OF
the building in Park Place, near Nassau
persons lost their lives.
Nearly every one of the one hundred and
twenty our rooms which the Hotel Royal had
on it's five floors were occupied by guests,
many of them transient In fact all the rooms
save four had been taken at l o'clock, when
Richard Mears, the proprietor, went TO bed.
When the flames burst forth from some I'M
known cause near the elevator shaftth entire
building was instantly enveloped in flames.
FATAL LEAPS FROM WINDOWS.
The scenes at the fire before the fire COM
panies arrived were heartrending. One man,
whose name is not known, sprang from a
third story window and was dashed to death
on the ground below. People turned their
faces away Mortified at the sight. This was
on the Sixth avenue side of the building. A
moment later another man leaped from
window onthe Fortieth street side and was
instantly killed. Shortly afterward two
women jumped from the windows on the Sixth
avenue side and werede when picked up.
Their dead bodies were taken 10 the Tbirtieth
street station-house and aiterward, unidenti-
fed, removed 10 the morgue. At that hour
the known dead numbered four. Several
others had dropped from windows or slid down
ropes with which every room in the hotel was
provided, and escaped with severe burns
while many more had been injured In the
same way making their escape by the fire.
escapes and were in the bands of ambulance
surgeons who had been summoned from Belle
vue and the New York Hospitals. The sur
geons had their hands full in taking care OF
the injured.
CARRIED DOWN ON LADDERS.
All this time the fire was raging fercly and
it was plain to be seen that the building was
doomed. The structure burned like SO much
kindling wood. The work of rescuing guests
sill went on, and many were taken from the
windows by firemen and policemen. Sergeant
Ward AMI Patrolman Phillips, OF fire patrol
No. 2, went into a room on the fourth floor
a II i. 1 Z
down a ladder safely. They succeeded in
saving Mrs. Samuel Knapp, who was about to
leap from one of tne windows on the third
floor.
LOST $I2, UUU IN CASH.
Mr.. Fred, rick Uhlmann, the dealer in hops,
has been guest at the Hotel Royal for years,
and lived with his brother Simon and mother
The latter went to their country residence at
Lakewood, N. j. Mr. Uhlmann had gone to
bed shortly after O'Clock, and was sleeping
soundiy when he WAS rudeIy awakened by the
cry of fire and the screams and shouts for
help from the inmates of the hotel. lie ran
from his room on the second floor, which was
directly over the Office, into the hall. lie
found it filed with smoke, and was forced
back into his room. Again he made an
attempt, and falling over some obstruction in
the passageway, succeeded in making his way
down the one flight of stairs to the street. He
escaped with only all overcoat to cover his
nakedness. Mr.. Uhlmann lost everything in
his room, including $4,000 in cash, several
checks and notes and other valuable doeu-
ments. Despite his loss, however, Mr..
Uhlmann WAS cheerful, for he said: 'If my
mother and brother had moi gone away they
would have been burned"
OTHER NARROW ESCAPES.
Among the narrow escapes was that of Mr..
II. C. Thompkins, .of New York, who was
transient guest the hotel. Hewa awakened
by the cry of fire. He got up and went into
the hallway, but escape downstairs was
impossible. Mr.. Thompkins kept his head
about him, and collecting all his va,uables,
escaped out one of the windows down a rope
In descending the flames from the second floor
windows burned his hands slightly and
vcorched his hair.
Mrs. f. Knapp, of Chicago, had a room on
the fifth floor. She had presence of mind
enough to wrap q wet towel around her head
to prevent being suffocated, and went to the
window and waited until rescued by burly
policeman.
Mrs. Kupes and daughter, of Flemingtown,
n. j., occupied q room on the third floor front
They were taken from their room down n
LADDER by the hremen. They lost all their
clothing sive the night dresses which they
had on.
BURIED BY FALLING WALLS.
These escapes occurred before the walls Of
the building fell, while The fremen were
doing their utmost to stop the progress of the
flames, which threatened to envelop the
adjoining buildings. When the walls fell
people were seen at several windows or the
top floor crying for help but thew fell back
aud were soon buried in the ruins.