The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-02-09
Fat ON THE KITCHEN RANGE
Testimony that the Fire Started There-In
vestisatlon OF the Building Department.


Yesterday morning James Mitchell the Fire
Marshal, began the official investigation into
the causes OF the fire. The most important
testimony was that OF Michael Cahill. porter
in the hotel. Cahill came In from a visit he
had been making at about 80 o'clock. Hol-
land the night engineer. who also had to do
night watchman's duty. was In the Office talk
ing to the night clerk. Cahill told the night
engineer to wake him at o'clock. then
went down into the basement. through the
kitchen ano into a little room where
he had cot He was awakened by the sitting
smoke and rushed out OF the room. He made
for the stairway which led up to the office
from the basement, but he found that the fire
was pushing out OF the kitchen and had
seized upon the stairway. So he hurried back
and. passing along the area. tried to open the
ash elevator. Failing In this. he broke his
way. after o long struggle. through the coal
chute to the street Cahill was positive that
the fire had just started and that the kitchen
was Its place OF beginning
Another witness. whose name Mr. Mitchell
withholds for the present, said that Jean
Nectu. the chef. left pot Of fat on the range in
which the fire was banked. and that this pot OF
two H WITNESSES s Mr. Mitchell is Inclined to think
that the cause and origin Of the IRE are about
Jean Neetu. the chef. said last night that
when he Ileit on Saturday .night there was
e r we're oil. and there wore several pots Of
He thinks. however. that the fire did not
Mack Mac told him that he discovered tho fire. II
this is 50. Nectu says the engineer must have
maid Known as Nellie told reporter OF
The sHN yesterday that she was the last per; r;
. btf osnd he sa gss xS at
gone me to bed. She told the eaginees that tho he
oSsht ea AK them FOR the
would attend to it She went to bed. An hour
and a half later she was awakened by the cry
Ghssss H RhsH part p; tor Of the
could shoot up 50 quickly The ksitchen,
nS sRs a and oas taaE Tx w sh
wound to the top Of the house. we're separated
tsS sass * TIL ihss4s # r.
hoteI Was as through tie once. - I'S INV '''
Bureau q udins Inspection said yest e' Jay
the Hotel noyal was not well supplied, with ire
lei Keely. the Inspector for that district SO re-
ported to mo verbally only q short time ago.
membered that this department has no right
to inquire whether a building Ia fitted for the
uses to which 1t is put We must sec that q
hotel has sufficient fire escapes, that its hall
ways are wide enough and its exits numerous
enough. II a wall Is buged or q floor sunk. or
II there 10 any other fault In tho construction,
we may have It attended to.
Mr.. Keely's predecessor. and from reports
from Mr. Keely that fire escapes have been
ordered for the Hotel Royaltwice and that
they were put In each time. only. however.
after delay and after we had put the matter In
the hands Of I'M attorney. The Hotel Royal
seems also to have complied with the law
about having ropes In the rooms before that
law was declared not to apply to hotels In New
York city. a The hotel REroprietors object to
cause Of the danger OF thefts by. dodgers pas
sing from one room to another. The ladders
OF the four fire escapes In the Hotel Royal were
all down and ready for use. the hotel having
complied with our order to that effect last
summer. Mr.. Keely will make detailed re-
port OF tho condition OF the hotel and OF the fire
to me to-morrow morning"
Mr.. Henry u. Purroy. tho President OF the
Board OF Fire Commissioners, said:
lay IL turning In Harn the ee cause
this morning that it was his belief that the
fire was burning for some time before 3
o'clock. and that. had the hotel had the care
full watching such q hotel MS 1t was needs.
there would have been no great fire. 1t seems
that the hotel had practically no night watch
man at all There is no law compelling
hotels to have u fire alarm. or to have any
especial appliance for waking the guests In