The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-02-08

1mmcQl8Itly 10 CitdE aWuy ll6 Wftck-~
what would they lind therei This ques-
tion stayed with the crowd, and all day
long there has been throng of people IN
Bryant Park. opposite the ruins. and
around all the approaches to the demol-
ishcd hotel. watching. while one hundred
able firemen labored in the smoking heap
anxious. yet fearful. of what each up
turned heap might bring forth.
1t was at IL o clock that the first body was
found. 1t was a horrible sight-burned,
blackened and bruised. IL was hurried
difficulty. 1t was identified as the body Of
Harry c. Levy, member of the firm of
Strauss IL Freeman, No. 707 Broadway. At
o'clock gang of fifteen laborers were
put to work clearing away the debris on
the corner of Fortieth street. They con-
tinued their work until dark. Early to-
morrow morning one hundred men. under
contractor Galloway, will be put to work,
and then. it is expected. the fearful work
of the fire will soon be known.
Coroner Hanley. who was early on the
scene. arranged for the removal of all the
bodies recovered direct to the morgue,
they were placed in collins for identifca-
tiOn. During the afternoon Fire Marshal
Mitchell had an interview with Mr.. Meares.
From him 1t was learned that in the hotel
at the time the fire occurred were 133 per-
SONS. Just how many of these escaped il
is difficulr to say. but late in the afternoon
the fremen and the police came to the con-
clusion that the number of lives lost would
be between twenty and thirty, but they
admitted their figures were only based on
supposition. and that the number of deaths
due to the fire might not be known for
days.
JOYFUL MEETING OF FRIENDS.
There was an impressive gathering ut the
Hotel Vendome. where many went from
the burned building. Frederick Uhlmann
was there all the morning. clad in a misfit
pair of trousers and coat which was much
too large for him. and hat which rested
on his ears. He was the subject of
congratulation on every hand. The most
enthusiastic visitor he had was Edward
Lauterbach, the celebrated lawyer and
capitalist. who expected to find his
friend o corpse. The meeting between
the two men was very pathetic.
and tears came to their eyes as
they grasped each other by the hand. Mr.
Uhlmann told the story OF his escape hun
dred times. He said that when he first
awoke he ran to the hall and then to the
window, and as he put his head out two
women fell past him from the upper floors
Before the search for victims could begin
1t was necessary for the fremen to throw
down the walls that were yet standing.
These were few, but were 80 weak that
a close approach to them was q matter of
grave danger. The rear part of the For
tieth-street wall and the partition wallsrun-
n,ng pesaisa with Sixth Avenue had been
with great black holes where the windows
and doors had been, and portions of q fire.
escape clinging to them In grim irony.
About half of the division wall remained
base was large mirror, still uncracked,
which had adorned the office. All
the other walls had fallen In the mass of
ruins In which the hotel and Its contents.
with positively many bodies. had been en-
watching the efforts of the firemen to throw
down the two dangerous partition walls.
The outer one extended to the roof and
was ut it's top a loose mass of brick
and mortar. with single chimney stand
touch of the weakened walls. Few of the
watching thousands would have con-
sented to change places with the hardy
fireman who mounted the scaling LADDER 10
the crumbling summit of that insecure
macs, and dexerously threw the rope SO
that it encircled the wall. When this was
adjusted. thirty men bent themselves
to the task of overthrowlng the
wall. Danger lines were established. and
ali traffic on the Sixth-avenue street-car
line was stopped. The ruined wall was
stronger than had been thought. and lt
took fully half an hour to send it crashing
the WORK of clearing away the wreck be-
gan.