Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-02-11
HOTEL FIRE.
The Hotel Royal, Of New York,
Burned to the Ground.
MANY LIVES REPORTED LOST.
Only Five of the Dead Recovered-Many
Persons Unaccounted For-The House
Crowded at the Time of the
Disaster.

Crowded at the Time of the
Disaster.
NEW YORK, Feb S-A disaster, ap-
palling in horror. bringing to mind the
terrible occurrences in Park Place. still
fresh in the public mind, occurred in
this city early yesterday morning.
The Hotel Royal, that well known
landmark which has stood for more
than quarter of a century at the
southeast corner of Sixth avenue and
Fortieth street, was burned to the
! ground and large number of people
were burned. suffocated and crushed in
! the ruins. At the time of the disaster
there were nearly $50 guests in the
hotel The hotel employees all told
number fifty five.
OF this number of people five have
thus far been found dead. six are in
the hospital and sixty-three have been
reported alive. One hundred are still
| missing. The number of dead will
probably not exceed. at a later esti-
mate, thirty. Scenes were heart-rend-
ing and appalling. even to the fremen
| and policemen, who are used to such
scenes. Soon after the fire broke out
ambulances arrived from the various
hospitals. Many physicians whose
residences are in the neigh borhood
were quickly on the scene and did all
they could to relieve the injured.
| Nearly every one of the 1874 rooms
| which the hotel has on its 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 pro-
prietor, went to bed. When the flames
burst from some unknown origin near
the elevator shaft. the entire building
was instantly enveloped in flames
THE DEAD.
The dead. missing and injured are re-
| ported as follows:
Unknown woman, 40 years old, frac-
tured skull and slightly burned She
is supposed to have jumped from a
| window and killed herself Body at
the morgue.
looking. light complexion, wore an
abundance of jewelry. Burned and
suffocated. Body at the morgue-
Unknown man about 35 years old,
dark brown hair, jumped from
window. Head smashed in pieces
Smooth face, about five feet nine
inches in height, weighed about $50
pounds, wore linen night shirt and
trousers. Body at the morgue.
Unknown man, good looking. about
45 years old, had on striped silk under
shirt, light brown stripes. Evidently
Hebrew. Body at the morgue.
Henry c. Levy, of the firm of Levy,
| Straus & Freeman, 707 Broadway,
wholesale clothiers, identified by his
brother, b. J. Levy, at the morgue.
THE INJURED.
Clarence M. Klein, SO years old, single,
lawyer, Hazelton, Pa, suffocated and
burned. Injuries not fatal. Taken to
Bellevue hospital.
Walter L. Yates, 60 years old, cloth
Ter, of Philadelphia, condition serious;
burns and contusions. Bellevue hos
pital.
Mrs. Isabella Mears, wife of the pro-
prietor, injuries not serious; will re-
cover. Taken to Bellevue hospital.
Herbert Harding, engineer of the
Hotel Royal, fatally burned while try
ing to rescue woman; several ribs
broken. Taken to hospital.
| THE MISSING.
William E. Armstrong, Thomas Ken
needy, Charles Close.
The following escaped: w. G. Blu
chanan, c. S. Sonby, Rupert Lamont,
C. Cramer, E. b Reynolds and wife. C.
Cock burn, E. c. Allen. o. Sepler, C.
White, E. G. Harding, w. H. Scott and
wife. Langdon Smith, 6. S. MCGEE,
James E. CORR, Mrs j. Titus Mrs S.
Titus. Mrs. S. Knapp of Chicago
All of these escaped from the burn
ing building and were taken to the
Gedney house.
P. Taylor, II. P. Tomplzins, w. C.
Pearce. These were rescued and taken
to the Hotel Metropole, four blocks
away.
The Hotel Royal was built more
than twenty-five years ago. 1t was
formerly kept by Messrs- Pears &
Butler, but Mr.. Mears leased i,
thirteen years ago. In 1882 the
building was remodeled and an
addition was made on the south side.
The house was the home of many
persons in the theatrical profession and
was patronized chiefly by transients
for night Many families made it
however, their permanent place of res
? idence. The elaborate restaurant was
literally patronized by the class OF
, people who keptlate hours in the uppe,
part of the Tenderloin district
After the fire had sufficiently cooled
|
| ruins search was made for the dead
The searchers were at once rewarded
by the finding of a charred body almost
burned to crisp. It was unrecogniz
{ able, but was identified as that OF
Henry C. Levy from a ring on one OF
the fingers
The walls were in dangerous con.
dition and it was deemed necessary to
pull them down before continuing the
search for the dead. A force of 1O(
, men will be put to work to-day clear
ing away the debris.
T The loss on the hotel and furniture
: is estimated at $3.50. 1000. The building
!. is owned by Lyman Israel, furniture
. dealer, on the Bowery.
Killed For Using = Bad Name.
PINE BLUFF, Ark, Feb. 9.-Abe Boyd
. prominent lawyer and politician. sho,
and killed John Wilkerson, a gambler