The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-02-09

tcr-..A Watciinan Fought tho Fire
Fifteen Minutes Before He Gave
tho Alarm-..Pcoplc Buried Beyond
Recognition
New YoRK, Feb. s.-Dcspitc tho fact
that the work Of digging out tho bodies
OF tho unfortunatcs who lost their lives
ntLo Hotel Royal carly Sunday morn.
ing was stopped temporarily atan carly
hour last evening, crowds fingered
about the place during tho night and
hung OH tho outskirts OF the fire lines
gazing at the weak and tottcring walls.
AT 7 o'clock this morning, when the
ghastly search was resumed, tho crowd
OF tho night was swclled to five times its
size.
Tho firomen at 0 o'clock this morning
found tho body OF q woman in room
on tho fifth floor OF the portion of the
building still standing in Fortieth
street. a few minutes later the body
OF man was found beneath pilo OF
debris under the site OF the dining
room.
The work OF clearing away the ruins
is being carried on by l25 Italians in
charge OF Contractor Gilligan. Seven
bodies had been found at $3.50, but how
many charredan manglcd bodies arc
still buried beneath the ruins of the
Hotel Royal is 4 question OF horrible
uncertainty. Tho bodies OF many 9TH
crs may lie hidden in the mass OF
steaming .wreckage which chokes up
the wide space between the blackened
and disigured walls. 81.
TIE NUMBER OF VICTIMS.
From q careful examination OF tho
hotel register and tho journal which
was furnished BY the night clork, L.
Underwood, the number OF persons in
the building when the fire broke out
was l52. OF these eight are known to
be dead. Eighty-onc were rescued by
the firemen, assisted by citizens, before
the walls collapsed, and sixty.one are
still missing.
Among those who were rescued iron
the flaming building arc twenty-four
who are more or less seriously burned
and bruised
Three OF these arc at Bellevue hospital
and there is one each ut the New York
and Presbyterian hospitals. The others
have been cared for bv their friends ut
nelghboring hotels or at their houses. i
In taking out the seventh body quite
a pit had TO be dug under where the
dining room was and 4 number OF other
bodies were brought to view. Every
effort was made, when it was discovered
that tho wall on the 40th street side was
tottering and threatening the lives OF
all the workmen, and so the search was
suspended for time under that the
wall might be torn down. As soon as
this wns done work once more resumed.
At IL 80 o'clock the eighth body was
found about ten feet from where the
seventh was discovered. TWAS that OF
4 woman without clothing, about %
years old and 5 feet 9 inches in height.
beneath the. body were found black
cambria skirt, u bunch Of keys and a
check book on which was written &C.
A. Hufy, Philadelphia. " !"
NEEDS INVESTIGATION.
Victor Follern, waiter who worked
in the hotel some time ago, gavesin an
interview this morning some interest
ing facts that may throw some light on
the origin Of the fire. Hc said that
while ha was working there it was the
habit for rubbish to accumulate in one
corner OF the kitchen. This pile of rub
bish on three different occasions caught
fire, but was quickly extinguished by
pals of water. Nothing was thought
OF 1t at the time, but Follern believes
that it was here that the fire originated,
This morning it is learned on Good
authority that Herbert Harding, the
fireman OF the hotel, who first discoy
cred the fire, fought the flames fifteen
minutes before he raised m alarm. This
was the general belief among people
who saw the nature and swiitness OF
the fire, but Harding denied it. II is
now said that he his contdcd this iact
to afriend and by tho friends indiscrc-
ton some OF Inspector Byrnes' men
have learned tho fact and arc inyesti.
eating.
AT noon the ninth body was found in
the immediate vicinity OF the spot, where
the eighth was discovered. Ii was also
that Of woman about 35 years old. II
is thought she was an employe OF the
hotel. E &, = -
Up to 2 o'clock this afternoon four
bodies had been found and removed to
the morsuc. Three OF the bodies we're
those of women and the fourth that Of a
man. Added to the five bodies at the
morguc yesterday this makes nine in all
recovered from tho ruins. OF these
only one, that OF Harry L. Levy. has
been identified. Tho bodies recovered
to-day arc all terribly burned and idcp-
LITIGATION may be impossible. The sixth
body found is thought to be that OF
Fanny Clark, OF this city. ..755
Late i'll the afternoon the men found
4 foot in the ruins At $3.50 body was
found in tho ruins. 1t was SO badly
burned us to be unrecognizable and was
sent directly to the morgue. At G .35
the eleventh body was brought to view.
The legs were almost gone and the body
terribly mutilated. 80 :" :
Ono hundred men are at work on the
Debris and will be kept going night and
day until they have completed the worl,
Of clearing away tho ruins, which viii.
in all probability, take about three days'
s.E-tf 11gISJ0N DnI,y,ip l1yrr i.