The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-02-13
MIDNIGHT FIREIN NEW YORK.
destruction Of Hotel Roynl-Guests Hur-
nv in Their NIghG-ClOthes Out Into
the Street-HEany Lives Lost
Thrilling Incidents.

/ Thr1IiIn4 AnSiNehtN-
About O'Clock on Sunday morning a fire
broke out in Hotel Royal, 9th avenue and 40th
Street, New York City, and so rapidly and III
riously did the flames spread and burn the
10 guests and 50 employees had scarcely time
to escape. Indeed many did not escape.
Some II were burned up in the building and
25 more had arms and legs broken or were
otherwise injured, while nearly all lost all
their clothing jewelry, money AMI other Ell
fects. The origin of the fire is not known. The
hotel was a SIX story structure, and was but
poorly supplied with fire escapes.
THRILLING INCIDENTS.
There we're many thrilling incidents con
nected with the fire.
II had a room on the sixth floor, said NJ.
L. Hartman, travelling salesman of St. Louis,
Mo-, land was aroused from sleep by loud
roaring noise and by the sound OF a whistle,
which think was from one of the engines on
the elevated road. | opened my door and DIS
covered that the stairway leading to the lower
floors was in a blaze. The hallway was filled
with smoke, and as itpoured into my room as
long as the door was open, quickly closed
it, knowing that there was no escape that
way then went to the window and opened
it. and there seemed to be rs much smoke on
the OulSlut as lntlt NdS w tue HdliWdJs iOi
the room soon filled with smoke from that d.
rection. Both my wife and would have suf-
located in the room had not taken two tow
els which soaked with water. These we
used to keep the smoke out of our lungs by
holding them over our mouths and nostrils.
My wife was sleeping when | learned that the
house was on fire, and when wakened her
told her not to get excited. | tried to find
a fire escape near our window, but there was
none. and thought at one time that we should
never get out of the room alive.
1t was certain death to jump six stories and
as it was either that or burn to death, | said
to my wife;
Matte, ] am going to shoot you and then
kill myself.
concluded that it would be better to die
that way than burn to death, and as | always
sleep with revolver under my pillow hur-
red to the bed to get it. By this time the
flames were coming up through the cracks in
the floor and through the cracks of the door.
Just as | was about to shoot my wife the floor
fell with ii crash, and we went down probably
two stories. The flooring stopped opposite a
window, and my wife jumped out and landed
on the portico beneath. A rope was hanging
out of this window and with this assistance |
managed to get down another story, but here
slipped and fell to the portico beside my
wife. | picked her up, but was unable to
carry her, as | was almost suffocated and the
fall had injured me. | was endeavoring to
reach a ladder to try TO carry her down to the
street when two fremen took her from me-.
How reached the street do not know
Mr.. Hartman is confined to his bed at the
Gedney house, but he is not so badly injured
as a person would think after the falls he had.
His hands and chest, however, are severely
burned and his hair and eyebrows are slnged.
He was dressed only in nightgown when he
reached the street, and even this was partly
burned. He was told that his wife was being
cared for at one of the hospitals, and that she
was not seriously injured. 1t is believed,
however, that she is one Of the dead. Mr..
Hartman has passed through some rough eX-
periences in the West, having been cowboy
in Texas for two years before he went into
the mercantile business, he says, and when
he saw all means of escape cut off he thought
bullet in his brain would be an easier death
than TO perish in the flames.
An UMBRELLA FOR A PARACHUTE.
There was not even rope hre escape in
the room on the second floor which Felix
Kraemer. salesman for Steinway Il Sons,
of New York. occupied, and had it not been
for Kraemar's experience at hotel fires and
an umbrella he probably would be numbered
among the victims. Had not had strong
umbrella should either have been burned or
killed by Jumping to the pavement, said Mr..
Kraemar when at the Gedney House. -
have been burned out at hotel fires three times
now, and after two narrow escapes Il man rs
likely TO be on the lookout for the best means
to save his life whenever the occasion demands
it. was burned out at a motel in Warrens
burg Mo-, and also at Ellsworth, Kan.
L.
ago. ! had an inside room on the floor above
the Office, near the main stairway. ] was
awakened by hearing u roaring noise, or rath.
er noise like the rambling Of a train. |
Jumped out of bed and saw bright, red glare
through the transom over my door. | imme-
diately seized strong umbrella and shawl
strap, which ! always carry, and started for
the door As | was on the SECOND floor, |
thought should have no difficulty in reach.
ing the floor below and the street from there,
but when | got into the hallway saw that es-
cape was cut off in that direction, as the stair
way was one mass offiame. 1t was no use to
Jump out of my window, as it opened on d
egurt. and the street could not be reached
from there Neither was it safe to venture
10 any of the rooms opposite me, as they were
filed with smoke and fire. did not have
much time to thirG of what was the best
thing to do, as the hallway was becoming hot,
and soon made up my mind that my only
means of escape was on some OF the floors
above. ! could get up stairs, the fire not
having at that time REACHED the stairway lead.
ing to the floor above me, and started.
went up one flight, and going through an out
side room reached a window overlooking the
street.
AT the fire at Warrensburga guest escaped
by using an opau umbrella to ease his fight
from an upper story window. ! never forgot
the way in which he escaped. And SINCE
that time | have always been provided with a
strong umbrella for an emergency like that
which presented itself on Sunday morning
As soon as | reached the window on the third
floor opened my strong umbrella and quick
IL but carefully put the shawl strap over it so
as to prevent it from turning inside out. Then
! made the leap. ! did not go sailing grace
fully out into the air and land lightly on the
ground beneath, but ! landed without any
broken limbs, and am all right now. The
umbrella partially turned inside out just be
fore | reached the ground. and got some
Thing of jar, but should think myself lucky
if had escaped with broken leg, for | never
before saw fire burn so Hereby "a the one
which consumed the Royal,
| ran into the Office as soon as ! reached
the ground, aud there | found the hotel PEG.
pie acting like lot Of inmates of an insane
asylum | was the first person to get out of
that hotel end cannot imagine how any OF
the other gnests got out alive. saw Mr..
Meares and the night clerk in the Office.
For Gods sake, ! SAID, why don't you turn
in fire alarm? As couldn't stand around
with nothing on, having saved nothing but
nv umbrella and shawl strap, fastened to
the Gedney House. There registered, Sc
cured a suit of clothes, which did not fit me,
iron, the night clerk, and then returned to
The lire. Even at that time the fire depart.
ment had not arrived, and men, women and
children we're at the windows screaming foF
some one to save them. | saw two or three
people jump from windows. 1t was ten min
utes after | returned to the fire before lad.
der was raised TO any ofthe windows. | heard
there were more than one hundred and sixty
......,.ln u, tLa hansa ,.hnn l 10 and |