The evening world., 1892-02-07
THE BURNING HOTEL.
IFrom q ske, ch by an Eye.MitnessA

V -
wife nrst, but when they emerged into the
hall, only partly clothed they found coniia.
grafton. The stairways were filled with
flame and smoke, and tongues Of flame
darted out from the elevator shaft
Saying "Follow me-" Mr.. Meares, with his
overcoat over his head, clambered over the
banisters at the head Of the stairs and
dropped to the noor below.
Turning to catch his wife when she
dropped he was horrined to see that she had
not followed him.
The frantic man would have rushed back
up the burning stairs, but the firemen seized
him and roughly hustled him out OF the
building and turned him over to policeman
unhurt
Meantime, Mrs MeAres had acted for her.
self with rare presence Of mind She
rushed to the window and leaped
to the roof OF the portico
over the entrance and was taken down by the
firemen. She sustained sprained ankle, but
was otherwise unhurt by her thrilling expert
ence.
The man who leaped from the fourtb-story
window was q stalwart person. weighing at
least $50 pounds. He was clad only in his
night-snirt and trousers.
He stood for a moment irrcsolute on the
sill There were tongues Of danes all about
him. Then he leaped. He turned In the air
as he descended and fell on his head, dashing
out his brains.
HIS body, together with that Of the other
man and two women who were killed In leap
ing from the windows Of the building, was
taken to the West Thirtieth street station
and afterwards to the morgue.
Neither OF the bodies was identified.
Mrs s. Knapp, Of Chicago, escaped from
her room, on the fourth floor by the
exercise OF her presence OF mind.
Soaking q towel in water, she wrap
ped it about her head, protecting
her mouth and nose from the sunocating
smoke till the riremen reached her by lad-
der and carried her down to safety.
There were about thirty servant girls en-
ployed in the hotel, and their Aleeping rooms
were on the upper floors.
Several OF these young women have not yet
reported, and but one sad inference can be
drawn from this fact.
Tho nre had spent its fury at 6.l5. for there
was practically nothing combustible loft
In the shell.
Then the scene, surveyed by the firemen,
the police and the crowd OF citizens, was one
of complete and sorrowful wreck.
Ambulances had carried away the injured,
and those who had escaped unhurt had gone
to the hotels or the homes OF trends.
All that remained was o smoking, black
ened mound OF debris that rose TO a height of
twenty-five feet. Beyond, to tho south, the
eye gazed unobstructed BY foors or roof up
through that portion OF the building that re-
mained standing to the sky.
10 the west were the walls OF q section OF
the building, but they had been dlsmantled OF
all the woodwork, and In the cellars was the
debris OF the whole interior Of Hotel Royal.
And under the debrisl What would the
men who set at work Immediately TO clear
away the wreck-what would they md there?
This question stayed the crowu, and all day
long there has been a throng OF people In
Bryant PARK and all the approaches to the
demolished hotel, watching while 100 Gremen
labored In the smoking heap, guarded by re-
serve OF sixty-nve policemen.
HARRY c. LEvY's BODY FOUND.
At ll.3o o'clock the body OF man was
unearthed. 1t was burned and blackened
and bruised. 1t was taken to the morgue,
where tt WAS identifled as that of Hurry G.