The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-08
AW0KB To DEATH.
The End Came in Awful Shape at
the Hotel Royal in New
York City.
Guests and Servants Gut Off by
the Flames and
Smoke.
Many Jump From the Windows
and Are Killed and
Manned.
The Burning Mass Collapses, Car
rying Others Into a Fiery
Abyss.
Five Bodies Already Found and Fully a
Hundred People still Unaccounted
for.-ThrilIing Escapcs.

n
Hundred People still Unaccounted
for-ThriliinK Escapcs.
NEW YORK, Feb. 7.--An appalling horror,
bringing to mind the terrible occurrence in
Park Place, still fresh in the public mind,
occurred in the city early this morning.
Tho Hotel Royal, that well-known land
mark which has stood for more than a
quarter Of century at the southeast cor
ner of Sixth avenue and Fortieth street,
was burned and leveled to tine ground. A
large number Of persons were burned, suf-
focated and crushed in the ruins. At the
time of the disaster there were nearly 150
guests in the house. The hotel employees
all told numbered fifty-fve. OF this num-
Der 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 thirty at the latest
and appalled, even the firemen and police
men who are used to terrible sights.
Nearly every one OF the ia rooms which
the hotel has on it's six floors was occupied
last night by guests. many of them tran
sient. In fact, all the rooms save four had
been taken at one O'Clock this morning,
when Richard Meares, the proprietor, went
to bed. When the fire burst forth from
some unknown origin near the elevator
shaft, the entire building was instantly en-
veloped in flames.
The Dead missing and injured are re-
ported as follows:
Dead-An unknown woman, 40 years old,
fractured skull and burned about the body
an unknown woman, about %. good look
ing. light complexion, abundance Of Jew
elry; unknown man, about IS years old,
dark brown hair, jumped from window,
head smashed to pieces; unknown man,
good looking about AZ years old, evidently
Hebrew; Henry 9. Levy, New York.
Injured Clarence w. Klein, 80 year old,
lawyer, Hazleton, Pa; Walter L. Gates, 60
years old, clothier, Philadelphia; Mrs. Isa-
bella Meares, wife of the proprietor; Her
bert Harding, engineer of the hotel, fatally
burned while trying to rescue a woman.S
Rescued-W. G. Buchann, g. S. Soney,
Rupert Lamont. @. Krames, E. B. Rey-
nolds and wife. G. G. Cockbush. Q. sepler,
C, White, Il. G. Harding. w. H. Scott and
wife, Langdon Smith, &. s. McGee, james
L. Corey, Mrs. j. Titus, Mrs. $. Knitf of
Chicago, all of whom escaped from the
burning building and were taken to the
Gednev house; 2. Taylor, II. T. Thomp-
kins. w. Q. Pearce, rescued and taken to
the Hotel Metropolis; w. H. Phelps and
wife, Fred uhl1nan, II. G. Thompson, Mrs.
Kueter and daughter and J. Noonan.
At 205 O'Clock Mrs. Isabella Meares, wife
of the proprietor of the hotel. awakened her
husband, telling him the house was on fire.
She heard the cracking of the flames and
saw smoke coming through the cievioes of
the bedroom door. Meares only retired at
one O'Clock, and was aroused with difficulty.
He sprang out of bed and ran into the hall
way, Volumes of smoke filled the halls
and the flames were making way rapidly up
the elevator shaft. The apartments Of the
Meares we're ON the third floor, and forty
feet from the stairway. One glance at the
situation WAS enough to tell him tho story.
He ran back to his wife's room aud shouted
'now YOU follow me" snatched up coat
and again ran into the hallway. He fought
his way straight to the staircase, support
ing has wife close behind him. The pms
sage way WAS choked with dense smoke,
which almost strangled him. Then throw
sutfocation, he bent his head low and
yroped his way to the bannisters on which
he placed his left hand. Flames were shoot
ING up from below. His hand which was
on the railing was burned, and his hair
sinpsG, His situation was perllous. To
run down stairs for two flights meant death,
and SO, swinging himself over the hand rail
he dropped twenty feet to the ground floor.
He landed on his feet without any broken
bones and made his way to the street.
Meares was among the first to leEye the
burning building, and when he made his
exit not /, fire engine had arrived. But
oven in those few minutes tho flames had
we're shooting from all tho windows of tho
upper floors. When Meares reached safety
in the street, then he realized his wife was
not with him. AT that moment hook and
ladder company arrived. A ladder waa
quickly placed i'll position to window
which he said WIS his wlfes ROOM: Up the
ladder Policeman Merritt ran. The win
dow selected was not the right room. 1t it
was an unknown woman. who quickly
stepped out on to the ladder, and was car
ried down in safety. Then the ladder was
placed against tho window of Mrs. Meares'
room. 4 young fireman ran nimbly up to
help save tho woman who had already
stepped upon tho ladder. Meares ran up
the ladder to help tho two and stepped of
TO the roof of the velanda over the entrance
of the office to steady his wife when she
came down. She was very nervous, ana i'll
making the descent, sllpped, fell to the
sidewalk. and was picked up with Il sprained
ankle and several bruises.
In tho meantime Policeman Gallagher
rung tho alarm. which was followed by two
calls for Ambulnuces. The scenes at the
fire before the tire companies arrived were
heartrending. One man, name not known.
sprang from the Third story window, and
was anshed to death on the ground below.
People turned their faces away, mortified
at the sight. This WAS on the Sixth avenue
side of the building. moment later
another man leaped from n window on the
Fourth street side, and was instantly killed.
Sho tly attsrward two women jumped from
windows on Sixth avenue and were dead
when picked up. Their bodies were taken
TO the Thirteenth street station house, and
afterwards, being unidentified, we,e re-
moved to the morgue. Several others
dropped from the windows or slid down tho
ropes with which the rooms in the hotsl
are provided, and escaped with severe
burns. while many more had been injured
in the same way while going down tho fire
escapes and were in tho hands OF the am