River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-02-11
HEMMED IN BY FLAMES.

HEMMED IN BY FLAMES.
Guests of the Hotel Royal In New York
City Awakened to Find the Build
ing I'm n Blaze-Msny Persons Perish
Five Dead Bodies Recovered and Scores
Are Missing.
New YORK, Feb. s.-The Hotel
Royal, that well-known landmark
which has stood for more than quar-
ter of a century at the southeast cor
ner of Sixth avenue and Fortieth
street, was burned to the ground
early Sunday morning and a 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 house. 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.
1t is feared that a search of the vast,
smoking pile of debris in the cellar of
the hotel will reveal many CHASTITY
finds II was reported at late hour
that no less than 100 people were still
unaccounted for Soon after the fire
broke out ambulances arrived from
the various hospitals. Many physicians
whose residences are in the neighbor-
hood were quickly on the scene and
did all they could to relieve the injured.
OF the dead, only one body has been
identified-that of Harry c. Levy, of
the firm of Levy. Strauss & Freeman,
wholesale clothiers at 707 broadway.
OF the other four two are women and
two men. The injured, so far as
known are:
Clarence w. Klein 80 years old, single, law
yer, Hazleton, Pa, partially sufocated and
burned, injuries not fatal, taken to Bellevue
hospital; Walter l.. Yates, 80 years old,
clothier OF Philadelphia, condition serious,
burns and Commissions; Mrs. Isabella Mears,
wife OF the proprietor, injuries not serious, will
recover, taken to Bellevue hospital; Herbert
Harding, engineer OF the Hotel Royal, fatally
burned while trying - rescue woman, several
ribs broken, taken 10 hospital.
The scenes at the fire before the fire
companies arrived were heartrending.
One man whose name is not known
sprang from a third-story window and
was dashed to death on the ground be-
low. This was on the Sixth avenue
side of the building. A moment later
another man leaped from a window on
the Fortieth street side and was in
stantly killed. Shortly afterward two
women jumped from windows on the
Sixth avenue side and were dead when
picked up. The bodies were taken to
the Thirtieth street station house, and
afterwar1, unidentified, removed to
the morgue.
When the walls fell people were seen
at several windows on the top floor
crying for help, but they fell back and
were soon buried in the ruins The
flames of the burning building nlu-
mined the sky for miles around and
drew to The scene-which during the
entire day was an object of curiosity
an immense throrg of people.
After the fire had sufficiently cooled
TO permit partial examination of the
ruins a search was made for the dead
The search was at once rewarded by
the finding of a charred body almost
burned to crisp. 1t was almost I'M
recognizable, but was identified as that
of Henry j. Levy from a ring on one
of the fingers The walls were in a
dangerous condition and it was deemed
necessary to pull them down before
continuing the search for the dead. A
force of 100 men will be put to work
at once clearing away the debris.
The loss on the hotel property is es-
timated at $3.50, 900. The building was
owned by Hyman Israel, furniture
dealer on the Bowery. The Hotel
Royal was built more than twenty-five
years ago. 1t was formerly kept by
Messrs Peris & Butler, but Mr. Meares
leased it thirteen years ago In 1882
the building was remodeled ard an adj
dition was made on the south side.
sons in the theatrical profession and
was patronized chiefly by transients
for a night.
The guest who probably had the
most narrow and at the same time
most marvellous escape was NJ. L. Har-
man, a travelling salesman for a St.
Louis wholesale grocery house. He
resistered at the hotel on Saturday
evening with his wife. He said:
~ had q room on the fifth floor, and was
aroused from sleep by a loud cracking noise
and by the sound of whistle which think
from one OF the engines on the elevated
road. 1 opened my door and discov-
cred that the stairway leading TO the
lower floors was in blaze. The hall was filled
with smoke, and as IL poured 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 IL
and there seemed TO be as much smoke on the
outside as there was in the hallway, for the
room soon filed with smoke from that direc-
ton.
Both my wife and would have sufocated in
the room had not taken two towels which i
soaked with water. These we used TO keep the
smoke out of our lungs by holding them over
our mouths and nostrils. l tried TO find fire
escape near our window, but there was none,
and thought at one time that we should never
get out Of the room alive.
at was certain death TO jump five'stories and
as il was either that or burn TO death said TO
my wife; Matte, am going TO shoot you and
then kill myself / concluded that ii would be
better to die that way than burn to death, and
as always sleep with a revolver under my pill
low hurried to the bed TO get it. BY this time
the flames were coming up through the cracks
of the floor and through the cracks Of the door.
Just as was about to shoot MY wife the
floor fell with crash and we went down
probably two stories. The flooring stopped
opposite q window and my wife jumped
out and landed on the portico beneath.
A rope was hanging out OF this win
dow, and with this assistance man
aged 10 get down another story, but here
I slipped and fell TO the portico beside my wife.
picked her up, but was unable 10 carry her,
and was almost suffocated and the fall had in
jured me. was endeavoring TO reach a ladder
10 carry her down TO the street, when two fire
mo fDalr har mo / reached