Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-02-08
The" Royal" Destroyed
Sunday Morning.
BRAVE WORK OF fIREMEN'
People Jump From Windows and Are
Crushed on Pavements.

NEW YORK, Feb a--An appalling catas-
trophe, paraileling in horror and perhaps
sGcseding in loss of life the PAX place
diaaster Of last summer, occurred in this
ciby early yesterday moring The Hotel
Royal, at Sixth avenue and Fortieth
street, opposite Bryant park, was COM
pietely destroyed by hre, and large num-
Der Of people were burned, suffocated and
crushed in the ruins. Five burned,
mangled and disngured bodies. within q
short time after the breaking out Of the
flames, were removed to the morgue, and
10 Is feared that soores Of other victims
are buried In the ruins.
The fire broke out shortly after o'clock
and spread with fearful rspidity, tho
flames soon enveloping the entire building
ana ,utting off all means OF escape for the
guests rooming in the upper stories of the
building. The origin of the firc Is un-
known. 1t started in the basement, near
heelevator shaft, which was located In the
middle of the building.
The flames were first seen pouring out
Of the cupOla on the roof, directly over the
elevator shaft, by an engineer On = Sixth
avenue elevated railroad train, who
stopped His Engine
directly in front Of the hotel and blew the
locomotives whistle loudly and continu-
eusly. This unusual sound awoke many
sleeping people in the hotel and brought
policemen so the scene, who at once sent
out fire alarm from q nearby signal box.
meanwhile tho employees Of the hotel on
night duty sought TO arouse the guests by
their cries of "Fire" So rapidly, how
ever, did the flames increase, that 1t
seemed an age before the firemen arrived,
although tho first apparatus ratified up to
the scene within few minutes after the
alarm was sent out. The desperate
character of the fire became at once ap-
parent to the 6re chief in charge, who
promptly rang three more alarms In quick
succession.
Meanwhile, hcart-rending aud sickening
scenes, that appalled, even the experienced
flremen and police were being en- acted.
The Mortified Gro wd that had quickly
gathered In the sire cts about the doomed
building saw men and women, clad only
In their night clothes. jump from the up
per stories and fall upon the stone flag.
ging OF the sidewalks
Crushed to Death
or seriously injured. Every window Of
the building seemed filled with men,
WOhlCh uuo ce' PAN~oeeey
TO those below to save them. Some OF
these were certainly burned to death, as
the police say they saw them suddenly
disappear from view. while Rerat masses
Of flames burst out of the windows where
the wretched victims had Just been stand
ing
The first hook and ladder company ar
rived about seven minutes after the flames
were discovered, and fremen at once run
up ladders to the hotel windows. Firemen,
policemen and citizens mounted the lad
ders and carried down women and chill
dsen to places Of safety. They worked
very rapidly, for by this time the staircascs
and elevator shafts In the building were
snveloped In flames The fire escapes in
the rear of the building afforded q means
q escape to some, whilst the fire ropes
provided In all rooms were utilized by
many male guests In reaching the street.
Frederick Uhlmann, n dealer In hops,
who has been guest at Hotel Royal for
years, had room On the second floor. He
escaped down stairs to the street with
difficulty, with only an overcoat to cover
his nakedness Mr.. Uhlmann lost every
thing In his room,
Including ei2. 900 In Cash.,
several checks and notes and other valu-
able business documents. He was very
cheerful, however, because his mother and
brother, who lived with him At the hotel,
had left town Saturday.
The flames threatened to envelope ad-
joining buildings, and the fremen did
their utmost to prevent this. When the
walls of Ithe hotel fell, people at several
windows on the top floor, crying for help,
-. L.. q