The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1892-02-10
A DEATH TRAP.
Burning Of the Hotel Royal, il
New York City,
THIRTY PERSONS .KILLEE
And the Number Seriously Injured !
Also Very Large.
AN OCEAN OF FLAMES
Enveloped the Shrieking Inmates-Ap
AN OCEAN OF FLAMES
Enveloped the Shreking Inmates--Ap
palling Scenes of Horror.


New YORK, Feb. s-A disaster par
alleling in horror and probably exceed
ing in loss of life the terrible occur.
renee in Park Place, the remembrance
Of which is fresh in the public mind, oc
Cured in this city early Sunday morn
ing. The Hotel Royal, at Fortieth street
and Sixth avenue, was burned to the
ground and large number of people
were burned to death, many suffocated
by smoke and others crushed to death
in the ruins There were 100 guests in
the house at the time the fire broke out.
There were also some flfty-ave en-
ployes of the house. OF these six have
been found dead six are in the hospital,
and sixty-three have been reported
alive, either by themselves or friends.
1t is impossible to state the number
Of killed or injured with any positive,
ness The police place the number Of
killed at fifty, while they admit that
the number OF injured will be very
large. 1t was few minutes after 8 a.
m. when the flames were first discov-
cred. They never had better fuel The
building was composed of several old
structures, all amalgamated into the
Hotel Royal years ago The flames
kindled in the shaft of the elevator in
the basement, about the middle of the
building. A janitor was at work in the
basement at the time and frightened by
the flashing of flames, he rushed ia
the street and notified policeman who
sent in an alarm, while the janitol
rushed back into the building to arouse
the sleeping guests The blaze had al.
ready shot up the elevator shaft find.
ing kindling as inhammable as tinder
in the framework.
In fifteen minutes the whole of the
six-story structure was ablaze. Flames
spouted out of every window in the
front of the house and people in the
street could see persons rushing fran.
tically to and fro on every floor OF the
burning building. Three alarms were
sent out in rapid succession, and the
streets were soon filled with fire en-.
gines and trucks. Other alarms brought
ambulances from every hospital in the
city. People leaped out of the windows
to the sidewalks and were gathered up
unconscious, burned, manned and man.
gled by the fremen and carried to
places of safety. The most heroic ef.
forts of the fremen were impotent
against the devouring element and the
whole middle portion of the city was
brilliantly illuminated by the tremen.
dous fire which the hotel made.
The windows were filed with people
in their night clothing, making piteous
and heart-rending appeals to the people
below for help, while behind them was
a great sea Of flames Indeed, these
unfortunate beings seemed to be actual
ly in the fire Narrowing scenes were
witnessed by those who were bled
in sight of the burning hotel. One un-
known man sprang from window on
the third floor and was dashed to death
on the sidewalk below before the horri-
fed eyes of the spectators This terri
BILE scene was enacted on the Sixth ave-
nue. side of the building. A moment
later another man leaped from win
dow on the Fortieth street side and was
mangled TO death on the pavement.
Shortly afterward two women Jumped
from windows on the Sixth avenue side.
Willing hands soon grabbed them up,
but they were dead.
From other windows of the doomed
hotel men and women leaped in their
mad endeavor TO escape from the flames
and so far as known none of them were
killed outright, but many were badly
wounded. The numerous ambulances
and surgeons who were summoned as
soon us the fire was discovered had
more than they could do to attend to
the burned and injured people.
The hotel burned like n tinderbox.
The flames ragged fiercely, but above all
could be heard the cries for help from
the unfortunates penned in the build
ing. Firemen and spectators helped TO
rescue the imprisoned guests and en-
ployes Many were taken from the
windows where they sought refuge
from the flames and the hremen dared
smoke and flames TO save life. Sergeant
Ward and Patrolman Phillips wentinto
n room on the fourth floor and took
Walter II. Phelps and his wife in safety
down q ladder. officer Phillips sue
ceeded in saving Mrs Samuel Knapp,
OF Chicago, who was unable 10 save
herself and was about TO leap from q
window on the third floor
The walls Of the building fell while
the firemen were doing their utmost 10
stop the progress Of the flames, which
At that time threatened TO engulf not
only the hotel, but the entire block OF
buildings TO the south. When the walls
fell people were seen at several win.
dows on the upper floors crying for
help, but they fell back and were swal-
lowed up in the outburst of the flames
which rose from the ruins. How many
then met their deaths, how many were
suffocated in their rooms, is not known.
The flames of the burning building illu-
minated the sky for miles around and
drew thousands OF people to the scene,
which during the entire day was an OBJ
ject OF curiosity 10 an immense throng
Of people.
Late in the afternoon the firemen and
the police came TO the conclusion that
the number Of lives lost would be be-
tween twenty and thirty. but they ad-
mitted that their figures were only
based on snpposition. One hundred
men will be put TO work to-day and
then. II is expected, the fearful work of
the Ere viii soon be known.