The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-09
Charred and Unrecognizable Bodies
Being Found in the Hotel
Royal Ruins.
The Work of Clearing Away the
Awful Funeral Pyre Being
0. Rapidly Pushed.
How Many Lives Were Lost Cannot BE
Known Until That Work IL En-
tirely Finished.

New YoRK, Feb. 8.-From a careful ex-
animation Of the Hotel ROYAL register and
journal. furnished by Clerk Underwood,
the number of persons in the building when
the fire broke out was 152. Eighty were
rescused before the walls collapsed and
sixty-one are still missing. Among those
rescued from the flaming building twenty
four were more or less seriously burned and
Der of those who were still
among the missing this morning may
have escaped. but until the great
heaps Of debris have been removed no one
can tell what will be disclosed. Up to two
O'Clock this afternoon four bodies we're
found and removed to the morgue. Three
bodies were those Of women and the fourth
that Of man. Added to five bodies at the
morgue yesterday, these make nine in all
recovered from the ruins. OF these only
one, that of Harry j. Levy, has been identi-
fed. The bodies removed to-day we're all
terribly burned and identification may be
impossible. The sixth body found is
thought to be that of Fanny Clark, of this
city. Walter Yates, the Philadelphia
clothier. is in very critical condition, and
The young woman who was taken to the
New York hospital suffering from q frac-
ture of the base of the skull. internal in
juries and burns, is said to be Eta Green,
formerly cashier at the Sturtevant house
She is not expected to recover. Mrs. w. s.
Lockard of this city is suffering from in
ternal injuries and is in a critical condition.
All others rescued from tho hotel, suffering
from burns or other injuries, are said to be
doing we'll.
Late this afternoon workmen found a
foot and part of leg in the ruins. At $3.50
body was found. It was SO badly burned
as to be unrecognizable. At 6:45 the elev-
enth body was brought to view. The legs
we're almost gone. the arms had been
burned off and the head crushed. In the
upper jaw a act Of false teeth were found
which looked like that of woman. A hum
dred men are at work on the debris and
will be kept going night and day until they
have completed the work OF clearing away
the ruins, (which in all probability will
take two or three day. Ono Of the bodies
recovered to-day has been identified as that
of A. A. Townsend. of New Haven, Conn.
A crowd has been at the morgue all day,
but they have been very orderly and there
is no trouble in keeping order. The officers
elected all who evidently had been at
tfacted there by mere curiosity.
steam derrick was placed in Fortieth
street and a number of electric lights
strung in order that work may be contin-
nod all night. Two moro bodies of women
we're recovered in the evening. One of
them was identified as Mrs. lewis. the
book makers wife. The body des-
ignated as No. 8 was recognized
as that of Miss Bagley, the house
keeper. Mrs. Hattie Van Warden, wife of
Harry @. Van Warden, manager of the
ROYAL Worcester Corset company. is un-
doubtedly among those who perished. The
woman had jewels worth between $4,000
and $4,000 in a chamois skin belt strapped
around her whist at the time Of the fire,
and the gems, together with valuable pa
pers, are in the ruins with her.
Several terribly burned bodies of men
were drawn from the ruins. One of the
Italians digging in the ruins fell in fit be-
fore midnight. He imagined he had sunk
his pick into the body of one Of the victims.
Mr.. and Mrs. MCLEAN, and Miss Maggie
Cummings, who were reported missing
turned up tonight.