The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-02-08
AWAKENED TO DE
Terrible Scenes at the Hole,
Royal Fire.
NO ONE KNOWS HOW MANY DEAD
Seven Blackened Bodies Removed
One Identified
THE STORY OF AN Awful NIGHT
Cra73d With Fear Guests Hurl Them.
selves from Windows.
NO ONE KNOWS HOW MANY DEAL
THE STORY OF AN Awful NIGHT

Eye-witnssses Tell of the Awful Rapidits
with which the Fire Consumed the
House-MiracuIous Escapes from Death
i'm a Most Horrible Form-Heroic Acts
of Fireman-He Makes a Bridge of
His Body and Several People Cross II
in sAfety--No One Knows How the Blaze
Originated - Place Where Regis
tering Under Fictitious Names Was
Common--Grotesque Crowds Assigned
to Rooms at the Gedney-Men, Women
and Children, Nearly Naked and Suffer
ing from Cold seek shelter.
TRNEw YORK, Feb. S-The destruction
of the Hotel Royal by the fire yes
terday paralelled the disaster in Park
place some time ago One hundred fire
men are still at work examining the
debris
Where the hotel stood is to-day a mass
of debris that lies in jagged pile not
more than four feet above the pavement,
That is all that is left to represent five
stories of human habitation-of a hotel
that housed from 800 to 400 nightly,
Under that ragged mass lies the
crushed burned, mangled bodies of
scores of men and women. When these
bodies may see the light of Identification
is a matter of conjecture.
The number OF dead can only be
guessed at. There were 40 rooms and
suites in the house, and every room was
taken at / o'clock yesterday morning A
large majority of the rooms had two
occupants. This would indicate that
there We're more than three hundred
people in the Inflated hotel. Less than
one hundred have been accounted for.
Every one known 20 have escaped was
either injured or suffered so much from
shock that removal to a neighboring
hotel or hospital was necessary.
story of the Fire.
The fire broke out few minutes after
8. a. m. and never lad fire better food
The building was composed of several
very old buildings, amalgamated into the
Hotel Royal some years ago.
The flame kindled at the front of the
elevator shaft, in the basement, at about
the middle depth of the building
The janitor was at work in the base
ment at the time, and he was suddenly
startled by the flashing up Of flames.
He rushed to the street and notified the
policeman on the Sixth avenue corner,
who sent in an alarm while the janitor
rushed back into the building to arouse
the sleeping guests
The blaze had already shot up the
elevator shaft, finding kindling'as inflam-
mable as tinder in the framework.
The Instrument of Death.
The elevator shaft-that instrument of
death in scores of great fires-had drawn
the flames up, and by the time the alarm
was turned in the fire was breaking from
the roof, the building was doomed and
its occupants in the hands Of Providence.
While the elevator shaft WAS an ele-
ment of destruction, it was also an
instrument of salvation. The flames
shot up this great tlue with a roar like
that Of cyclone, and this great noise
aroused many to a realization OF their
danger and warped them TO escape from
a horrible heath. Those aroused by this
great roar of the flames shouted the
warning TO their fellow guests.
Then came scene of terror and horror
probably never equaled in the city of
New York AT almost every window on
the Fortieth street and sixth avenue
fronts of the hotel appeared whiCe-robed
figures of men and women, their faces
blanched and distorted with terror, and
their voices raised in hesr5rending
chorus of supplication TO Goa and man
TO save them,
ktorV Of uu Iye-Uituess
The most intelligent description Of the
holocaust was given 10y James T. Powers,
who is stopping at the Gedney House
II have been trying TO sleep, said Mr.
Powers, "but / can't do it, No sooner
do / close my eyes than the whole thing
comes back to me like a horrible night
mare
MY God It was terrible! Those poor
men and poor women! 1 can hear them
Shrek even now
81 was standing ON the corner, just
on, side the hotel, smoking a cigar and
talking TO q friend.
II happened TO glance through Fortieth
street over TO Sixth avenue, when / saw
little bit ol flame break out OF the roof
of the Hotel Royal.
"Hellop says {. IL guess the roofs on
fire and ] went over leismcly TO see
what itamounted to.
VI had gone but few yards when the
whole roof seemed ablaze in an instant.
''l ran over aud looked through the
Office Windows. anc saw one big sheet OF
fame tnal appeared to run from the
ground floor .raislJ up the air shaft tc
the roof, illuminating every floor like a
furnace
Piteousiy Crying to BE saved.