Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-08


tion was perilous. To run down stairs
for two flights meant death, and so he,
swinging himself over the handrail,
dropped twenty feet to the ground floor.
He landed on his feet without broken
bone, and made his way to the street.
Meares was among the first to leave
the burning building, and when he
made his exit not a fire engine had ar
rived. But even in those few minutes
the flames had gotten a grip on the
fated structure and flames were shooting
from all the windows of the upper
floors.
THE LANDLADY RESCUED.
When Meares reached safety in the
street, then he realized that his wife
was not with him. At that moment a
hook and ladder company arrived. A
ladder was quickly placed in position to
the window which he said was of his
wife's room. Up the ladder Policeman
Merritt ran. The window selected was
not the right room. In it was an un-
known woman, who quickly stepped
onto the ladder and was carried down
in safety.
Then the ladder was placed against
the window of Mrs. Meares's room. A
young man ran nimbly up to the
woman, who had already stepped upon
the ladder. Meares ran up the ladder
too, and stepped off to the roof of the
veranda, over the entrance to the office,
to steady his wife when she came down.
She was very nervous, and in making
the descent slipped, fell to the sidewalk,
and was picked up with sprained ankle
and several bruises.
In the meantime Policeman Gallagher
rang an alarm, which was followed by
two calls for an ambulance.
HoRRIFYING SIGHTS.
The scenes at the fire before the fire
companies arrived were heartrending.
One man, name not known, sprang
from a third-story window and was
dashed to death on the ground below.
People turned their faces away, horri-
fed at the sight. This was on the Sixth
avenue side OF the building. A mo-
ment later another man leaped from a
window on the Fortieth-street side and
was instantly killed. Shortly afterward
two women leaped from windows on
Sixth avenue, and were dead when
picked up. Their bodies were taken to
the Thirtieth-street station house, and
afterwards, unidentified, removed to
the morgue.
At that hour the known dead num-
bered four. Several others dropped
from windows or slid down ropes, with
which every room in the hotel was pro-
vided, and escaped severe burns, while
many more were injured in going down
the fire escapes, and were in the hands
of the ambulance surgeons from the
Bellevue and New York hospitals. The
surgeons had their hands full in taking
care OF the injured and manned.
All this time the fire was raging
fiercely, and it was evident that the
building was doomed. The structure
burned like tinder.
THE WORK OF RESCUE
| The work of rescuing the guests still
went on, and many we're taken from
| windows by firemen and policemen,
1 Sergeant Ward and Patrolman Philips
OF fire patrol No. 2, went on the fourth
| floor front and rescued Walter III.
! Phelps and wife, taking them down a
ladder safely. They also succeeded in
saving Mrs. Samuel Kniff, who was
about to leap from one of the windows
of the third floor.
GUESTS EXPERIENCES.
| Mr.. Frederick Uhlman had been a
guest at the hotel for years, and lived
with his brother Simon and mother.
The two latter yesterday went to their
country residence, at Lakewood, N. j.
Mr.. Ulhman had gone to bed shortly
after l O'Clock, and was sleeping
soundly when he was awakened by the
&c ha IoI, nc
| for help of the inmates of the house. He
directly over the office, into the hall,
| found it filled with smoke and was
forced back into his room. Again he
made the attempt, and falling over some
obstacle in the passage way, succeeded
capped with only his overcoat to cover
his nakedness. Mr.. Uhlmann lost
everything in his room, including $12,-
600 in cash; general checks, notes and
other valuable business documents were
lost. Despite his loss, however, Mr..
Uhlmann was cheerful today, for he
said eli mother and brother had not
gone away Saturday, they would have
been burned.o
SOME MARROW ESCAPES.
Among the narrow escapes was that
of H. G. Tompkins, OF this city, who
was a transient guest at the hotel. He
was awakened from his slumbers by a
cry OF fire. He got up and went into
the hallway, but escape down the stairs
was impossible. Collecting his valua-
bles, he escaped out of the window down
rope. In descending, the flames from
second-story window burned his hands
and scorched his hair.
Mrs. +. Knapp of Chicago had a room
on the fifth floor. She had presence of
mind enough to wrap wet towel
around her head to prevent being suffo-
Gated, went to window end waited
until rescued by burly policeman.
Mrs. Kneper and daughter of Flem-
ington, N. j.. occupied room on the
third floor front. They were taken
from their room down a ladder. They
lost all their clothing save the night
dresses which they had on, and were
cared for by Mrs. s. Knight of West
Fortieth street. Mrs. Kneper suffered
from the shock, and Miss Kneper's long
black hair was singed by the flames
which burst over her head as she
stepped on the ladder. Mrs. Knight
rendered temporary hospitality, and
had no less than nine homeless people
there at one time. Among those who
accepted her hospitality was young