Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-02-11

ing in its horrible scenes the Park Place
disaster of few months ago, and, it
may be, exceeding it in the number of
Its victims, occurfed this morning.
The Hotel Royal, at Sixth avenue
and Fortieth street, was burned to the
ground.
The guests, aroused from sleep by |
dame and smoke, hurled themselves |
rom windows, or, unable to escape,
were suffocated by smoke, burned by |
the flames and crushed by the falling
walls
How many persons persisted is not
definitely known, and probably never |
will be.
DEAD AND MISSING.
There were 1870 people in the building
when the fire broke out, 1876 guests and
So employees. OF these 140 have been
accounted for and the rest are missing.
Only five bodies have been taken from
the ruins, and four other persons, two
men and TWO women, jumped from the
bukning building and were dashed to
pieces on the ground below.
HE WAS TOO LATE.
The fire broke out shortly after g
O'Clock. TIE janitor was at work in
= the basement when he was suddenly
startled by the flashing up of flames,
> which ran rapidly up the elevator shaft
He rushed at once to the street and
told policeman to send in an alarm.
Then he ran back to the burning build
ing to alarm the guests.
he was too late. The flames, rushing
up the elevator shaft, found excellent
food In the dry and rotten timbers of
the Oh building.
WHAT ACTOR POWERS SAW.
Before the janitor returned James T.
Powers, the actor, who was standing in
thf corner of the front of the Gedney
H$use, q block away, saw the roof
ablaze. in 10 minutes flames Tapped
from every window of the sixth story.
What followed is best described by
Actor Powers, who saw the dreadful
work OF the flames. This is the story
he told me:
II was standing on the corner just
outside the hotel smoking cigar and
talking to friend. l happened to
glance through Fortieth street over to
sixth avenue when saw a little bit of
flame break out of the roof Of the Hotel
Royal.
Hello says I, i guess the roof is on
hre. And went over leisurely to see
~ aAuOuntch w.
CRYING FOR HELP.
II hadn't gone but few yards before
the whole roof seemed ablaze in an
instant. ran over and looked through
the Office windows, and saw one big
sheet of flame thatappeared to run from
the ground floor clear up the shaft to
the roof, Illuminating every floor like
furnace. Instantly every window
seemed filed with men, women and
chillren crying out piteously for those
belfw TO save them. Take us down.
.Fof Gods sake save US Don't let us
burb to death
My God, it was terrible, can see
th9m and hear them now. Oh, what a
teItible old tire-trrp it must have been
1.-THE few men who were on the scene
actd like madmen. / suppose | must
haFe done so myself, but | grabbed a
In and told him for his life to run to
fe nearest tire-alarm box and send in
IA alarm. He did so. 1t seemed an age
Nefore the firemen got there, and |
veally belieye,it was 10 minutes before
Ihe first ladder was raised, and the
building then was almost one mass OF
hames.
JUMPED TO THEIR DEATH.
"The poor wretches, many of them
crazed with fear, jumped from the win
dows. | saw one man jump from the
fourth story. The poor devils clothes
were on fire, and he came down like 8
stone and struck the sidewalk only
few feet away from me. | shut my eye,
SO as not to see him, but heard hin
strike with sound that made my blood
run cold.
"When / opened my eyes he lay Their,
a mangled corpse with his brains scat
tered over the sidewalk.
ONE woMAN's DEATH.
"Another, woman, entirely nude
saving a scant garment, appeared at
third-story window and climbed up t,
the window sill. We shouted to her no
to jump, but she seemed to entirely hay
lost her senses. The tiremen had Jus
got ladder up to her window whe
she climbed right over brave firema
who was trying to rescue her.
"He tried to grab her, but she was o
his back and he couldn't. Then sh
rolled off and fell head first to the side
\ walk, and was instantly killed.
"The other mon jumpeds from tn
third story, and believe they were ais
killed. | saw man, too, at the thir
story window furthest toward Thirty
ninth street take three little girls and
woman and pass them along the cornie
into an adjoining window in the ne,
building. Then he followed them.
was brave, heroic act and fearful
dangerous, but all were saved
SAW FIFTEEN FALL BACK.
81 saw at least Is men and wome
rush to the windows, look ont despai
ingly and then fall back into the fam
Whether any were saved do not kno,
1t was impossible to get in the hot
through the office, because it was all
mass OF flame in few moments and
would have been madness for anyone
have attempted ii.
"fhe elevator shaft must have be-
burned instantly and cut of escapeear
both by elevator and stairways. 3
many people, too, must have escape
having been promptly awakened by 4
clerk and employees.
SHE FELL IN HIS ARMS.
'45everal dashed by me out of t
office with only their night clothes G
and even then they had their hair al
clothes s!nged and scorhed One
these was Mrs. White, believe, W
fell into my arms exhausted and almt
in faint.
81 took her over here to the Gedn
House, Where she was cared for. 1