The evening world., 1892-02-17
HAS he RUN AWAY :?
Night Clerk Underwood Missing
Since the Hotel Royal Fire.
Wanted as a Witness at the In
quest Begun To-Day.
Another Victim Added to the List
by tho Death OF u. Il. Lusbic.

The inquest into the cause OF death OF the
seventeen victims OF the Hotel Royal horror
OF sunday morning. Feb. Z, was begun at the
Coroners of1ce this morning by coroner
John B. Shea and jury OF twelve citizens.
The names OF the Identified victims OF the
fire were: Kate Reilly, Louisa Wood, Julia
Martin, Lena Cohn, II. Levy, Sarah Blake,
TelOn1o Townsend, Mary Bcglcy, Robert D.
Burgess, Eliza DOnOhue and Louis Levy.
Another charrcd body from the ruins was
partially Identified rs that Of Mrs. Harriet
Van Norden by her former seamstress, Mrs
Keegan.
The bodies OF five othcr unidentified victims
of the disaster which were inferred IN Pot
ter's Field are to be eXhumed to-day and
buried tomorrow In consecrated ground at
the expense of the proprietor OF the Hotel
Royal. Richard Meares.
Assistant District Attorney Townsend
looked after the interests Of the people. The
jury was composed as follows:
X. n. Anderson, foreman, architect "a Fifth
avenue; Chas. L. Taylor, st. Denis Hotel, 79a
Broadway; George Shrady, architect, Kings
bridge: Josiah /. Briggs civil engineer, Ford
ham; II. j. DOwry. tailor, . Beekman street
Edward i. Hartley, gents furnishing, 233o
Third avenue; Charles n. Villas, Fifth
Avenue Hotel; II. ". Natherlng, res
taurant Cortlandt street, near Church
Edward r. Mcrriheld Continental Hotel
90? Broadway; John W. Marshall, Superin
tendent, lO4 Post.o ONCE Building; George f.
street, near Tenth avenue, and Henry Hinkel,
tailor, 17D Third avenue.
This is the first important case that Coroner
Shea has had during his term OF ofce. He
has shown considerable tact in selecting a
jury. The inquest will probably not be con-
cluded before Friday.
W. q. Harding, the engineer OF the Hotel
Royal was the first witness called.
Engineer Harding said that he lived ut 3Ol
West Forty.third street. 1t was the duty OF
the night-clerk, he said. to make rounds OF
the upstairs stories. While the night-cleri
did this Harding used to remain in the Office
for him.
The night clerk made his rounds as usual
at . O'Clock and o'clock on the morning Ol
the fire. When the clerk returned from his ::
O'Clock tour, Harding went downstairs int
the basement to tend to his tlre In the engine
boiler
lie was suddenly startled to find that
smoke was blown down into the basement,
and rushing out he discovered the elevator
shaft oil abla2e.
lie hastened to arouse the guests OF the
hotel on the iirSt and second ilOors. and thcn
bethought himself OF four employees nslcep
In the basement. He went bach ana aroused
them.
Then he ran upstairs to awaken the women
help ON the top Moor and aid them To escapt
by the root. some Of them lie got out. He
hardly remembered anyt!ing IN re until he
was carried, bruised and burned, INTO
neighboring drug store and later to the Pres
byterian Hospital.
Assistant District Attorney Townsend
brought out the TACT that the gas tubing III
the elevator SHAFT had been working unsatis.
factorily early on the evening OF the iire, and
that the witness had Investigated the cause
OF It.
The witness rode up and down on top OF the
elevator and discovered that the gus Jet IN
the elevator went out as the car passed the
third floor.
Witness found q twist in the gas tubing
and remedipd II. After the fire. however, tn.
elevator boy told him that the gas had again
gone out.
Between . and 3 the witness escorted Mr..
Parkinson, OF Little Neck, l.. l., TO room lO4
on the third floor Later he escorted Harry
j. Levy, one OF the victims, TO room s., on the
Sixth avenue side OF the fourth floor.
At the time the fire broke out there was
only forty pounds OF steam IN the hote
boiler.
| ness.
EX-Surrogate Daniel G. Rollins, who ap.
| peared lor Lyman Israel, the owner OF the
hotel, and William Allen, counsel for Pro
priet Or Meares, entered the room while Engi
| neer Harding was teSiiIying.
| As Harding lett the stand the startling an
nouncement was made that Underwood
night clerk or the Hotel Royal, has beef
missing since the morning after the fire.
Coroner shea said his subpGna-servers had
| cndeavored In vain To locate Underwood.
ave must have that man, Your Honor
said Assistant District-Attorney Townsend.
gtA. all l.aN n
trict-Attorney and inspector Byrnes 10 hell
u.s." replied the coroner.
"You shall have all the help you need,
said the Assistant District-Attorney
Deputy Coroner Donlin swOrc that alto
gether there were eighteen victims OF The hoio
caust, the eighteenth being Oakley B
| LusDle, who uied at lO3 West FOrty-second
street some time after the fire. from injuries
sustained.
The deaths Of Lena Cohen, Louisa WOOD
and AN unknown man, DR.. Conlin said, were
| caused by fractured skulls ana that OF IOut'
| Levy, was due 10 conclscion OF the brain
These We're the victims who Jumped irom The
| blazing windows.
The other victims were either burned oil
Richard Meares, the proprietor Of the Hote
Royal, testified that Charles 5. Phens wa
associated with him In the proprletorshlp I"
the hotel.
| from their rooms on he third IlOor, and tha
was about all he was able 10 tell.
| He said that the owners OF he hotel wer,
| Lyman Israel ana the Rtid2rDock estate.
| Rope iire-escapes were put IN the hotel Il
| 1857.
lie couldn't swear whether there were any
| notices put up calm attention. 10 the ryp,
escapes ur not, and he didut know n was
violation OF law not TO Dut up such notices.
| His steward, VINO put up the escapes, wa,
! James II. Reilly. now " the Hotel NpudUme
and possibly he had put IN the notices.
| Nh. McarCS testified that there were no iirg
| pScaICS on the sixth avenue side OF the hotel
and swore that he had never made = cOutrar!
| statement 10 anyone.
lie did not know Inspector Seat0n and coulC
| not Tememter the character OF the Orde
| seryCd upun him by HE Building Department
IN relation to putting up rtre-escapos.
Billy Smith Whips Frank Kelly.