New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-08

to run through the people, and when the smoke
lifted again there on his back, WIN arms ouV
stretched lay man, dead
FUTILE CRIES FOR HELP.
Scarcely had the stir among the crowd at TINS
occurrence messurably subsidized when, apparently
from the centre Of that well of furious hre' there
came terrible wall: Help, help"
Jump. jump cried the tremen; it is your
only chance" But no human shape appeared
only that hopeless cry for help sounded from some
voice, but raised to weird pitch, sounded high
above the roaring OF The flames On u VIII ot
all right in the morning., came the strange cA
clamation fI0m out Of the burning mass ana then
the voice heard no more.
Mr. Meares came to the scene of the IRE early
yesterday morning. after haYlng had MS INJURIES
attended TO in Bellevue Hospital. lie told the
story of his escape and the rescue OF his vile
graphically.
when | first heard the alarm, / looked out
side and saw the flames running up the elevator
shaft. The fire then still confined 10 the IN
terror of the shaft, Yet in the hai minute winch
it took for NE TO put my trousers on the names
had almost reached me, and was apo 10 one nun
dred and fifty feet from the shaft. This shows
how swiftly the fire spread through the hotel l
called to Mrs. Meares TO follow me, ana hung a
coat over my head, and leaped over the burning
banisters sngeng the halr off my head as you
see. and burning and biisterng my hands badly.
My wife afraid to come, and when found she
had been left behind, got ladder, and aided by
q young man, placed it against the house. But
we struck the wrong room first. and brought out
another woman. Then the young man got my
wife, but when they were almost on the ground,
my wife either jumped or lost her balance She is
now in Bellevue Hospital but she is not fatally
injured. even seriously so. as shR suffers chiefly
from shock, and slightly from burns.
STANDING on 4 DIZZY HEIGHT
Another person who had narrow escape was a
guest, Clarence W. Kline, of lIazelton, Penn. He
had a room on the top floor of the hotel, at the
extreme southeast corner of the building and
when the fire broke out he climbed out on win
dow shutter, and stood in this dizzy position. hold
ing TO the roof, until he rescued He was
badly cut and burned, but escaped with his life.
The dead bodies of the two men and the two
women who were instantly killed by jumping out
of the windows were taken first to the Nineteenth
Precinct Police Station and then 10 the MOrgue,
after Coroner MESSENGER had viewed them which
he did at >: 80 a. IN. One man had turned over
in the air he fell, and striking iron railing
had broken his neck. The other hal fallen on his
back, and his skull terribly shattered. The
women were also badly disiigured and besides the
mortal injuries there were contuslons, fractures
and splintered bones throughout their bodies;
Danny" Burke. the dancer. now with Harrl-
gan, had lucky experience. He had a room on
the second floor Of the hotel, and his friend and
colleague, George +. Merritt, reused him from bed
on Saturday night about midnight, and asked
him 10 60 out. Burke was rather angry at being
disturbed but he acceded 10 Merritts request,
though he refused TO take SUN of $50 ont of
his trunk as Merritt wanted him to. Now ne is
sorry he didn't. but he firmly believes that there
Is such thing interposiiion of Providence, for
when he started for his hotcl again he found it
In flames.
OF the policemen OF the Nineteenth Precinct.
GTiF and Merritt did particularly good service, and
were commended by their superior officer. Ser
geant Sheldon, for their zeal and energy. They
aided bravely in the work of rescue and carried
women bodily from the burning building.
Mr.. Schocnfed, who lives on the ground floor
of the Hotel Royal is methOdical person, who
does not like to lose any personal property merely
on account Of a fire. Therefore, ne carefully
packed his trunk, putting all his valuabies INTO
u nf,fl. liz 4 fl.N tsyAnu
and then, with care for even the smallest things
DE strolled into the bathroom and got his tooth
brush Then he walked out into the street. ,.
who WAS on duty when the fire broke out, goes 10
show that proper precautions had not been taken
by the hotel people for the protection of the hotels
guests. There was no lre-alarm in The building,
he says that he aware Of, and neither was
there any way of waking the guests by electric
bells from the Office. From what he says it is
evident that if the Fire Department had been in
formed when he first discovered the blaze the loss
Of life would not have been great.
RAPID SPREAD OF THE FLAMES.
Il discovered the fire soon after it started,
said Mr. Underwood to Tribune reporter yester-
day. and fastened to the street to give the alarm.
A man passing the house at the time, and
told him to turn in an alarm. He started off on a
run, and l supposed he would inform the Depart
ment, but it was fully twenty minutes later
before an engine reached the hotel After | told
the stranger TO send il an alarm, | returned to
the office, and by this time the building in a
blaze from basement 10 roof Tie flames went up
the elevator shalt as if it were saturated with
Kerosene a door near the elevator burned
after the fire broke out, and this opening
being there tremendous draft was created.
never before saw anything burn rapidly and
Hereby. The place dry finder, ana
! do not believe it was five minutes after the lire
broke out when the flames were raging fercely in
every hallway from the first floor up TO the sixth.
Il tried to reach the first floor or the floor
above the office, by going up the main staircase:
i wanted 10 arouse the guests on that moor, AT
least. But | could not even get up that far
Tie windows in the rear of the house burned
out the flames went up the elevator
shaft. and an enormogs, draft was thereby created
in every hallway The building went up In
smoke just quickly if an explosion had
taken place. Tie man whom told 10 turn in the
alarm certainly could not have done so, for 1t
was twenty minutes after he left Inc before the
department arrived
NO NRE-ALARM IN THE OFFICE.
WAS there not firc-alarm in the Office"
Mr. Underwood asked.
Il don't think there was If there was one |
did not know of it," the reply.
Are there not fre-alarns in most of the hotels
in, New-York?7
"Yes, l believe there are, but there was no
fre-alarm in the Royal that l knew anything
about"
Have not the most of the New-York hotels
also electric hell in the rooms. 50 that the
guests can be aroused in case of fire."
That do not know anything about, but there
was no such system in the Royal The only way
they coulG be aroused Yas by pounding on the
doors. There were about 100 rooms in the house
and there were only twenty-One rooms vacant
when went on duty at o'clock. About eighteen
gueSs arrived during the evening, and there
were probably not more than six unOccupied rooms
when the fire started up the elevator-shaft
When found that | could not get TO the floors
above the office | went outside TO see what could
he done ! saw people in every window on the
Sixth-ave side. they were screaming loudly Tor
help. and III many cases were preparing 10 Jump
Three people did take the leap while | was stand
ing there also SIX seven men trying TO
reach the street by climbing down the rope Ere
escapes. did not one person reach the ground
In safety by this means. IL is difficult matter
~ slide down rope, especially when smoke and
flame are pouring out Of every window beneath
the person trying TO escape, and none of the men
saw hanging 10 the ropes succeeded in getting
hmm fonf from nd,,r