Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1892-02-13
HEMMED IN BY FLAMES.

Ing In N Biaze-Many Persons Perish
Five Dead Bodies Recovered and Scores !
Arc Missing.
New YORK, Feb. S.-The Hotel
Royal, that well-known landmark
which has stood for more than a quar-
ter of century at the southeast cor
street, was burned to the ground
early Sunday morning and a large
of people were burned,
suffocated and crushed in the ruins.
At the time of the disaster there were
nearly .150 guests in the house. The
hotel employees, all told, number fifty
five. OF this number of people five
have thus far been found dead, six are
in the hospital and sixty three have
been reported alive.
1t is feared that search of the vast,
smoking pile of debris in the cellar of
the hotel will reveal many CHASTITY
finds. 1t was reported at late hour
that no less than 100 people were still
unaccounted for. Soon after the fire
broke out ambulances arrived from
the various hospitals. Many physicians
whose residences are in the neighbor-
hood were quickly on the scene and
did all they could to relieve the injured.
OF the dead, only one body has been
identified-that of Harry c. Levy, of
the firm of Levy, Strauss & Freeman,
wholesale clothiers at 707 Broadway.
OF the other four two are women and
two men. The injured, so far as
known are:
Clarence w. Klein 80 years old single, law
yer, Hazleton, Pa, partially suffocated and
burned, injuries not fatal, taken to Bellevue
hospital; Walter l.. Yates, 90 years old,
clothier of Philadelphia, condition serious,
burns and contusions; Mrs. Isabella Mears,
wife of the proprietor injuries not serious, will
recover, taken to Bellevue hospital; Herbert
Harding, engineer of the Hotel Royal, fatally
burned while trying to rescue woman, several
ribs broken, taken to hospital.
The scenes at the fire before the fire
companies arrived were heartrending.
One man whose name is not known
sprang from third-story window and
was dashed to death on the ground be-
low. This was on the Sixth avenue
side of the building. A moment later
another man leaped from window on
the Fortieth street side and was in
stantly killed, Shortly afterward two
women jumped from windows on the
Sixth avenue side and were dead when
picked up. The bodies were taken to
the Thirtieth street station house, and
afterward, unidentified removed to
the morgue.
When the walls fell people were seen
at several windows on the top floor
crying for help, but they fell back and
were soon buried in the ruins. The
flames of the burning building illu-
mined the sky for miles around and
drew to the scene-which during the
entire day was an object OF curiosity
an immense throng of people.
After the fire had sufficiently cooled
to permit partial examination of the
ruins a search was made for the dead
The search was at once rewarded by
the finding of charred body almost
burned to crisp. 1t was almost un
recognizable. but was identified as tha
of Henry j. Levy from ring on ont
of the fingers. The walls were in q
dangerous condition and it was deemed
necessary to pull them down before
continuing the search for the dead. 4
force of 100 men will be put to worl
at once clearing away the debris
The loss on the hotel property is es
timated at S25O,O0O The building wa
owned by Lyman Israel, furnitur
dealer on the Bowery. The Hcte
Royal was built more than twenty-five
years ago. 1t was formerly kept b,
Messrs- Peris & Butler, but Mr.. Meare
leased it thirteen years ago. In 1Ss
the building was remodeled and an ad
dition was made on the south side
The house was the home of many pei
sons in the theatrical profession an
was patronized chiefly by transient
for night.
The guest who probably had tn
most narrow and at the same tim
most marvellous escape was M. l.. Hal
man, a travelling salesman for s.
Louis wholesale grocery house. Ii
resistered at the hotel on Saturda
evening with his wife. He said:
'I had room on the fifth floor, and WI
aroused from sleep by loud cracking noi'
and by the sound OF u whistle which thir
was from one of the engines on the elevate
road ] opened my door and disco
cred that the stairway leading to Il
lower floors was in o blaze. The hall was tillt
with smoke, and as 1t poured into n
, closed 1t, knowing that there was no escape tn
J way. then went to the window and opened
and there seemed to be as much smoke on u
outside as there was in the hallway, for Il
, room soon filed with smoke from that dire
| ton.
, "Both my wife and would have sufrocated
tho room had not taken two towels which
soaked with water. These we used to keep d
: smoke out OF our lungs by holding them or
: our mouths and nostrils 1 tried to find a Il
, escape near our window but there was nor
and 1 thought at one time that we should nev
get out OF the room alive,
5 'It was certain death TO jump avestories a.
Us 1t was either that or burn to death / said
, my wife; Matte, am going to shoot you n
then kill myself 1 concluded that 1t would
better TO die that way than burn to death, n
U as always sleep with o revolver under my =
: low hurried to the bed to get it, BY this til
: the flames were coming up through the crac
Of the floor and through the cracks of the do
Just as 1 was about to shoot my wife
floor fell with u crash and we went do'
J. probably two stories. The flooring stopp
v opposite u window and my wife jump
a out and landed on the portico benea