Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-08

were allowed within the boundaries.
The news of the disaster spread through
the length and breadth Of the city, and
the friends of those who lived in the
hotel hurried to the spot in fear and
trembling.
One of the most thrilling escapes was
that of young man named j. Noonan,
OF Jersey City. Noonan recently mar
ried and had just returned from an ex-
tended wedding trip. He came to the
city yesterday to celebrate the event
with his friends, and after night Of it,
went to the Hotel Royal and took room
on the fourth floor. Noonan, awakened
by shouts of fire, looked about for way
to escape. Flames filled the halls and
he went to window, swinging himself
from the sill to the window below. and
from one window to another until he
reached the ground.
HISTORY OF THE HOTEL.
The hotel was built over twenty-five
years ago. In 1882 it was remodeled and
an addition built on the south side. The
house was the home of many persons in
the theatrical profession, and was pa
tronized chiefly by tourists. Many
families, however, made it their perma-
| aOAb PldC6 vi I6slu6uCo.
After the fire was sufficiently cooled,
the search made for the dead was at
once rewarded by the finding of
charred body almost burned to q crisp.
1t was identified as that of Henry j
Levy. The walls were in a dangerous
condition, and it was deemed necessary
to pull them down before continuing the
search for the dead.
A force OF 100 men will be put to work
tomorrow morning clearing away the
debris. The loss on the hotel and fur
niture is estimated at $250,000 The
building was owned by Hyman Israel, a
furniture dealer on the Bowery.
| SCENES AT THE MoRGUE.
At the morgue the5scenes that charac-
terized 1.-THE Park place disaster were re-
enacted. At O'Clock the first dead
wagon arrived from the scene of the
holocaust, bringing four unknown
bodies. At 1915 the body of I'll. j.
Levy, travelling salesman, was brought.
Miss Mamie Fiaherty came with two Of
her friends to inquire after Kate Riley,
chambermaid who, she said, was
without doubt dead. Eliza Brady, OF
No. 40 Chambers street, came to inquire
for her sister Ann, employed at the no
tel. She failed to find her, and went
away weeping bitterly. Several persons
called to see if Mrs. Van Norden was
among those whose bodies were recov-
cred. She was the wife of a travelling
salesman.
THE PRoPRIEToR's STORY.
Richard Meares, the proprietor of the
Hotel Royal, said today, he went to the
clerks desk about IL 80 and ascertained
that all but four of the ITO rooms and
suites in the house were taken. He
estimated that there were about 100 or
lao people in the house, all told, at that
hour. He learned later, he said, that
the other four rooms were taken before
a. m. He told his experience, as all
ready related, and also various incidents
connected with the fire. Mr.. Meares
says when he reached the street III Z
/ half-dazed condition, he realized for the
first time that his wife was still in her
room and ran frantically up and down
the street. No one was in sight. Over
head the flames were leaping from the
elevator cupola in great sheets. Hur-
riedly engines began to dash up and
then the air was filled with shouts and
cries OF distress. The inmates OF the
building had suddenly awakened to
the sense of their danger. Heads
appeared at every window, quickly fol-
lowed by volumes of smoke and
tongues of flame. Amid the babel of
voices, Meares detected familiar cry.
He appealed to the foreman of the lad
der truck, and in an instant the top OF
the ladder rested upon the window
ledge. Pushing aside the fremen, the
landlord scaled The ladder himself. He
found he had mistaken the window,
| but saved life, for he took down a half
senseless, whiterobed figure, and then
turned ladder till it stood beneath his
wiie's window. This time a slender
young man was too quick for him, beat
ing him to the window by half length
of the ladder. Halfway down the lad
der either the young man missed his
footing, or his strength gave out, for he
dropped Mrs. Meares.
BRUTAL POLICEMAN.
Half crazed, the husband says he does
not know whether he fell or whether he
clambered down the ladder, but he
started to find his wife, when big po-
liceman with a heavy, black beard,
whose name he says he would give
considerable sum to ascertain, stopped
him and demanded to know his busi-
ness.
Il am proprietor of the hotel" he
said, land am looking for my wife,"
At this, he said, the officer shouted to
a fellow policeman: "Here's the owner
of the building. Don't you think he'd
better look after his house instead of his
wife,"
At this they laughed, and, despite his
urgent entreaties, he was not permitted
to follow Mrs. Mearee, and it was not
till an hour later that he learned her
fate.
AN INDEsCRIBABLE SPECTACLE.
Meares said the spectacle for twenty
minutes after he reached the street
was beyond his powers of portrayal,
men and women in upper windows,
clothed only in robes de mutt, shrieked
and gesticulated frantically, and were
only prevented from jumping by fire.
men who shouted encouragement to
them, but the flames waxed fiercer, and
presently human form plunged from
the fourth story and struck the street
head foremost, while his blood and
brains splashed upon the by-standers.
Another and another shot downward
until three bodies lay bleeding and mo-
tionless. Mr.. Meares said he could
stand no more. and got away from the