Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-12-31

ALBANY. Dec. 3I.-The candidacy of
the several men for speaker of the assem-
bly, received startling baptism of fire
here. for the Delcvan House. that famous
hostelry known from Maine to California,
the Mecca of politicians and the center OF
all big state political events for 10 years.
was completely destroyed. Fire is not an
uncommon visitor, but fire such as this
has seldom been seen.
1t was last evening when the political
headquarters of both Messrs. Fish and
Malby were filed with politicians and
newspaper men. State Factory Inspector
Connolly. who had been in the lobby with
n number of people, started to go up the
elevator. He remarked that he smelled
smoke and suggested an investigation.
Before 1t could be begun there were cries
of fire from different passs of the house
simultaneously.
The outburst of flames before an alarm
could be given to arouse the inmates of
the rooms was something appalling. Up
the elevator shaft there shot q solid column
IF flames, and up the staircase near this
perfect flue shot another column.
As the mass of white. hot flame reached
each of the five floors. it branched out into
tongues of leaping destruction. and it
seemed as though the whole interior of
the structure was n scething mass.
Fortunately the guest list was not very
large and the majority of those registered
were politicians and were down on the
second floor, where Messrs- Fish and NAL
by had headquarters There was n rush
for the stairs in the front and the servants
stairs in the back, where the flames had
not yet reached, and in a few minutes
there was n tumbling mass of humanity
coming down these few means of egress.
Jumped From the Windows.
Those on the two upper floors could not
avail themselves Of these exits, for the
flames were rushing along the corridors,
and the people on the street, who had not
yet seen the flames, heard a crash Of glass
and saw figures come tumbling out of the
windows. Within ten minutes after the
first note of alarm ut least IL persons were
dangling on the insufficient rope fire es-
capes or hanging onto the window stills.
The department arrived quickly, but IL
took some time to get ladders up, and in
the meantime some of the people had
dropped to the street On the right side
of tho building there appeared at a win
dow surrounded by smoke man and n
woman. The man had hold of the woman
trying to persuade her to wait for help.
but she broke away and sprang out. She
struck n balcony and rebounded to tho
street.
The man waited for a ladder and was
taken down in safety. His name was II.
a. Foakcs, and he represented n cash reg
lister company in Dayton, .. The woman
was his wife and she will probably die.
In ex-Speakcr Malby's room, which was
to the rear of the elevator shaft, where the
fire first appeared, there was the greatest
excitement among the politicians, includ-
ing Congressman Weaver and Curtis, Sem
ator kiIburn and Mr.. Malby. \ rush was
made for the stairs, and when the party
landed in the street the only injured one
was found to- he Assemblyman Robbins,
whose hair and face were badly burned.
Slid Down the Fire Escape.
In Mr.. Fish's headquarters there was
less hurry because they Were near the
stairs All got down safely, but the ma
jority left their Luggage. f. a. Man.
chester of Auburn, postmaster of the as
scmbly, ran toward the baggage room for
his grip. aud on returning he found his
way blocked with flames and smoke and
rushed back to a window He smashed
it out and slid down the rope fire escape.
Although five stories high. there were
no outside fire escapes. and the only means
left for the people in the cut off rooms
was to use the rope fire escapes. Zen
Holman of Brooklyn was in the third
story. He opened his room door as soon
as he heard the cry of fire. A burst OF
means of escape. In an instant he had bu,
two alternativcs-a fiery death or q jump.
He chose the latter and plunged through
| the window When he was picked up from
| the sidewalk, he was found to b. badly In
| jurcd. He will die.
His wife. who was in the room with
| him. tried the fire escape but it either
broke or else she failed to hold to 1t. fol
she, too came to the pavement heavily
| Her right leg was broken. her left ankl,
| dislocatcd, and she was badly burned
about the face and head In less than II
| minutes after the fire started the entir,
structure was wrapped in flames From
| the windows of each of its five stories
| smoke poured in volumes, and n few min
utes later tho flames belched forth. In p
minutes tho building resembled a sceth
| ing crater, and it was plain to the thou
sands of spectators who had gathered tina
| il would be entirely destroyed.
| Edward Walsh, n porter, was caught il
I the hall. Before he could get out he wa
| very badly burned and had to be takon {.
| the hospital.
The department, with nine streams o
| water pouring into the building. could d.
absolutely nothing ut all to stop the on
slaught of the flames. and tho only hop
was to save surrounding property. Tn
hotel takes In the entire block, about Il
by $50 feet, and this was in l5 minutes
secthing caldron only bounded by tn
| four walls.
One Hundred Guests Lost Everything.
The wires of the Electric Light compan
were destroyed, and a section Of the cit
was in darkness save for the light OF th
fire.
OF the 100 or more guests at the hotel
not ono is known to have saved moro tina
l -In fh ON hnfr
Tho fire burned dercely for more tina
five hours and Is still burning this morn
ing.
The Legislators and others soon foun
quarters at other hotels, and Mr.. Fis
opened up his campaign in the Kenmore
but everything has been lost sight of 4
the fire.
The Dolevan House is so years old an
one o: the most famous hotels in the couI
try. 1t is part of the estate Of Edwar
c. Delevan. Hurry & Moore, the proprit
tors. paid $40. 900 year rental, and latel
had made vast Improvements In expects
ton of a big winters season. The tots
loss is estimated ut $500. 900. with an In
surance of $500. COO.
At 1890 the east walls fell in, and som
of the fircEen narrowly escaped bein
''uried. AT IL 80 the Broadway wall fe
ont, and ono fireman was buried in th
debris. He was taken out and is ne
thought to be dangerously hurt.
One of the incidents of the fire was th
escape of Miss Martin of New York. Il
was in the fourth story window on Il
Steuben street side when a ladder WI
raised. A messenger boy rushed up an
broke the window, thus freeing her.
Mr.. and Mrs. Bradley Martin, Bradle
Martin, Jr., and Mrs F. T. Martin we
guests at the hotel, having come here
bury their son Sherman. They We're G
the second floor in apartments. q gos
way from where the fro started. and Q
1 caned Mr. Martin when he reached II