The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-12-31
FAMOUS HOTEL BURNED.
The Headquarters Of New York
State Legislators.
HALF A DOZEN BADLY INJURED.


Two Of These May Die Of Their wounds.
Reports That Bodies Are Buried in the
Ruins-0uests of the Hotel Lose An Their
Ensots.
ALBANY, Dec. 91.-The candidacy Of the
several mon for speaker of the assembly
received startling baptism of fire here
last night, for the Delevan House, that
famous hostelry known from Maine to
California, the mecca Of politicians and
the center of all big state political even
for forty years, was completely destroyed.
Fire such as that Of last night has seldom
been seen.
It was $50 o'clock. and the political
headquarters Of both Mr.. Fish and Mr..
MaIby were filed with politicians and
newspaper men. 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 a solid column Of flames, while up
the staircase near this perfect fiue shot an
other column. AS the mass reached each
of the five floors 1t branohed out into
tongues of leaping destruction, and 1t
seemed as though the whole interior Of the
structure was o seething mass.
Fortunately the list Of guests was not
very large, and the majority Of those reg
istered were politicians and were down on
the second floor, where Mr.. Fish and Mr..
Malby had headquarters. There was q
rush for the stairs In the front and the SER
wants stairs In the back, WHERE the flames
had not yet reached, and in few minutes
there was tumbling mass Of humanity
coming down these few means Of egress
Those on the two upper floors could not
avail themselves Of these exits, for the
flames were rushing along the corridors,
and people on the street, who had not yet
seen the flames, heard crash of glass and
saw figures come tumbling out of the win
dows. Within ten minutes after the first
alarm at least twelve persons were dang
ling on the insufficient rope fire escape or
hanging on to window sills.
The department arrived quickly, but 1t
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 the building there appeared at q win
dow surrounded by smoke man and o
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 q balcony and rebounded to the
street. The man waited fiona ladder and
was taken down in safety. His name
was II. A. Foakes, and he represented a
cash register company in Dayton, o. The
woman was his wife, and will probably die.
In ex-Speaker Malby's room, which was
to the rear of the elevator shaft where the
fire first appeared, there was the greatest
excitement. About twenty politicians
were there, including Congressman Cur
tbs and Weaver, Senator Kilburn and Mr.
Malby. A rush was made for the stairs
and when the party landed in the street
the only one injured was found to be As
semblyman Robbins, whose hair and face
were badly burned
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 baggage. e. A. Manches.
ter, of Auburn, postmaster Of the assem-
bly,, came towards the baggage room for
his grip Returning ho found his way
blocked with flames and smoke, and rushed
back to 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 tho
rope fire escapes.
Ben Heilman, of Brooklyn, was in the
third story. He opened his room door as
soon as he heard the cry Of fire. A burst
of flame made him look to the window as
the means of escape. In an instant he had
but two alternatives-a fiery death or q
Jump. He chose the latter and plunged
through the window. When picked up
from the sidewalk he was found to be
badly injured. 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 it, for she, too, came to tho
pavement heavily. Her right leg was
broken, her left ankle dislocated and she
was badly burned about the face and
head.
Edward Walsh, a porter, was caught in
the hall. Before he could get out he was
badly burned and had to be taken to the
hospital.
One of the incidents of the fire was the
escape of Miss Martin, of New York. She
was in the fourth story window on the
Steuben street side when a ladder was
raised. messenger boy rushed up and
broke the window, thus freeing her.
OF the one hundred or more guests at
the hotel not one is known to have saved
more than the clothes on their person.
At 1920 the east walls fell in, and some
of the firemen narrowly escaped being
buried. At IL 80 the Broadway wall fell
out, and one of the fireman was buried in
the debris. Ho was taken out, and is not
thought to BIO dangerously hurt.
Mr.. and Mrs. Bradley Martin, Bradley
Martin, Jr., and Mrs. #. Il. Martin were
guests at the hotel, having come here to
bury their son, Sherman. Mr.. Martin,
when he reached the sidewalk, offered
anybody $500 who would get his wife's
jewels. No one accepted, and they were
destroyed. There was satchel filed with
jewels valued at s., 200.
There are rumors that there are bodies
in the ruins, and that quite a number of
people did not escape. The clerk says that
he is positive all the guests escaped, but
does not feel SO sure of the servants, of
which there were great number. 1t will
take day or SO to determine.
The department, with nine streams of
water pouring into the building, could do
absolutely nothing at all to stop the on
slaught of the flames and the only work
was to save surrounding property. The
fire burned flercely for six hours,
The Delevan House is fifty years old,
and is one of the most famous hotels in
the country. 1t Is a part Of the estate OF
Edward c. Deleyan. The proprietors paid
$4,000 year rental, and lately had made
vast Improvements in expectation OF big
winter season. The total loss is estimated
at $500, 900, with an insurance Of S300,OO