The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-31
An ALBANY HOTEL ABLAZE.
Two Guests Fatally and Two Badly
Burned and Injured.

clans When the Fire Broke Out-The
Basement the Starting Point of the
Fire, and the Roof Reached With
Lightning Rapidity Through the Ele-
vator Shaft - Guests on the Upper
Floors in a Terrible Predioament.
Albany. n. Y, Dec. S0.-The Delavan
house proper was gutted by fire tonight.
There were 100 guests in the house. All
escaped, although two women and one
man jumped from third story windows
into the street on the steuben street side
and were badly injured. They are:
H. F. Fookes, agent of the National
Cash Register Company of this city, for
merly of Dayton, o., and his wife.
Benjamin Heilman and his wife of
Brooklyn, who were on their wedding
tour.
Mr.. Fookes was badly burned, but will
recover. His wife was internally injured
and will die.
Mr. Heilman was badly burned about
the chest and internally injured. He will
probably die before morning. His wife
is badly burned about the face, her nose
is split open and she was cut on the
ankle. She will recover.
The injured We're taken to the city hos
pital.
The speakership canvass was on in its
intensity tonight when the cry of fire
rang through the corridors of the Della
van house at S44 o'clock. The headquar-
ters Of the candidates were on the first
floor over the lobby, otherwise the large
crowds which filed the corridors and
rooms would not have so luckily es-
capped.
The fire started in the basement on the
Broadway side, directly under the ele-
vdtor shaft, and spread with the rapid
ity of lightning. No one had time to save
anything above the main floor, and before
the affrighted guests and politicians had
emerged upon the streets the flames had
broken through the rfof.
The elevator shaft was adjacent to the
Broadway stairway and the flames cut
off the egress of the guests in the north
ern end of the hotel, in which nearly two
thirds of the guests were located. Those
who were not able to get past the ele-
vator shaft so as to pass down the main
stairway on Steuben street were without
hope Of escape for some minutes until
they were directed to the servants stair
way in the north section of the struc-
ture.
IT was some time after the alarm
sounded before the department respond
70 save those who We're in the upper
stories.
&. A. Manchester, the postmaster of
the assembly. came down rope on the
Broadway side from the fourth story
window escaped with no injury ex-
cept to his hands.
Z. W. Arnold OF Rochester also reached
terra firma in this manner
Edmund Walsh, a porter, who, as soon
as he heard the cry of fire, went through
the house alarming guests found his es-
cape cut off on reaching the upper story.
He succeeded in getting out on the roof
of the center annex, and, with Edwin
Murphy, another employe, was rescued
with the aid of ladders. Walsh's hair
was snged and his hands and arms were
badly burned. He was taken to the hospi-
tai
man and his wife who were on the
same roof would not let each other be
saved until the flremen carried them
4 down the ladder. The man was afraid to
II venture down, and to add to this his wife
4 did not want TO be left alone for a minute.
Mrs. Zeeh, of IIillsdale, Columbia county
who only last week was removed from the
hospital here to the hotel, was carried out
by eX-Congressman Henry G. Burleigh of
Whitehall, Judge G.. b. Mclaughlin Of
Port Henry, and Deputy Constitutional
Convention Compiler McGonigal who
wrapped her in his overooat
Mrs. Moore, the wife of Mr.. Moore of
Herty & Moore, the proprietors of the ho-
tel, was sick abed and had to be carried
out.
Mrs. Fookes jumped from the third story
window above the main floor on Steuben
street, striking on the roof of the bal
cony on the main floor, and rolling off onto
the sidewalk, a fall of 80 feet.
Mr.. Heilman jumped from window on
the same floor, but jumped clear of the
balcony, falling on snow bank. Mrs.
Heiman also jumped, but struck the bal
cony, and likewise rolled of into the
street below. All three came down, it
seemed almost together Mrs Heilman's
fall was broken somewhat by striking
on the heads and shoulders Of three men
who were passing.
L Mr.. Fookes availed himself of the rope
IRE escape in his room and lowered him
Y self down as far as the cornice of the
n window below his fioor From there he
was rescued by ladder.
III D. P. Brockway of New York city,
was cut on the arm in forcing the window
open. He was rescued from the third
story with the aid of a ladder.
III Assemblyman Keck of Johnstown went
through the second and third floors no.
II tifying the guests of their danger. He
L helped twenty people to an exit and had
a narrow escape himself.
III 1t was twenty minutes after the alarm
sounded before water could be obtained
way. Even when water was obtained the
force was light and the streams would not
II reach the upper stories. The fire. al
though it started in the basement, worked
III up through the elevator shaft to the top
iloor, spread out there and then worked
down to the office floor, completely cutting
the main building, which was of brick.
lour stories high, over the main floor and
occupied a space of about 100 feet square
Ihe annex, covering the other half of the
block, was saved with the exception of
portions of the top story. The Broadway
wall collapsed shortly after midnight but
only one person, James Hennessy of
steamer No. 4, was injured, and he but
lightly. The Montgomery street wall also
ell into the street, and there were several
narrow escapes. The Montgomery street
wall was within fifty feet of the New York
central railroad station, and 1t was feared
or some time that that structure would
an prey to the ravages of the fiery
Element
The loss on the building is estimated
~ Ai5,0e0 fully insured. There is a
mort gage of som 0nO on fla h,,sf3sne, l,o,a