The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-31
1T WAS AN OLD FIRETRAP,
And the Escape of Inmates Is
Miraculous.
ONLY ONE PERSON WAS KILLED.
Building Was Without Fire-EscapeS
and Burned Like q Box
of finder.

ALBANY, N. l., D6c. 81 Inc Del6Van
House, the mecca of politicians and the
center of all big State political events for
| forty years past, was destroyed by FIRE TO-
night.
1t WAS $3.50. when the political head
| quarters Of both Mr.. Fish and Mr.. Msltby
were filed with politicians and newspaper
| men, that cries of fire from different parts
| of the house caused CONSERVATION among
the guests. The outburst of flames before
an alarm could be given was appalling.
| UD the elevator shaft shot a solid colum
of fire, which spread quickly to each OF
the five floors. Fortunately the guest list
was not very large. and the majority of
those registered were politicians and were
| on the second floor.
| There was rush for the stairs in the
| front and the servants stairs in the back,
where the flames had not yet reached, and
| in few minutes there was a tum bling
mass of humanity coming down those two
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 In the street,
| who had not vet seen the flames, heard q
crash of glass and saw figures come tum-
| bling out of the windows. Within ten
minutes after the first note OF alarm at
least twelve persons were dangling In the
rope fire escapes or hanging to the window
sills.
| The fire department arrived quickly, but
1t took some time to get ladders up ana in
the meantime some Of the people had
dropped to the street.
| On the right side of the building there
appeared at the window surrounded by
smoke a man and woman. The man had
hold of the woman and was trying to per-
suade her to wait for help. but she broke
away and sprang out She struck a bal
cony and rebounded to the street. The
man waited for ladder and was taken
down in safety. Hisnam is 81. A. Foakes
| and he represents cash register company
| in Dayton, Ohio. The woman was his
wife and she will probably die.
| In ex-Speaker Maltby's room, which was
to the rear OF the ele evator-shaft wi here the
| fire first appeared, there was the greatest
| excitement About twenty politicians
were there. including Congressman Weaver
and Curtis, Senator Kilburn and Mr..
MnItby. A rush was made for the stairs,
and when the party landed 10 the street
the only injured one was found to be
| AbSe u UlyIndn 1OUUius, WuUso udlE anu
face were badly burned.
| Although five stories high there were no
outside fre-escapes. and ihe only means
eft for the people in the cutoff rooms was
| to use the ropes.
B. r. Heilman of Brooklyn was In the
third story. He opened his door as soon
as be heard the cry OF fire. A burst of
| flame made him look to the window as
means of escape. He had but two alter
| patives-a fiery death or jump. He chose
the latter. When picked up from the
sidewalk he was dying. His wife, who
was In the room with him, tried the rope
| fire-escape. but 1t either broke or else she
failed TO hold it. for she fell to the pave
ment. Her right limb was broken, her
left ankle dislocated and she was badly
burned about the face and head.
| Edward Walsh. reporter. was caught
in the hall and badly burned.
| In less than fifteen minutes after the
fre-alarm was turned in the entire build
| Ing was wrapped in flames, resembling a
huge crater, and all hopes of saving the
famous structure were given up. The
hotel takes IN the entire block, about 11o
by 450 feet. and this WAS in another fifteen
minutes blazing furnace only bound by
| the four walls.
| At 10:30 the east wall fell in and some of
| the firemen narrowly escs ped being buried
| at IL 80 the Broadway wall fell out and
one fireman was buried in the debris He
| was taken out and is not thought TO be
dangerously hurt.
| 1t is rumored at this late hour that there
are bodies In the ruins, and that quite a
number of people did not escape. The
clerk says tonight that he is positive all
the guests escaped. but does not feel so
sure about the help. of which there was a
great number. There is no way tonight
of finding out positively whether these
rumors are true or not and 1t will take a
day or so to determine.
| Mr.. Maltby said after the fire:
"lt is incouceivable how The flames OBJ
tanned such headway. The balls were
mass of fire before we received a word of
warning"
Of the hundreds of guests nons saved
more than the clothes they wore.
| 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. A messenger boy rushed up and
broke the window, thus freeing her.
| Mr.. and Mrs. Bradley Martin, Bradley
| Martin Jr., and Mrs. T. T. Martin we're
guests at the hotel. having come here to
bury the formers son. They were on the
second floor. good way from where the
| fire started and escaped. Mr. Martin.
when he reached the sidewalk, offered
anybody $500 who would get his wfe's
jawelry. Nobody accepted. There was a
satchel filed with jewels valued at S5OOO
The Delavan House was fifty years old
and one of the most famous hotels In the
country. 1t Is a part OF the estate OF Ed
| ward G. Delayan. Hurley Sc Moore. the
proprietors, paid $4,000 year rental and
lately made vast improvements in expec-
tation of big winter season. The total
loss is estimated at $500, 900. with an In
surance Of S300,000
On the ground floor Of the Broadway
| side of the hotel two firms had stores
| One was that of Hsiser. Muhlfelder 6 Co.,
dealers In knittings, and the other that of
] Polby & Co.. dealers in clothes. Both