Evening journal., 1894-12-31
sEvERAL GUESTS FATALLY HURT.
Flames Burst Ont suddenly and Raced Mad
Iy Through the Halls, Cutting OF Escape.
Many Jumped From Windows = Politi-
clans Routed ont.


newspaper men. ft,ia Factory Inspector |
Connolly, who had been in the lobby with |
a number Of people, started to 60 up the |
elevator. He remarked that he smelled |
smoke and suggested an investigation. |
Before it could be begun there were cries |
Of fire from different parts of the house |
simultaneously.
The outburst Of flames before an alarm |
could be given to arouse the inmates Of |
the rc5ms was something appalling Up
the elevator shaft there shot solid column
Of 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 a seething 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 a 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 a tnmbling 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 crash of glass
and saw figures come tumbling out Of the
windows. Within ten minutes after the
first note Of alarm at least IL persons were
| dangling on the insufficient rope fire es-
capes or hanging onto the 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 a win
| dow surrounded by smoke man and
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 a balcony and rebounded to the
| street.
The man waited for ladder and was
taken down in safety His name was IL.
| A. Foakes, and he represented cash reg
lister company in Dayton, o. The woman
was his wife, and she will probably die.
In ex-Speaker Malby 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 Kilburn and Mr. Malby. A rush was
made for the stairs, and when the party
landed in the street the only injured one
was found to be 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
iority left their baggage. E. A. Man
chester of Auburn, postmaster of the as.
sembly, ran toward the baggage room fol
his grip, and on returning he found his
way blocked with flames and smoke and
rushed back to q 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. 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 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 be badly in
! jured. He will die.
him, tried the fire escape but it either
broke or else she failed to hold to it. foi
she, too, came to the pavement heavily
Her right leg was broken, her left ankle
dislocated, and she was badly burned
about the face and head. In less than Il
minutes after the fire started the entir
structure was wrapped in flames. From
the windows of each of its five storie
smoke poured in volumes, and few min
utes later the flames helched forth. In q
minutes the building resembled seeth
ing crater and 1t was plain to the thou
sands Of spectators who had gathered tina
it would be entirely destroyed,
Edward Walsh, porter, was caught Il
the hall. Before he could get out he wa
very badly burned and had to be taken t
the hospital
The department, with nine streams ,
water pouring into the building, could
absolutely nothing at all to stop the on
slaught Of the flames, and the only hop
was to save surrounding property. TIL
hotel takes in the entire block, about / i
by $50 feet, and this was in 10 minutes
seething caldron only bounded by tn
four walls.
One Hundred Guests Lost Everything.
The wires OF the Electric Light oompan
were destroyed and a section of the cit
was in darkness save for the light of tn
fire.
OF the 100 or more guests at the hote
not one is known to have saved more tina
the clothes on their persons.
The fire burned fiercely 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 Kenmor'
but everything has been lost sight Of
the fire.
The Delevan House is 50 years old an
one Of the most famous hotels in the couI
try 1t is part Of the estate Of Edwa1
b C. Delevan. Hurty 81 Moore, the propri
tors, paid $40 600 year rental, and larel
had made vast improvements In expects
tion Of a big winters season. The tot
loss is estimated at $500, 600, with an II
surance Of $780, 000
At $50 the cast walls fell in, and son
of the firemen narrowly escaped bein
buried At II 80 the Broadway wall fa
out and one fireman was buried in Il
debris He was taken out and is NJ
thought to be dangerously hurt.
One of the incidents of the fire was Il