The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-31
THE DELEVAN BLAZE
Albany's Famous Hotel Becomes
Food for the Fire
Fiend.
F0HR pERS0NS ARE INJTREn
FOUR PERSONS ARE INJURED
Although the Fire Mas Discovered
Soon After s O'Clock in the Even
ing the Numerous Guests Had
-
Barely Time to Escape-Hero-
ism of Porter Edward Walsh.
Narrow Escape of Sew
eral Guests.

Albany, N Y, Dec. 30.-The Delevan
House proper was gutted by fire to-
night. There were 100 guests in the
house. All escaped, although two
women and one man, who jumped
from the third story windows into the
street, were badly injured. They are:
Mrs. H. F. Fookes, wife of the agent
of the National Cash Register COM
pany, of this city, 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 in
jured 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 split open, and she was cut
on the ankle. She will recover.
The speakership fight was on in it's
intensity tonight when the cry of fire
'ang through the corridors of the Del
evan House at S.44 O'Clock. The head
quarters of the candidates were on the
first floor over the lobbies, otherwise
the large crowds which filed the cor
ridors and rooms would not have so
luckily escaped
The fire started in the basement on
the Broadway side, directly under the
elevator shaft, and spread with the
apidity of lightning. No one had time
30 save anything above the main floor,
and before the affrighted guests and
politicians had emerged upon the
treets the flames had broken through
lie roof. The elevator shaft was ad-
jacent to the Broadway stairway and
the flames cut off the egress of the
guests in the northern end Of the hotel
inwhich nearly two-thirds of the guests
were located. Those who were not
able to get past the elevator shaft so as
to pass down the main stairway on
Steuben street were without hope of
escape for some minutes until their
way was directed to the servants stair
way In the north section of the struc-
ture. 1t was some time after the alarm
sounded before the department re-
sponded.
Narrow Escapes from Death.
Meanwhile every effort was made to
save those who were in the upper
stories. E. A. Manchester, the post
master of the assembly, came down a
rope on the Broadway side from a
fourth story window and escaped with
no injury except to his hands. Z. w.
Arnold, Of Rochester, also reached
ground in this manner.
Edmund Walsh, a porter, who as
soon as he heard the cry Of fire, went
through the house alarming the guests,
found his escape cut off on reaching
the upper stories. He succeeded in get
ting out on the roof Of the center annex
and, with Edwin Murphy, another EN-
ploye, was rescued with the aid of lad
ders. Walsh's hair was singed and his
hands and arms were badly burned. A
man and his wife who were on the
same roof would not let each other be
saved until the firemen carried them
down the ladder. The man was afraid
to venture down, and, to add to this,
his wife did not want to be left alone
for minute
Mrs. Zen, of Hillside, who only last
week was removed from the hospital
here to the hotel, was carried out by ex-
Congressman Henry c. Burleigh, of
Whitehall, Judge C. s. Mclaughlin, of
Port Henry, and Deputy Constitutional
Convention Compiler McGonigal, who
wrapped her in his great coat Mrs.
Moore, wife of one Of the proprietors,
was sick abed and had to be carried
out.
Jumped from Third Story.
Mrs. Fookes jumped from the third
story window. above the main floor.
striking on the balcony on the main
floor and rolling off on the sidewalk, a
fall Of sixty feet.
Mr.. Heilman jumped from a window
on the same floor, but jumped clear
of the balcony, falling on snow bank.
Mrs. Heilman also Jumped, but struck
the balcony and likewise rolled off into
the street below. All three came down.
1t seems, almost together Mrs. He'll
mans fall was broken somewhat by
striking on the heads and shoulders of
three men who were passing. D. p.
Brockway, of New York city, was cut
on the arm In forcing the window of his
room. He was rescued from the third
story with the aid of ladder.
Assemblyman Keck, of Johnstown.
went throughthe second and third floors
notifying the guests of their danger. He
helped twenty people to an exit, and
had narrow escape himself.
There were many thrilling escapes,
and 1t is surprising that the casualties
are so few when the sweep with which
the fire spread throughout the guest
floors of the main building is consld-
cred.
The guests of the hotel lost almost
everything they had. The hotel is
about fifty years old and is run by P. E.
Roessle, who now runs the Arlington
hotel at Washington.
The Delevan House is owned by the
Delevan and Ransome estate, and was
valued at about $25OOOO, including the
furniture