The evening world., 1894-03-31
PANIC At The SAVOY.
Triding Fire Sends Guests in a
Hurry to the Street.
Col. Jay Carried from His Sick Bee
to the Office.
Handsome Ceiling Ruined by q
Flood of Water.

There was quite a panic at the Hotel
Savoy, Fifth went and Fifty-ninth
street. at 3 { o'clock this morning. 1t was
caused by a fire which started In a
closet on the second floor.
From the main hallway on the second
floor. about the centre OF the hotel build
ing. there is a narrow, nreproof stairway
leading directly through the building to
the thirteenth floor. 1t is used as a
private stairway for servants, although
the original idea Of 1t was to have It as
a means OF exit in case of fire.
1t was Just a few minute after 3
O'Clock when one Of the servants who
sleeps on he tenth floor. within a few
steps or the door of the stairway, no.
ticed smoke coming through the key
mole or the door. There was a light burn
Ing near her bed. The girl had a
toothache and had been unable to sleep.
She got out Of bed and opened the door,
to be met by a great cloud of black
smoke, which rolled up the stairway and
nearly suffocated her.
She forgot her t%oothache and remem-
bered the instruction which all the SER
wants had received as to the mode Of
- ahNs 4 iNNiIE uD All dAt
Which is part OF an automatic fire signal,
she broke the alarm box In her bedroom,
MS carried the alarm down to the
office, and the clerk Immediately had
mad. inc
The three hundred and twenty guests
III tne motel with the army Of ervants
women and hoarse cries OF men mingled
with the noise of alarm bells.
A hotel bootblack and one of the
Guests sm both Of whom refused their
me closet, and had a hose playing on the
door while the others were running
through the halls n down the stairs to
The b%ootblack tried to open the closet
door. but the knot was red hot.
FROM almost every window Of the
hotel. women shrieked out wild cries Of
alarm. This attracted the attention of
Policeman r. J.. Larkin, who sent in an
alarm from Fifty-fifth street and Fifth
avenue At almost the same moment
from Fifty-eighth street and Madison
rel
BY the time the engines and truck,
COMMANDED by Chief Shaw, reached. the
getting into the burning room, while the
guest had run another hose down the
private stairway n had it in good
working order.
The fire was almost out. but the fire.
men got a line Of hose into the building
and succeeded In doing a great deal more
damage than the fire did. The second
story was flooded, and the water de-
stroyed the exquisitely frescoed ceiling
of the dining-room on the first floor.
But the e~xtinguishing of the fire did
not end the alarm of the guests. Panic
stricken. despite the efforts of the hotel
staff. headed by Proprietor Judge Henry
Dugro, they ran through the house and
collected In groups on the pavement,
who has been Ill In the hotel for several
weeks, was carried down from his room
and placed on a cot In the Office. Gen.
Hamilton, who also makes his home in
capped the general panic.
1t was 4.3O o'clock before the guests
were fully treasured that II would be
safe for them to return to their rooms.
Ilo coffee was served to them there,
but few OF them slept after that.
Last night the Greek Letter Fraternity
Phi Kapi Psi. held Its annual dinner II
the hotel, and 1t Is thought that one Of
the members may have thrown n Lighted
cigar IN the closet floor.
The guests in the Hotel Plaza were
aroused by the general excitement ant
the changing OF the engines. Many o
them left their rooms, but there was NJ
excitement In this house.
The damage Is reported by the polio,
az 1000 to furniture and $500 to build
Judge Dugro, however. as he stood II
the big dining-room, from the ceiling o.
which water dripped, said that the dam
age would be far above that. The dam
age by fire, he thought, would not b,
more than 800, but as the frescoed cell
ing had cost thousands of dollar and
would, ut least in part, have to be re
placed. an estimate OF the damage coult
not be given for several days.