Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1894-04-30
FOUGHT HAND ron LIFE.

FOUGHT HARD FOE LIFE.
Horrible scene at the Fire OF the ss.
Charles Hotel In New Orleans-John
Riley, q Baker, Gets Away from the
FLAMES but Fails from q Spiral Stair.
way and IL Kflled-One Man Rescued
Fourteen women.
NEW ORLEANS, April a9.-The imposing
front of the 81. Charles hotel, with Its
spacious portico, surmounted by dome
Of msjsstio dimsnsions and classic arohi-
lecture, In the center of the block, IL all
that Is left standing of the most famous
hostelry In the United States. The Ere
that ragged behind the walls from II Last
night until this morning was one of the
Aercest the city has ever experienced.
Starting In the Kitchens, which front on Q
small court In the Yery heart of the square,
not ten minutes after the employees had
left them, the flames ate their way along
the woodwork with amazing rapidly, and
owing to the inability of ths fremen to
| get at them II soon became manifest that
hundred or moro guests had about retired
and though many had been awakened BY
the lusty shouts of "fre" Night Clerk
Mason sent messengers to every room o.
| cupied and thus there was no possibility
of any of them being cut off from escape
% the flames did not reach the main por-
ton of the structure for fully half an hour
after the fire was discovered.
Panic seized upon them, however, and
men, women and children rushed about
franticslly, most of them In. their night
clothes, and although there was ample o.
portunity to get down the broad stairways
1t took all the efforts of the cooler heads
to prevent the most impetuous from
throwing themselves from the second,
third and fourth story windows. The only
man who did jump from q window WAS an
unknown. Hedropped from third-story
window on Common street to the shed, but
was not injured, as he got up and walked
off,
A. P. Longleis, father-in- law of Colonel
Rivers, the proprietor of the hotel, was
asleep in the third story, just above the
flames, on the Grevier street side of the
kitchen. When he walked into the hall
the smoke had cut of his view of escape,
but he held his hands over his face and
rushed through 1t. He began at once to
search for Mrs. Rivers and the ladies of
the house who were rooming on the same
Hoor. Major q. L. Hall and his wife oc.
cupied rooms on the third Aoor, near the
apartments of Mrs.. Rivers. When
hurriedly dressed and rushed down the
steps. Major Hall sent them In q cab to
the Hotel Royal.
All this time the flames were spreading
In the interior and climbing upward, the
guests were being awakened. Those who
were out began rushing in and asking for
their keys In order to get their baggage
Trunk after trunk was rolled down the
steps, and the limbs of the escaping in
mates were several times endangered. No
one was hurt, however.
An unavailing fight for life made by
John Riley, Q baker, was witnessed by
many spectators. He occupied room on |
the fourth story of the rear portion of the |
building. A crowd In the courtyard In the |
rear of the rotunda saw great volume of |
flame burst from the room next to the one |
occupied by Riley. A scream was heard |
and Riley rushed out. A cry of horror
went mp from the spectators, for the man
was surrounded by flames. For an instant |
the flames quoted, and Riley made rush
for the head of the spiral stairway. The |
their full force did not strike the man, and |
he safely reached the stairway.
As he stepped upon the stairway, how |
ever, he stumbled and fell, tumbled toward |
the third story, rolled partly off the stair |
way and remained heldiDg to the broken |
banistsrs. He attempted in vain to regain |
his lost foothold and before ladder could |
be procured his strength gave way and he |
fell to the pavement fifty feet beneath.
BE died very soon after this. Riley was
sixty years old and leaves o widow and |
four children.
A Mr.. AcDermott would have attempted |
to save Riley before he fell had not Patrol |
man Fitzgerald pulled him away In order |
to prevent double sacrifice. As It was
McDermott was burned badly. A few mo-
ments after this Fitzgerald climbed to the |
second story of the hotel on Grsvier street |
and rescued fourteen women employees who |
had their only avenue Of escape cut off by |
the flames. These women slept in the no. |
tel and were not, 1t seems, awakened In |
time to get down by the stairway.
Bridget Mulligan, q chsmbermaid, Mrs.
Ross domestic, and John Finlay, an as.
sistant bsrkespsr, are the only ones now
missing.
The hotel register was saved and all the
guests are accounted for.
The other hotel-keepers opened their
doors to the unfortunates and all were ac-
commodated. From the center of the
square the flames ate their way in all d.
rections, touching the rear of the row of |
Office buildings on Carondolet street and
burning to the street on Common and Ora
vier, and leaving nothing but the imposing
front on st. Charles street. The barber
shop at ITO Gravier street, the Turf Ex-
change, the Pacific Express company build
Ing, the Eagle Cotton Gin company build
ing and a number of other buildings were
set on fire by flying sparks and were more
or lees damaged. AT one time 1t was feared
the Union National bank was doomed. But
for the protecting wall this would have
been destroyed.
tooI kn,o ,x,or.a, ha
Gravier street side and Ladder company
No. 1 saved q number of laundry women.
While the Ere was raging in the building
No. 1877 Gravier street adjoining the hotel
Charles Lsvins, manager of the New Or
leans Electric Motor company, and John
Whitman went into the building to rave
some effects. In few moments report
resembling that of an explosion was heard
and the roof fell with crash. Both men
were covered with wreeksge, but were
quickly rescued. They were badly shocked
but not seriously injured
The Western Union Is situated on the
corner of Grsvier and st. Charles streets,
and the employees stuck to their positions
| until ordered out by the hremen. The
heat had become intense and there was i'm
minent danger of the west wall of the hotel
| topping over st any moment. All the in
struments were taken to place of safety,
and at Q o'clock the wall fell With terrible
crash, prostrsting all the wires on the street.
The Postal Office Is on St. Charles street,
opposite the hotel All the wires were
soon rendered useless by the heating and
| by being crossed by electric light wires.
Tho total loss will reach half million
dollars and may go over that amount. The
total property, exclusive of the ground was
worth $400, 900 and was insured for $2l2,-
600 in foreign companies.
Wanted in This Country.