The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-08-22
RANFOR THEIR LIVES
The ROck1and House Burned
to the Ground Early
This Morning.
MAN AND WIFE BADLY INJURED
Frightened Guests Taken From the
Veranda Over the Shoul-
ders of Men.

NYACK, Aug. 22, 1S95.-The Grand
Rockland large summer hotel on the
West Shore of Rockland Lake, was
burned to the ground early this morn
ing, and the sixty or more guests in the
house had lively scramble for their
lives.
The fire started in the basement and
had made such headway before it was
discovered that all means of escape by
the stairways were cut off.
The guests were mostly women and
children, and when they were first arous-
ed by the alarm panic ensued.
Many had to be prevented by force from
throwing themselves from the windows
! and the roof of the long veranda, which
those on the second floor were able to-
| reach.
They were finally all taken down safe-
ly with one exception, Mr.. Webb, of
this city, and his wife.
Mr.. Webb jumped from a window on
the third floor and broke leg and an
arm.
TWO PEOPLE INJURED.
| Mrs Webb was being lifted down from
the roof of the veranda when she fell.
striking the ground on her back and 1t
| internally
Henry Robert, a butcher, was one of
the guests of the hotel. He came to
town this morning and gave thrilling
account of his experiences.
Il was called by Mr.. Ottman. one of
the proprietors, just before three o'clock
this morning He had pounded on my
door on the second floor yelling out:
Get up and run for your life. The
Il didn't wait to dress. but started at
once for the door. The hall was full .
ofs;r Of smoke. and sI ! could see the flames
and got out on the roof of the veranda.
which runs around three sides of the
hense SRTa Mr 05fman G5TG TqIloWed ne 1Inows
I'VE opened or Smashed in every win-
dow on that floor and aroused every
ing women and children Almost all
the guests were on that floor.
SO far as I know only Mr.. and Mrs.
Webb were on the top floor, but there
may have been some who were able
to get down to the second floor and make
rsn to the i Corner Of the
veranda and slid down water pipe
with Mr.. Ottman.
proprietor, there, and at once started to
get the frightened women and children
off the roof
'As there is, no fire department in the
town. although it has population Of
nearly 1900, I am told, we had to do
STOOD ON EACH OTHERS SHoUL-
DERS.
1--WE stood on each others shoulders
were handed down one after another
until every one was saved
1T was the most exciting scene I ever
witnessed. We had to work for dear;
life for the flames were spreading with
fearful rapidity. They were bursting.
from the window behind the little group
down We must have taken dow1s
twenty-five or thirty persons IN that
"a number of others were rescued ins
the same manner on the opposite side OF
'He no NOTHING WAS SAVED.
Mr.. Roberts said that not single.
guest was able to save anything from
beds in their night dress and had no
time to pick up any of their belongings
The distance from the roof Of ,$ the
eighteen feet and the thin men took
turns in climbing upon each others
Mr.. Roberts is a young man an of = sturdy niy
frame and strong muscle, but he said
he had never done such nara WORK lH
iii EX-SENATOR MURPHY A GUEST
Among the guests Of f. the hotel % he
nhy nIys and wI several members Of his family.
the Hotel St. Albans,. the Sawyer House
The Grand Rockland was built abeus
four years ago, and it has accommee9.a. e.s..
guests. 1t is owned by McGinnls Ss
Van Gilden of the Boston Land Cons
pany and is said to have cost abouS
SEQ, 900 The proprietors were Ottman 81
Rappelyea.
HOTEL NOT INSURED.
Mr.. Robert says he does not think
there was any Insurance on the hotel.
and there certainly was none on the
property of the guests who lost every
thing including much valuable clothing
and iewelry
,"Within an hour after the fire started
he saws ssthe hotel was totally destroyed
and nothing was left standing except
the foundations.
The origin of the fire was supposed to
be in the quarters of the eolored SER
wants. in the basement, but its cause
was unknown.
Among the guests at the hotel were
also Miss Whitney, principal of the
Greenwich Avneue Grammar School. and
rNT,. nIat,,rainc E1I1foY1 Market butcher