The evening times., 1896-02-04
H0TEI GUESTS IN | PANIC.
Early Morning Blaze in the GiIsey
House, New York.
CORRIDORS FULL OF SMOKE
Men and Women. 4 reused From Their
Sleep by the Snffocating Clouds,
Rushed Haif-Dresssed Into the HnIis
and Down the Stairs-Nob0dy Hurt
and Only Slight Damage Done.

New York, Feb. A fire, which did
about $500 damage, and which began in
the laundry Of the Gilsey House, Twenty
ninth street and Broadway. shortly before
O'Clock this morning, caused little flame,
but enough smoke 10 render Il number OF
the guests panic-strickcn. The Railways,
elevator and light shaft, lobby and stair
ways. were rtied with smoke, black and
dense, and hither and t.Iither through II ran
Eicn, women and children. Partly dressed.
many OF them unable to find a means of
escape. until assisted by a cool ms L. .-,Icst
or a policeman.
Through an tie excitement, cool. uuper-
| trrbed and in no wise disconnected, the
DE Rcszkes. Edopaud and Jean. the wei
known opera singers, remained in their
suite, and they were the only persons III
the house, of all the 221 guests. who did
not leave their apartments.
WHERE THE FLAMES STARTED.
The flames began in The drying room Of
the laundry, which is directly under the
lobby and main hallway OF the hoiel. This
room is supposed to be air-;icht. II con
taiDcd last night several pieces OF CLOTH
ing. hung up to dry. and ii j. supposed thJt
an overhcated steam pipe set fire TO one OF
the pieces.
A quantity or these goods had burned 10y
the time Engineer Ward discovered the
fire and opened the door. and he was stag
gered by the volume of smoke which rushed
out upon him. II vas black and dcns. and
escaped with Il rush. Ward could not shut
the door. rs he had been driven away from
II by the clond and could not get back 20
the room gain.
With extraordinary rapIdity the smoke
filled the main lobby, the stairways and
the halls. II also got upstairs through tlIc
elevator shaft and the light shaft, which
is close 10 the drying room. Five minutes
after the donr of the drying room was
opened nearly every guest III the hotel
smelled the smoke. Few were Weakened
otherwise, although Clerk Kelly had rung
the aut omauc alarm behind the desk,
which rings two bells III every hallway.
All the guests leave the tran,Ums of their
doors open, and in this way the smoke en-
tered the different apartments.
FRIGHTENED MEN AND WOMEN.
Outinto the Railways streamed men and
women, few of whom took or had time to
even partially dress. Few could find their
way, ITS the corridors were already Gcnse
with the smoke.
Seven patrnlmen. one on each floor, tried
to direct III. excited guests to the stair
ways. The women, many of them young.
but all excited, ran whichever way they
heard 4 commanding uIaie voice direct them.
The great ma jority OF the guests managed
to get to the stairs. and after severe ana
trying struggle, to the main lobby.
Half dozen of the e.uerIy ladies fell
on the stairs ana were assisted down by
sont gentlemen. BY tie time they had ar
rived in the main hail, seven women were
III Mysteries, and Two tainted after reach
iDS the dining room, where ALI of the
female guests were quarteTed. The men
remained in the .Obby. The elevator, which
continued to run all the time, carried
down number OF guests. These suffered
a good deal from the smoke, which made
Itself through the house
On the upper floors about eighteen wo-
men and dozen men, guests, and score
of domcstics fled to the fire escapes. All
the way down these escapes came those who
had fled TO them. a cold descent, as the
frightened people were clad only i'll bed
room clothing and it was showing hard.
Besides, the ratings We're icy. and offered
no safe hold. All, however, descended in
safety.
Meantime the firemcn had been sum
moned, and they easily succeeded i'll cx-
tnguishing the fire. II was fully half an
hour, however. before the dense smoke
OIL. ~-3 4 awav sufficiently TO allow tn guests
TO return to their rooms