The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-03-20

and detailed news OF the big fire at the
Windsor hotel To Providence. Mr.. Bar
ton. with his wife and daughter. Annie,
were in the hotel at the time that the
fire started, and barely escaped with
their lives. They were not yet domi-
ciled. but had gone up 20 the fourth
story 20 look at rooms, and, these not
being satisfactory, had decided TO go
To another hotel, and were waiting for
the elevator when the alarm was rung.
Mr.. Barton I'm speaking Of his expert
ence said: while we were waiting for
the elevator TO come up for us. "a cham
bermaid. who had ben watching the
ST. Patrick's day parade from a window
on the Fifth avenue side, suddenly
shouted, MY God, the house is on
fire." At about the same time my
daughter heard some one down stairs
yell Fire" She turned 10 me and
said Papa. the hotel is on nre," but |
told her that the fire was not I'm the
hotel, but somewhere near by, as / did
not wish my wife to become alarmed,
for she is not well. In reply Miss Bar
ton called my attention to smoke that
was coming up the stairway. i saw at
once that she was right and said we
must get out OF here.
IL called to a bell boy to show us the
stairway. lut instead of going down by
the stairs which were near the elevator
he started for another flight i'm the rear
of the hotel, but soon he turned and
said: we cannot get down that way
so went back 10 the other stairs. BY
this time the halls were filling rapidly
with smoke. l took hold OF my wife's
arm and we rushed down those stairs
as rapidly as possible. AS we went
down the first flight / noticed an old
lady standing on the third floor waiting
for the elevator The air was then like
a blast from a furnace and the Games
were already rushing up the elevator
shaft.
when we reached the second floor
the smoke thick and The flames
so near to us that the boy said we
could not get any further by the stair
way. Then for "A moment l gave up
hope. Then / thoughtof the fire escape.
There was on this floor as on those
above a long corridor running parallel
10 Fifth avenue. Along this corridor
the boy ran and we followed close be-
hind II was only short distance TO
the window on Forty-seVenth' street.
we got there none too soon Some one
had pushed the window up and the
moment we got a breath of the fresh
air that came in 1t gave US new life.
Fortunately there was Gre escape
that led directly past that window.
When we got there about dozen wo-
men, almost all Of them servants, were
there ahead OF us.
Where we stood after getting out
of the window was an iron landing,
from which an iron ladder close up To
the building led down TO the next floor.
There the fire escape ended. | helped
couple of the girls 10 descend and
then got my wife on the ladder, and
after cautioninE her TO hang on l
started her down Miss Rartsn went
next and | followed her. AS 1 started
down the ladder l looked up and saw
on the ladder above me just as many
people as could crowd IT, ON the rear
OF the building was another fire escape
and this, too, was crowded with people
trying 20 set 10 "A place of safety. one
man who was up near the sixth story
was bringing a woman down In his
arms.
when | reached the bottom of the
ladder from every window above us
flames and smoke were pouring out i'm
the basket the crowd below began To
yell Don't jump. Mrs, Barton was
going TO jump, but ! held her back.
Pretty soon we saw some men with
iron ladders with hooks ON the ends.
After having some difficulty in making
them hear US, we got them 10 hook
them on 10 the fire escape They
reached TO within about six feet OF the
ground. Three or four men stood on an
iron fence which ran around the build
Ing and helped us from the ladder tO
the ground. a sick lady and several
of the servants went down first then
my wife. my daughter and myself. i do
not think 10 was over 10 minutes from
the time we entered the hotel on the
Forty-siXth street side TO the time when
we left the fire escape on the Forty
seventh street side.
Mrs. Barton was so overcome by
the nervous strain that we started
across the street TO the corner on which
Miss Gould's residence stands. Looking
back we saw the front windows crowd
ed with faces, and from the upper win
dows people were jumping. Every time
any one Jumped a groan would go up
from the crowd below. My daughter
saw what she supposed was n bundle
OF clothes that had been thrown out
OF one of the windows. but when IL got
nearer II proved to be a girl who had
jumped. She was dashed to pieces on
the sidewalk The sight sickened her,
and she put her hands go her head. and
hurried away from the terrible sights.
We soon found carriage and were
driven 60 the Holland House"
Mr. Barton stated that his trunks
were safe at the transfer office and that
the bell boy dropped the hand bags
when he reached the bottom of the fire
escape. and on Saturday morning the
bags having been identified from cards
that were I'm them were brought around
to the Holland House. About SIS I'm
money and some silver trinkets were
the only things that were missing from
them. Mr.. Barton said that he thought
it impossible for the FIRE to have orig
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