New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-19
.CTRTJTORC' EXPERIENCES.
ARCHIBALD c. GUNTER SAW THE Build
ING TAKE FIRE.
GUESTS AND EMPLOYEES TELL THRILLING
STORIES OF THEIR ESCAPE FROM
THE RAPIDLY BURNING HOTEL.

|
| Archibald c. Gunter the author and play
| wright and Mrs. Gunter whose whereabouts
after the fire caused great deal Of solictude on
the part of their friends. are safe at the Plaza
Hotel and are none the worse physically for
their experiences on Friday. Mr.. and Mrs. Gun
/ ter had been at the Windsor about four months
| occunving rooms Nos 1903 and 1O4 on the sec
| ond floor in the southwest corner OF the Dulu-
ing overlooking Fifth-ave. They lost ABOUT
| 81 600 worth of jewelry. bric-a-brac ana per-
sonal effects and had little time TO get out OF
! the building
| II figure that If we had been just a minute
| and a half longer in the Windsor yesterday
| there wouldn't have been certain Mr. ana MIS-.
| A. c. Gunter to tell the story said Mr.. Gunter
| 70 a Tribune reporter at the Plaza Hotel last
| night Il was looking at the St Patricks Day
! procession and at about the same time
| CHANGED To look at an elderly man standing IN
| bay window at the end of the corridor, whlch
ran the whole length Of the hotel. thought the
old man must be smoking as l saw blue haze
| around him. He busy looking at the parade.
but all at once he turned and caught up his hat
| and coat and made break for the stairway.
Then my man Leonard, who near the old
| man. shouted to me that the hotel was on fire,
| and ran down to the office and found the clerks
| and bookkeepers employed usual, with no
! knowledge of the fire. looked around for any
| valuables might particularly wish 10 save, and
| thought to myself that had plenty Of time to
| help my wife carry some things out. Almost in
an instant the room became as hot as furnace
and I the flames sweeping along the corri-
dor outside my room. | seized my overcoat, and
with my wife ran toward the staircase. only
| few feet away.
BEAT THE FLAMES BY TEN SECONDS.
| LAS turned at the head Of the stairs looked
| back at my room. and the flames were actually
! bursting through the door | beat them to the
stairs by about ten seconds. and got my hair
singed at that. BY the time got 10 the street
the whole corner Of the hotel was in flames.
The most striking thing about the fire was
! the marvellous rapidty with which it enveloped
/ the hotel I have theory. not well supported.
| | admit, that in the interstces Of the floors.
which were none too solidly built. there was
quantity OF illuminating gas, and that this
ignited and fastened the destruction. | was in
| the Cliff House in Salt Lake city. when It
| burned few years ago. That was constructed
on much the same lines the Windsor. but
| had plenty OF time then to get out. and re-
member that I helped friend a lot OF his
belongings If the fire in the Windsor had
| broken out In the night not a dozen people
would have escaped. and don't believe I would
| have been one OF the dozen. I've been a crank
all my life on the subject Of living the second
| floor of hotel. and yesterday | sort of figured
| that got my money back with compound in
| terest."
| COLONEL HIGBEES NARROW ESCAPE.
| Several OF the hotel inmates who succeeded
in escaping from the burning building had thrill
ing experiences TO relate. Colonel John II. Hlg-
| bee of the United States Marine Corps al
| though an invalid got out safely. but he had
| a close shave of II. He had been living at the
| Windsor for about A year When the fire broke
| out he was sick abed in his room on the fourth
floor. rear and was alone When yester-
day afternoon at the home of his brother-in-
law Captain Theodore F. Kane. L. S. ~ No
| A. Irving Place he had this TO say regarding
| his experience The first | knew of the fire
was the cries OF the women. / at once rang for
| a bellboy and then for porter. but no one
| swered. l then got out Of bed and throwing a
coat over my paJamas made my way TO the
| fre-escape upon which my window opened.
found the ironwork heated and covered with
| broken glass that IL was impossible TO escape
! that way. / turned into the corridor. The
| heat was something fearful. Smoke and flames
were rushing up through the big shaft which
opens into the hallway. hurried along toward
|
women and children to whom said You'll be
saved don't fear When got to the ire-escape
a man. I've forgotten his name, helped out
and down the ladder. I'd go down a few rungs.
he holding onto me, then he'd say. Rest and
so on down till I reached the second floor, when
fremen carried me down their ladder to the
street
II was taken to No ] East Forty -seventh-st..
and remained there till the building took fire.
then | was carried into the back yard and
helped over the fence and into the house Of Mr..
Haggin. at No. $50 Fifh-ave That's all Of
my experience l sent word to my brother.
Captain Kane and he came and brought me
down here"
Colonel Higbee's hands slightly burned
and bruised He is otherwise unnjured
MRS. sHERwOOD's FORTUNATE CALL
Mrs. NJ +. w. Sherwood. the author was one
OF those who made the Windsor their home.
She had been living there when In the city for
years and had a room on the sixth floor. She Is
now at the home of her son. Arthur NJ Sher-
wood No 80 West Eighty clghth-st. Mr.. Sher-
wood when seen at his home yesterday after
} noon. told a Tribune reporter Of his mothers ex
periences
My mother said that about 2:3O o'clock she
went downstairs to visit Mrs Mckinley whose
rooms were on the ground floor OF the Fifth
ave. side near Forty-sixth-st. They were
watching the passing parade and the people.
when she noticed some Of the paraders looking
up toward the upper floors OF the hotel and
gesticulatng She thought they were noticing
some one who was waving a flag but directly
she heard the shout Of Fire Fire She
! | wasn't at all disturbed even by this She left
| the window, however, and went 10 the hall door,