New-York tribune., 1899-03-27
FTREESCAPE.S LACKING.
OTHER HOTELS IN AS RAD CONDITION
AS WAS THE WINDSOR
OTHER APPLIANCES IN ADDITION TO ROPES
NEEDED-DR11.LS OF EMPLOYEES LITTLE
MORE THAN FARCEs-WHAT MAN
Ayers MIGHT PROFITABLY DO
TO GUARD THE LIVES
TO GUARD THE LIVE

Ayers MIGHT PROFITABLY DO
TO GUARD THE LIVES
OF THEIR GUESTS
Interest in the Windsor Hotel fire is still so
/ intense that thousands Of serious people every
morning scan the columns Of their favorite
/ newspaper till they come 10 the story or the
search OF the ruins for dead bodies ana reau
| the fire story first. No disaster by flame mas
made profounder impression on the pubhc
! mind in years and the witnesses Will tell the
/ story without wearying their auditors FOR years
20 come. But narration after narration VIII not
bring the dead back to life. and the prevention
Of similar fire is the thing desired. In spite OF
the horror Of ii all it is doubtful II more thah
one in five Of the hotel and apartment-house
proprietors in Manhattan and Brooklyn nave
spent dollar for additional fire protection ana
II a representative Of the Fire Department mas
on his official rounds during the last week re-
ouested additional escapes. or ropes, or
water pals or any fre-fghting appliances the
! chances are that he was Curty told the fHe
Department people were determined TO ruin the
! hotel men Yet there are many hotels ana
APARTMENT houses in Manhattan and brooklyn
as likely 10 burn down quickly and XIII peop'e
as was the Windsor The managers OF these
places are kindly shrewd. hard-worklng men,
irving TO make a dividend on money invested
and are as conscientious as corps or COL
porteurs.
We've got everything money can buy and the
| law REQUIRES in the way Of fire protecuoh Sa'u
| one Of these managers TO q Tribune reporter yes
| terday and he may have come pretty near 'le
truth but II his big hosiery ever has well
started fire. top or bottom. II VIII purh as
quickly as did the Windsor. and win p'ooao'S
al equally appalling loss Of life
See how careful We are said another man.
rs ne pointed TO the regulation watchmen's
register. indicating by pinhoes in paper dI-E
| that the watchman made regular rounds the
| night before visiting every floor and turning
| ratchet I'm the register at short intervals. But
| the Windsor had Just such register. and the
employe who usually TO It that things were
| all right in the corridor when he was 'here'
was doubtless watching the St Patricks process
sion from front window.
Asa matter OF fact not all IS being done that
| can be done in the tall buildings Of this big
town which shelter men, women and children, TO
make lie secure.
! There is many a device in the Patent Off1ce In
| Washington and the shelves OF hardware
dealers which II placed conveniently in city
| hotels would life in an emergency. Ihe
| quality Of the hotel managers sincerity may be
| Judged along TINS Int. bN lHt tItiby I'c N4T-
| plavs in making the lives Of his guests safe
! There ought TO be more than a rope down which
to slide to safety. There are slender, but strong
steel ladders extension ladders. chutes. and
nurnberess other appliances. and none or
| them expensive. Sometimes man or
! woman with the cry OF fire scattering
their wits would make use of one ap-
| pliance while they might find 1t absolutely
| impossible TO another kind Win
variety Of appliance at hand there is far bet
ter chance Of man saving his life than there
would be if he We're limited TO one device.
A ROPE NOT ENOUGH.
The Windsor fire demonstrated that rope
from high window is OF little or no use 10 a
woman unaccustomed to climbing. boy raised
fl the country can use #. But how is a woman
! with long skirts 10 avail herself of such an ap-
plianceo Two or three unfortunates tried II at
the Windsor fire and lost their lives. the rope
! burning their hands as soon ms they started to
slide and then relaxation Of their hold meant
sudden death Had there been something bet
| ter than single rope. more than one NE might
| have been saved.
Another thing discovered by the reporter last
week was the fact that the so-called fire drill
on the part Of hotel employees is farce in nine
! out Of ten hotels.
we dropped the fire drills some time ago.
but the Windsor fire has made us take them
NJ again" said a manager Of hosiery in busi-
ness part OF the city No DOUBT. as soon as thc
| Keen edge Of interest wears of the employees OF
| his hotel will bc allowed To- skip the tre drlHs,
| and everything will run along IN an easy way
| until there Is another bad hre
At the BROOKLYN Navy Yard the foreign visitor
is sometimes treated 10 fire drill by the hlue
Jackets there. The men are made 10 understand
! that the drill is practical necessity. il is a
part Of their weekly duty What was the result
at the big machine-shop fire about six weeks
ago. The men from the Vermont and Massa-
chusetts did almost much in saving SUI
rounding buildings the firemcn. When the
fire alarm rings in the Navy Yard. The men are
always ready 10 fight the fire. There are plenty
Of people in Manhattan who believe that the
| Same standard Of watchfulness maintained AT
the Navy Yard ocean liner should toe
required by law Of a hotel manager and his en-
ployes
LIFE NETS NOT PROPERLY HANDLED
A correspondent Of The Tribune. in letter
published on Saturday. referred TO the lack of
use of life nets at the Windsor fire. one woman
was killed because in jumping she did not land
in the net The absence Of skilful handling OF
lifa nets was noticed and commented on by more
han one person on that fatal Friday afternoon.
Tho hotel manager who has the welfare ~
his guests sincerely AT heart will spend money
| and time on fire protection. just as patiently
as he does his bills Of fare and sleeping ac-
commodations a good bed will be better en-
| ioved II the guest knows that the man at the
desk downstairs is watchful about fire all the
time and compelling his subordnates To be
Vatchful about IL.
PRIVATE HOUSES NOT PROTECTED
While the greater danger from fire attaches to
the great hotels and tall apartment houses the
ordinary dwelling IS not exempt i was only a
few weeks ago that the wife OF President Ray
| nond of a well known insurance company. and
Miss Raymond's sister lost their lives when Mr.
Ravmonds s house burned out The dwelling
was not a "sky-scraper,' nor was II a fire
trap" But there was no fre-escape. no rope no
ladder-nothing 10 AFFORD quick escape. General
Tracy was almost similarly bereaNed IN WASH
| ington about ten years ago. All such circum-
| stances warrant the belief that there is lack OF
| cfvhf Tbe ON