The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-03-18

III the adjoining buildings including
Miss Gould's residence. which seemed
m imminent danger Of catching fire,
but the flames were brought under con-
troll before they could reach any Of
them.
Many Thrilling Scenes.
There were many thrilling scenes in
the hotel during the early stages Of the
fire. A hall boy discovered the flames
while he was passing along the fourth
floor, Immediately over the rooms oc-
cupied by President McKinleys brother,
Abner Mckinley and his family. The
boy pulled chain attached to the fire
alarm but the chain broke and then he
cried out an alarm of fire and ran to
the floor below. The blaze was then
licking up everything on the Fifth ave-
nue. end Of the building and the lad,
when he got to the floor above the main
hall, ran Into the American dining room
and gave the alarm to the guests there.
Only q few persons were in the dining
room at the time, and hey escaped.
When the boy reached the main floor
Warren f. Leland, the proprietor of the
hotel, was ut the rear OF the long hall
and the boy shouted to him that the
building was on fire. On Mr.. Leland s
instructions the clerks tried to save ali
the books and papers. and the boy then
rushed down the basement stairway
and alarmed the women who were at
work In the laundry. 1t Is believed
that all Of them escaped.
ono OF the most daring rescues effect
ed by the flremen occurred on the fifth
floor on the Fifth avenue front. An
elderly woman was seen at window
and two firemeE succeeded In reaching
the window Immediately beneath. One
OF them climbed to the coping OF the
window on which he was standing and
then swung the woman clear Of the
window and landed her safely In the
arms Of his companion. who with the
assistance OF several other rfiremenp pass
ed her down to the street.
The First Horror.
The first horror occurred just fifteen
minutes after the fire broke out. A
handsome woman appeared at the win
dow Of q room on the fourth floor. She
held Out her arms to the crowd below.
Then she raised her hands as if in sup
pllcation and in moment climbed to
the window and leaped. She turned
about Nike q top and struck the iron
railing in front OF the hotel Her body
seemed to be impaied. there. but 1t fell
off and into the area way. She was
dead. The woman was Identified as
Mrs. Amelia Paddock, of Irvlngton, N.
Y.
One OF the most thrilling scenes OF the
fre-at time when the building was a
seethlng caldron Of ilames-was the
heroic rescue of several women from the
upper stories. One had been carried
down from the fifth story. Mrs. A. II.
Fuller OF Pittsburgh. then appeared
with her maid at the window OF the
fourth story. 1t seemed an aye before
the ladder was lowered. Fremen ran up
and with great difficulty brought down
Mrs. Fuller and her maid. Just as she
was gotten cut of the window, q mid
dle-aged woman appeared at q window
just north OF that at which the ladder
was placed. The woman, fearing she
would not be rescued, prepared to
jump. She was warned to keep back,
and became paric-strucken and STEP
ped back into the dense smoke. a hook
and ladder man seeing the. desperation
or the woman, seized a scaling atrTtr
and went up str:y after story through
the binding smoke. He climbed to the
coping just as the woman rcappeared.
Se!zing her by the waist and holding her
tightly 10 the wall of the building he
creFt slowly on the coping aDd passed
the fa!ntlnG woman 10 another fireman
who had braccd himself to receive her.
There was dreadful suspense as the
fireman drew the woman toward him
and finally had her safely CT the ladder.
4 tremendous cheer went up from tht
crowd below.
Fireman John Hanna, of the fire
Helhar Mills, rushed through the
smoke 10 the top floor and found Night
Watchman MacNlcli0l half asphyxia-
ted. Hanna lowered him by means OF
wire 10 the fire escape. two stories be-
low and let himself down the same way.
His l:ands were badly cut by the wire.
Then Hanna assisted the old man
down the fire escape.
Fireman William Kennedy. OF engine
company No. -, rescued a Mrs. Brann
from the fourth floor of the hotel bV.
means Of q scaling ladder His rescue
was checrcd by the immense crowd.
A crlppFed woman was found lying
on the floor of 4 room on the fourth
floor. unable to move, and was carried
In safety TO the street
Asscmblymln John II. Maher, Sheriff
Dunn and Police Commissioners Hess,
Sexton and AbeH all assisted in taking
persons from the hotel.
.. Heroic Acts.
Captain Emil II. Halc, OF Company l.,
Forty-seventh United States volunteers,
rushed up to the fourth floor and res
cued an old crippled man, who was
partly asphyxiated by the smoke and
burned about the head.
Policeman Luke Miley rescued three
women from the fourth floor and was
badly burned about the hands and face
and his uniform was nearly burned
from his back
All or these rcscueS and many others
occurred within n period Of Il few min
utes. Meanwhile terrifying scenes were
being enacted by frenZied men and wu-
men on ALMOST every floor of the great
building. How many persons ore bur-
led In the ruins Is not known, but at
least three or four persons were seen to
jump, whose bodies have not been re-
covered. a young man. apparently an
employe. jumped from the roof OF the
Forty-sixth street side OF the hotel. An
other unknown man jumped on the
Fifth avenue side and two more were
seen to jump from the rear.
Shortly after that two women jumped
from the roof TO the court yard below.
It is known that two OF these at least
ore dead. Eye witnesses say Tat they
saw woman throw n ohlld from 4
window and fail Il moment later her.
self just before the collapse of one OF
the walls. AS yet no trace OF these
bodies have been found.
Miss McKinley's Narrow Escape.
Abncr Mckinley. brother OF President
Mckinley, had four rooms on the
ground floor OF the hotel. Mrs. McKin-
ley and her daughter, Mabel Mckinley,
occupied the rooms with Abncr McKin-
ley. Miss Mabel Mckinley had ordered
q coach for n drive at $3.50 o'clock and
was dressing for 1t when the alarm OF
a