Iron County register., 1899-03-23
DEATH HOLDS A CARNIVAL
Sudden Destruction by Fire of the
Windsor Hotel in New
York City.
LARGE NUMBERS OF GUESTS PERISH.
The Windows Were Crowded with
People witnessing the ST. Pat
rick's Day Parade, Many of Whom
Jumped from Windows and Roof
to Instant Death.

New York, March 1S.-Flames, which
originated from the igniting of 4 lace
| curtain, burst forth from the second
| floor of the Windsor hotel, at Forty
seventh street and Fifth avenue, short
/ ly after three o'clock yesterday after
/ noon, just as the ST. Patrick's day pa
| rade was passing the building, and in
few moments they had leapcd to tie
i roof and enveloped the entire Fifth
! avenue and Forty-second street fronts
/ of the hotel. Ten minutes later the
flames were roaring through The ili-
! terror OF the hotel, and all escape by
means OF stairWays and elevators was
cut off.
wild Scenes of Excitement.
There was the widest scene of ex-
element within and without The built.-
ing. Hundreds of guests and employees
were in the hotel when the fire broke
| out, and for many of them 10 escape
was simply impossible. Probably from
10 to Is lives were lost within hall
hour, and 80 or 40 persons were injured
in jumping from the windows and iE
rushing through the roaring flames in
the corridors and on the stairways.
Died at Nearby Residences.
Many who were injured died later at
nearby residences andathospitals and
others who made wild leaps 10 the
stone sidewalks were so oadiv injured
that they are still lowering between
life and death. 1t may be 24 hours and
more before the complete list of IA
talities becomes known, and it will DE
longer than that before it can ba ascer-
tanned definitely how many charred
bodies are in the mass of fallen mason
ry that marks the spot where the hotel
stood.
A Spectacular Scene.
The fire was the most spectacular
that could be imagined. When it
broke out Fifth avenue was crowded
with people watching the St. Patricl<'s
Day parade, and every window in the
front of the hotel facing Fifth avenue
was filled with spectators. The lay was
all that could be desired, and an unusu-
ally large nurdber of people were on
the streets on that account, 4 fact
which interfered not little With the
movements of the firemen and police.
Drove the People from the Streets.
AS soon as the flames wer, .!iscov-
part of the St Patrick's Day process
sion which was near the building carlc
to a halt, and in a few minutes thc
parade was disbanded. for the police
came rushing toward the fire from ev
cry direction, and as far as they were
able, drove the people from the streets.
The Fire Engines Appear.
One alarm after another was turned
in, and the first of the fire en@incS
were not long in appearing upon the
scene. The engines caused d wild
scramble among the paraders and
spectators as they rushed along the
street and fell into positions for SER
ice.
In addition to the regular grlests OF
the hotel the windows were crowded
by large number of spectators. resi-
dents of this city, who had corgregat
ed there to witness the parade.
Panic-Stricken Guests.
Soon after the first alarm was given
people in the lower floors of the hotel. |
who had easy access 10 the streets
and to the stairway, commenced to
pour out of the building in great num- |
bers, but it very soon became apparent |
that great maiority of the occupants |
of the hotel were either Danic-stricken |
or unable to make their way to the |
ground floor. Windows were thrown |
up on every side of the building, and |
guests, mostly women, iE all stages OF |
terror, made their appearance and u;-
tered frantic appeals to the crowd be~ |
low for assistance.
Failed to Break Their Awful Fall.
As the flames gathered about then, |
they became more and more terror |
stricken, and presently some Of them
stood upon the narrow window sills |
and beckoned to the spectators that
ed upon the sidewalks ready to render
any assistance they could, and in tie
mean time some of the women LEFT the
window sills and dropped to the streets.
In most instances the efforts to catch
them and break their awful fall were
for they struck the sidc.
walk, and in most cases broken limbs
were the result.
Many Cases of Heroic Rescue.
AS soon as the iremen could ge:
their scaling ladders into position they
climbed the sides of the building ard
entered at every window wheT+ !here
was an unfortunate guest appealing
for assistance, and many cases of
heroic rescue were witnessed by tie
throng in the streets.
Taken to Helen Gould's Residence.
At the corner of Forty-seventh street
and Fifth avenue, directly across from
the hotel is the home of Miss iIcAen
Gould, and at her direction many of
the injured were carried thee, anc
were treated by physicians and nurses
whom she had sent for. In the meat
time the chief of police had telephoned
10 every hospital in the city asking
that assistance be sent. Amb1,ances
forced their way through the crowds
as quickly as possible, and th. injured
people who had made the friohtfui
leaps from the hotel windows were
placed in them and removed to tie
hospitals.
Leaped from Windows and Roof.
Several occupants of The hotel ap-
peared at the windows of tlle six. i ard
Eeventh stories and even on the rocf
and leaped to the streets from those
points. Very few of them escaped
either instant death or injuries which
in their death in Il short time
later.
The Entire Building in Flames.
In the meantime the entire building
was being enveloped in flames, which
shot out from every window, and
formed a picture which struck terror
IN aIi fhosa who xvera x,yifpass,nu IL