The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1899-03-23

New York. March 10. - Flames.
which originated from the igniting OF
n lace curtain burst forth from the
second floor of the Windsor hotel at
Forty seventh street and Fifth avenue
shortly after o'clock yesterday after
noon just the St patrick's day parade
was passing the building. and in
few minutes they had leaped UP to
the roof and envelopad the entire
Fifth avenue and Forty. seventh street
fronts of the hotel. Ten minutes later
the flames We're roaring throughout
the interior Of the hotel and all escape
by means Of stairways and elevators
was cut off. There was the widest
scene of excitement within and with
out the building. Hundreds OF guests
and employees were in the hotel when
the lire broke out. and for many OF
them escape with safety was impos-
sible. Probably from ten to fifteen
lives were lost within n haif-hour and
thirty or forty persons were injured in
jumping from windows and in rush
ing through the roaring flames in the
corridors and on the stairways Many
who were injured died later at near
by residences and at hospitals and 9th
erS, who made wild leaps to the stone
sidewalks. were so badly injured that
they are still lowering between life
and death. 1t may be twentv-four
hours or more before the complete
list Of fatalities becomes known. and
it will be longer than that before it can
be aScertained definitely how many
charred bodies are in the mass Of
fallen masonry that marks the spot
where the hotel stood. The flames
could not be checked, and i'm two
hours from the time the fire broke out
the entire
st, ucturc WAS in Ruins
and the streets on three sides Of the
building were filled with debris from
fallen walls and chimneys, while the
streams of water being poured upon
the interior of the ruins had no other
effect than to fill the air with clouds
of scalding steam, making it impossi-
bic for any one to approach near
enough to search for the bodies who
persisted
Soon after the first alarm was given
people in the lower floors of'the hotel
those who had easy access to the
street and the stairway, commenced
to pour out of the building in great
numbers, but it was very soon APP
parent that great majority of the oc-
cupants Of the hotel were either panic
stricken or unable to make their way
to the ground floor. Windows were
thrown up ON every side of the build
ing and guests, mostly women, in all
stages of terror, made their appear
ance and uttered frantic appeals for
assistance to the crowd below. AS The
fam fyathnraI about thnp, fhau hp-
came more and more terror-stricken,
and presently some of them stood on
the narrow window stills and beckoned
to the spectators that they were
about to leap. The men collected
upon the sidewalks ready to render
any assistance they could and in the
meantime some of the women left the
wind0wsills and dropped TO the street.
In most instances the effofTs 'eo1 Glitch
them and break their awful fall was
unayailing. for the struck the side
walk and ia most cases broken limbs
We're the result AS soon as the fire.
men could get their scaling ladders in
position they climbed the sides of the
building and entered every window at
which there was an unfortunate gnest
appealing for assistance. and many
cases of heroic rescue were witnessed
by the throng in the streets
The loss on the hotel is estimated at
about S1,0000O0 Several adjoining
buildings were damaged considerably,
but the loss on these is comparatively
small. All the papers and books Of
the hotel are believed to have been
saved.
Warren Leland, proprietor Of the
Windsor bntaI want ipcona late last
night. His wife and daughter We're
among the victims of the FIVE. and it is
feared he cannot survive the shock.