The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1899-03-24

VIEW !ork, March 10. Flames.
which originated from the igniting of
lace curtain burst forth from the
second floor Of the Windsor hotel at
Forty seventh street and Fifth avenue
shortly after 3 o'clock yesterday after
noon just the st. Patrick's day parade
was passing the building, and in a
rev minutes they had leaped up to
the roof and enveloped the entire
Fifth avenue and Forty seventh street
fronts Of the hotel. Ten minutes later
Cne names We're roaring throughout
the interior Of the hotel and all escape
py means of stairways and elevators
was cut off. There was the widest
scene Of excitement within and with
out the building. Hundreds of guests
ana employees We're in the hotel when
the fire broke out, and for many of
them escape with safety was impos-
stble. Probably from ten to fifteen
lives We're lost within half-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
els, who made wild leaps to the stone
sidewalks. We're so badly injured that
they are still lowering between life
and death. 1t may be twenty four
hours or more before the complete
list of fatalities becomes known, and
1t 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 in two
hours from the time the fire broke out
the entire
Structure Was I'm 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-
BILE 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 ali
stages of terror. made their appear
ance and uttered frantic appeals for
assistance to the crowd below. AS the
flames gathered about them they be-
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. Tie men collected
upon the sidewalks really to render
any assistance they could. and in the
meantime some Of the women left the
windowsills and dropped to the street.
In most instances the efforts to catch
them and break their awful fall was
unavailing, for the struck the side
walk and in most cases broken limbs
were 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 guest
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 $1,OOOOOO. Several adjoining
buildings were damaged considerably,
but the loss OH these is comparatively
small. All the papers and books Of
the hotel are believed to have been
saved
Warren Leland, proprietor of the
Windsor hotel. went insane late last,
night. His wife and daughter were
among the victims Of the fire. and it is
feared he cannot survive the shock.