Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-03-23

III ruins ana the streets Oh Three SlucS
of the building were filed with debris
from the fallen walls and chimneys,
while the streams of water which were
being poured on the interior of the
ruins had no more effect than to fill
the air with clouds OF scalding steam,
making it impossible for anyone to
approach near enough to search for the
bodies OF those who persisted The
fire was the most spectacular that can
be imagined When it broke out 9th
avenue was crowded with people wit
Messing the st. Patricks Gay parade
and every window in front of the hotel
facing 5th avenue was filled with spec
tators. AS soon as the flames were
discovered shooting from the windows,
that part OF st. Patrick's day parade
which was near the building came TO
halt in a few minutes and the parade
was uisbanded, for the police as far as
they were able, drove the people from
the streets. In addition to the regular
guests OF the hotel, the windows were
crowded by large number of specta-
eongregated there TO witness the pa
rade. Soon after the fire alarm was
given the people on the lower floors of
the hotel commenced TO pour out of
the building in great numbers, but it
very soon became apparent that a
great majority of the occupants of the
,hntel were either nanic-strickeu OF. un-,
able to make their way 10 the ground
floor Windows were thrown open en-
every side OF the building and guess,
mostly women, made frantic appeals
for assistance AS the flames gathered
about them they became more and
more terror-stricken Presently some
of them STOOD on the narrow window
stills and beckoned to the spectators that
they were about to leap. Men collect
ed upon the sidewalks ready to render
any assistance possible as some of the
women dropped TO the streets. In
most instances efforts to break their
awful fall were unayailing, AS soon as
the firemen could get their
scaling ladders into position they en-
nate guest appealed for assistance, and
many cases of heroic rescue were wit
messed by the throng in the streets
Directly across the street from the ho-
tel Is the home of Miss Helen Gould
and at her direction many of the in
jured were carried there and treated
by physicians and a number of women
she sent for Ambulances forced their
way through the crowds and the in
jured people who made frightful leaps
from the hotel windows were placed in
them ana removed to hospitals. Sew
eral of the occupants of the hotel APP
peared at the windows of the sixth and
seventh stories and even on the roof
and leaped to the streets from those
points. Few OF them escaped either
instant death or injuries which re-
suited in death short time later
Within 40 minutes after the fire first
broke out the walls on the 5th avenue
siue showed indications of falling and
presently, with an awful crash, they
struck the asphalt street, causing hun
dreds of people standing there to scat
ter in every direction. The walls on
the 10th and 47th street sides followed
a moment later. Doorsteps and iron
| fences in front of the houses on the
| opposite side of the street from the
hotel were wrecked by the falling
| walls ana the amount of debris piled
| in the streets is SO great that travel
| Will be impeded for several days. The
adjacent buildings, including Miss
Gould's residence, were in imminent
| danger but the flames were brought
. under control before they We're
| reached
There We're 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 occupied by President McKin-
! ley's brother, Abner Mckinley and
/ family. The boy pulled the chain at
| tached to the fire alarm but the chain
/ broke Then he cried out an alarm of
/ fire and ran to the floor below, alarm
/ ing the occupants of the dining rooms
and main floor Then the boy rushed
/ into the basement and alarmed the
women at work in the laundry. Ii is
is believed that all OF them escaped
One of the most daring rescues effected
by the firemen occurred on the fifth
/ floor in the 5th avenue front An
/ elderly woman was seen at a window
4 Two tiremen succeeded in reaching the
window Immediately underneath
One climbed to the coping of the win
dow of which she was standing then
swung the woman clear of the window
and landed her safely in the arms OF
his companion. who with the assist
ance of several other tiremen passed
her down to the street
How mary persons are buried in the
| ruins is not known, but at least three
or four persons were seen to jump
whose bodies have not been recovered
young man, apparently an employe
jumped from the roof on the 10th
street side Of the hotel Another IN.
known man jumped on the 5th avenue