The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-22
CHEATING THE FLAMES
Continued from Eighth Page.

DUH SHQ5 OF inc passage N-%N N~ -
pass key with her. She battered one OF
the doors with her fists, but IL would not
give way. She threw herself against II
once twice, three times, when the lock
broke ard the door swung open she
locked out the window, but could see MOTH
ing through the smoke.
She seized the coil Of rope and threw II
out the window, climbed upon the window
ledge ready 10 descend. She caught UP
her skirts, twis.sd the rope around her leg
and was about 70 descend when Mrs. Ro-
sina Rosenthal at the window below
caught the rope and prepared TO lower
herself.
Wind your leg about the rope and hold
your skirts in your hand, or you viii tear
your flesh" cried Nellie Thomas. But the
excited woman paid no heed TO her. She
sid down half the way and tumbled the
rest, breaking her ankle and injUring her
self internally.
The rope swung back and forth, hitting
the walls Of the building. But Nellie
Thomas started down. The swinging rope
increased its motion with her weight and
pounded her against the wall all the way
10 the bottom. A flame flashed out as she
passed the third floor. 1t ignited her
skirt She landed safely and unhurt save
for some painful burns.
A. c. Hubbard. head clerk Of the Wind
sor, was seen by Journal reporter at the
Manhattan hotel yesterday afternoon. Mr.
Hubbard, though not injured in any way,
was suffering from the shock and sudden
ness of the catastrophe.
Il was not in the hotel when the fire
started" he said, having gone down 10
Union square to bank the hotels deposit
On my return / found the fire had already
obtained complete control of the upper
floors. but I thought Icould get into the
office to secure the books. 1 started
through the main entrance, on Fifth ave-
nue., but a policeman warned me that the
lobby ceiling was likely to fall at any
and would not let me in. 1 ran
around to Forty-sixth street and rushed
through the ladies' entrance, only TO be
driven back by smoke.
Going back to the ladies' paror 1 ran
through it and into the cashiers cage In
the office. wanted to close the safe doors,
els there, besides much money. I triefd to
push the office door open, but something
had fallen against it, aud it would not
move.
LAS I was debating whether to force it
or not, heard crash and saw the ceiling
above the news stand come down, and the
flames and smoke filed the room. 1 did
not wait, as the ceiling above me was al
the way 1 had come intheSEo "gOOh
the way 1 had come in. AS I left there
was some sort of an explosion, and heard
more debris coming down."
Mr.. Hibbard added that the hotel was
far from safe and that the owners would
not remedy it or make any but absolutely
necessary repairs. 1t had but one eleya-
Tor, its ceilings were low and it had none
If the conveniences common to modern
hotels. Nothing but its glory of former
lays the reputation OF its proprietor and
IS absolute cleanliness kept II open.
When Mr.. Hubbard was asked whether
I was 1reproof, he merely smiled sadly
md said: well, hardly; there was moth
ng freproof about it, save the two Office
safes, and they were so antiquatted that I
would not youch for them" The hotel
money. he supposed, had been taken away
or safety by the clerks.
A leap from the falling fourth floor into
4 window already occupied by a half
dressed young woman, while a mother and
her child disappeared into the fiery abyss,
Benjamin L. Cook, banker and broker, of
Chicago. Mr.. Cook described his expe-
rience thus:
Il returned TO my room at the Windsor
early in the afternoon. Ny brother was
at the Waldorf-Astoria, and We had ar
ranged to dine there together. I had
changed my clothes and was dressed, ex
oept for my trousers and shoes. Having
time for short rest, I threw myself down
on the bed. I must have dozed, for pres
emily had the sensation of being awak-
sned by noises in the corridor. The noise
grew louder. People seemed to be running
along the hall. and I could hear women
falling to their children. Suddenly It
dashed over me that something was
wrong. I sprang TO the door and opened
L. Smoke puffed in. and through II /
saw that the corridor was one sheet of
lame.
Selling my trousers. I dashed into the
hall and toward the Forty-sixth street cor
lor, where, I remembered, there was d
ire escape. The heat was terrible I
'elt as though my clothing would burst
INTO fame at any moment.
LAS neared the window from which the
ire escape descended a form brushed b.
me and I heard woman cry:
" oh. my God, my baby"
an the window for which I was max
ng was a young woman in a bath robe.
wondered If I could manage another, but
as I turned TO speak 20 the woman who
had cried out the floor began 10 give way
Il was so sudden that only by leaplng to
the window was I able 10 save myself
As reached the window the floor went
down and the woman with IT, sending Up
an awful roar and rush Of fame.
L broke through the window. whereupoa
the young woman clinging there began
hastily to descend. Waiting only 10 thrust
my legs into my trousers, followed her
She reached the frst story before 7 came
up with her. was helped 70 the street by a
fireman and Immediately disappeared. 7
dc not learn who she was. but s. was ap-
parent she was uninjured. though Il
seemed marvellous how she could bear the
shock Of such an awful experience and re-
.sin strength SUFFICIENT 20 care for her
self"
Dr.. Gregory Cole. young ambulance
surgeon from Roosevelt Hospital. Had
made his way through the dense crowd.
'oilowed By three trained nurses he had
brought with him from the hosnitaL
Smoke and fame were pouring out OF the
-orel windows T--ev wakes n single