Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-03-23
THE RUINS
Still Smoke and Steam and
the Windsor Fire Yields
None of its Secrets.
1900 men AT WORK
Searching aud Clearing Away the Debris
-Workmen Have Narrow Escape
From n Failing Six story Wall
Chimne,s Blown Down by Dy-
namite-No Bodies Found.

New York, March 19.-But very little
progress was made to-day in removing the
debris of the Windsor Hotel fire in. tho
ctiort to discover the bodies that are sup
posed to BE buried there All day long
over two huadrcd men labored as much
as the misty, muddy, stcamlng mass OF
broken stones twisted iron and crushed
brick would admit. y heavy sitting va
pOr arose continually, rctarding the prog
ross of the workers and keeping them
i.r the most part away from the centre
of the ruins From Fifth avenue much of
the debris that had fallen into the street
had been cleared away and the men were
able to reach a portion of the first floor.
What small portions of wall that could
le blasted down were lCVcled but the
great pillars of brick at the 47th street
cad still stood. 1t was in such II. threat
cning condition that the police notified
the residents of tho houses across the
street to remain in the rear OF their dwell
ings.
Up to midnight no bodies had been dis
covered and no more deaths from ,njuri $
received at the fire were reported from
the hospitals but a number of the injured
were still in a serious condition.
The death list remains the same as yes
t.rday-sixtc,n- the list of missing
has been reduced TO 4i. ~ a number of
those previously uIaccounted for reported
in person or had been located by friends
night on Saturday more than 2co
men continued to work among the debris
and smOuldcring ruins of the Windsor
Hotel searching for the bodies OF those
who pcr-hod IN the flames and to recover
any valuahles that might have escaped the
raVageS of the fire. The efforts of the
ScarChcrS were futile. however. as the
ruins We're too hot to permit them to make
much progress ana the smoke arising
from the burning material was rendered
more dense by the damrnesS of the at
mOspherc. At intervals during the night
flames burst forth from the burning ON
bors and drove back the workmon. when
day break came no bodies had been reccN-
orod. Early church goers stopped on their
way to gaz@ at the scene Of devastation.
Work was begun this morning to demol-
ish the fragmentarY portions Of walls on
the east and north sides Of the burned
building and later the number If workers
was reinforced and the work Of removing
the rubbish pushed as vigorously as was
practicablr,
Tho chimney. oighty-fivc feet high stand
ing ON the 10Th Street side of the ruins
rear Fifth Avenue. was blown mp at noon
to-day Thirty pounds Of dynamite were
placed under the base of this chimney
and electricity was used to explode IT.
-Four hundred workmcn were to-day bus
lily engaged in working in tho dabr, fer
bodies ana vaiuablos. They comprised one
OF three shifts Of four hundred men each,
VINO work eight hours each. Their WORK
was retarded also owing to the difficult
conditions ot murky atmosphere ana the
heat Of the debris. Smoke and steam still
rise from the debris and now af1d then
tongues of flames shoot up even at this
late hour after the fire. The wOrkmCn
have only been able to do a little super
fetal work. When they d.g down a little
way the debris Is so hot that they are
Obliged to move to another locality.
The fire lines are moro rigidly kept to-
day than ever, al persons without a spe-
cal permit are kept out
DuriIg the day workmcn were engaged
in picking TO pieces the six story wal. that
is standing on the 47th street side of the
| hotel site in order to make the search IN
/ the ruins safe.
The second S5-foot chimney was dyna-
mitcd shortly after 3 o'clock this after
noon. The explosion wrecked a number
Of plate glass windows and doors in near
by residences.
\ largo force Of men were at work dur
ing the afternoon, on what was the main
entrance to the hotel. 1t was expected
that bodies would first he found there. a
large amount of small articles, principally
the person VI property of guests was
found, such as a silver back mirror, with
the initials -. II. F." and a silver back
hair brush, with the same initials. a
IlulllDcl 'l Slll.ill pieces u SlANtl IlldIhtu
"A j. T." was also found and lady $
silver belt; n Mystic Shrine pin: the hotel
lcdgtr; a suit Of evening clothes; check
book and quilts, rugs and clothing in
large quantities, were dug out OF the
ruins.
Daniel Sweeney, the emergency wrecker
of the building department and three
men had narrow escape from injury
and possibly death about o'clock The
four men We're on top of tho six story
wall which was still standing on the 4Ith
street corner of the hotel tearing ii down.
a stiff north wind blew up rather sudden
ly and Sweeney felt the wall trembling
beneath him. Sweeney cried out a warn
ing and the men hurried from their dan
gcrous perch. They We're Just outside the
danger Zunc when a great section of the
wall, 80 feet or moro square and includ-
ing that portion whore they had hccn
working went down with COar. por-
ton of 1t fell on the roof of the house
back of the hotel, wrecking the roof The
house had been emptied by order of the
building department and nobody was in
iured.