Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-03-23

UP 10 IlP IuuTln llbbt dub iuoNhNa 81
old crippled man, who was partly suf-
located by the smoke and burned on
the head.
Policeman Luke Miley rescued three
women from the fourth floor. He was
badly burned about the hands and face
and his uniform was nearly burned
from his back.
Brooklyn fireman who came over to
see the parade, noticed woman on the
seventh story, right over where the
fire broke out first. Ho rushed upstairs
and rescued her. She was Kate Elan
nigan, a servant. The woman was
badly burned and injured by falling
debris, and was unconscious when
brought down.
Thomas Mcpherson, an employe of |
the government docks in Brooklyn, |
went through the fire and smoke five |
stories and rescued Mrs. r. Butler, |
who was unconscious from shock and |
fright. Mcpherson was so badly burned
that he had to be taken to the hospital
himself.
All of these rescues and many others
occurred within comparatively short
time. Meanwhile terrifying scenes were
being enacted by frenzied men and
women on almost every floor of the
great building.
How many persons are buried 10 the
ruins is not known, but at least three
or four persons were seen to jump
whose bodies have not been recovered.
| HISTORY OF THE HOTEL.
| The Windsor has for many years held
q prominent position among the hotels
| of New York. Its location, at Fifth
avenue and Forty seventh street, was
/ rt,nt f,tpY,b bny
the hotel was opened in 1873, hut it is
now right in the heart of the city. 1t
| has for years numbered among its
patrons the wealthiest people of all the
larger cities of the country. Among
those are persons who come to New
York two or three times year for the
opera or social seasons. The hotel has
long been o favorite resort for proni-
nent railroad officials and manufact-
urers. 1t was for years sort of even
ing exchange for brokers.
The building fronted 200 feet on
Fifth avenue and had depth of 100
feet, running from Forty sixth to
Forty. seventh streets. Its front centre
was eight stories high and 30 feet long.
There were two wings, each of seven
stories and IS feet long.
The material was brick. There were
four towers, one on each corner, to
relieve the long level line of the roof.
Tho cost of the Windsor was about
three-quarters of a million dollars.
There were more than 500 rooms in
the hotel, each lighted through q
window opening out either on a street
or court and provided with a fireplace
and CRATE.
John I. DAILY, the first owner of the
Windsor, committed suicide in May,
1877, because of the shrinkage in value
: of real estate which he was holding for
: an advance. He was millionaire Cali
! fornian, possessed of great energy OF
character and public spirit.
? The Windsor was big money
! maker from the start. The average rent
was Sl25.000 year, sometimes more
and sometimes less.
Warren Leland, who has managed
the Windsor since 1896, had prior tc
. that time successfully managed the
. Garden House in Chicago, selling his
? interest in it after 10 years ownership
y for 10000 Mr.. Leland made many
improvements in the Windsor aftei
taking charge of it.
!, Fire seems to follow Mr.. Leland ant
9 his family in their hotel ventures. Tn
Is Delevan House in Albany. of which h
was once proprietor, was burned. witt
loss of life, in 1894. The Ocean House
IS Newport, Of which Warren F. Leland
,r Jr., was proprietor, having taken j
IL from mis- father, was destroyed by fir
N in September, 1893. Now comes tn
N great disaster of the Windsor to add +
W the list.
to Mrs, Mckinley, the Presidents wife
b was usually a guest at this hotel o.
sr her visits to New York.
lg New York, March 1s.-The mos
I'd complete list Of casualties at the Wind
is sor Hotel fire shows that IA person
re were killed and possibly 10, withou
ne attempting to speculate on the bodie
in the ruins. Forty persons missing
10 Fifty.two names are in the list {
A injured whose whereabouts are known
n Three fire engines and 100 policeme
he remained all night about the burnin
W. building. Those engines poured 81
p large streams of water on the flames
to which would start up at intervals
spite of the firemen. Little explosion
nd occurred every once in while fro
he escaping gas, the pipes having bef
ed smashed all over the lower part of u
"a building. the only part that was lief
las Citizens were kept a block away fro
lg the ruins, as pieces Of wall were fallir
every now and then and there W
danger that the portion Of wall at Il
~ back of the building and that on d
ng Forty-sixth street side might fall
rhes any time. The bit of wall on Il
nm Forty street side tapered to
point and still held two chimneys
an place. 1t will be pulled down duril
IF the day. The wall on the rear sid
AZ seven stories high, was still standin
in but it looked as though it might +;
iii at the first stiff breeze. The wall
frs tho Forty seventh street side was abo
two stories high and that in front
of Fifth Avenue about the same heigi
an The walls had breaks in them and
t AZ jagged to pieces, adding to the hidec
his appearance of the ruins behind the
ras which smoked and steamed a
was emitted bad stencil.
MIC. Fifth Avenue and Forty-sixth a
tbe Forty-seyenth streets were impassab
INC They were covered withe Debris fir
the walls of the hotel and in ma
;nto instances flag stones were broken
M. the great crash of stone hnd brit
ldcr DISCOVERY OF THE ,FIRE,l
ugh Edward Killon, a miikman, aid
l to day that he had discovered the Il
cap He was watching the st. Patricls's I
the parade. when he saw curtain t;
the fire. He ran into the hotel and tr
. by to send in an alarm by means of
the hotel automatic box, but it would
who work. Then he ran into the sire
sending in an alarm there, and
! the turned to the hotel. He said tha
ward corporal and a nriUata NJ tha Az