The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-03-18

people IN the lower foorS OF the notei,
those who had easy access to the street
and stairway commenced TO pour out OF
the building IN great numbers, but Il very
soon became apparent that n great ma
jority OF the occupants OF the hotel were
either panic stricken or unable 10 make
their way to the ground floor. windows
were thrown up on every side OF the build
| ing and guests, mostly women, In all
| stages of terror, made their appearance and
uttered frantic appeals for assistance TO
| the crowd below. As the flames gathered
about them they became more and more
| terror stricken and presently some OF them
stood upon the narrow window stills and
beckoned 20 the spectators they were about
to leap. Some of the women left the win
dow stills and dropped TO the street In
most OF the cases the efforts to catch them
and break their awful fall We're unavailing.
for they struck the sidewalk and in most
cases broken limbs were the result.
| As soon as the fremen could get their
scaling ladders into position they climbed
| the sides of the building and entered az
every window where there was an unfor-
tuuate guest appealing for assistance, aud
many cases of heroic rescues were Wit
messed by the throng in the streets,
Az the corner of Forty-seventh street
| and Fifth avenue, directly across from
the hotel. is the home Of Miss Helen Gould
and at her direction many Of the injured
were carried there and were treated by
physicians and nurses whom she had sem
for In the meantime the chief OF pace
had telephoned TO every hospital III tn'
city asking that assistance be sent Am
balances forced their way through th'
crowd as quickly ms possible, and the in
Iured people who had made the frightfu
leaps from the hotel wlndows were PLACED
In them and removed to the hospitals
Several occupants OF tho hotel appeare.
al the windows Of the sixth and seventh
|
to the street from those points Ver,
few of them escaped either instant deati
or injuries which resulted In their dealt
in a short time,
In the meantime the entire building was
being enveloped IN flames, which shot oui
from every window and formed picture
which struck terror to all those who wor'
witnessing t. Within forty or nifty min
utes after the first flames broke out tht
walls on the Fifth avenue side showed
every indication OF falling and presently
with n crash they struck the asphalt paved
street In front OF the hotel and caused
the hundreds of people who were standing
there 60 scatter In every direction. Thit
fall weakened the walls on the Forty
sixth ard Forty-seventh street sides and
they followed moment later When The
walls fell the brick and mortar and twisted
girders and corrugated iron filled the
streets on three sides OF the hotel. Travel
VIII be Jmpeucn IOI SpNelHl uHSt.
The cast wing OF the hotel continued to
burn for half hour after the walls OF
the other part OF the building fell. Fire
men continued to play streams on the
flames and also upon the adjoining build
ings including Miss Gould's residence,
which seemed IN danger Of catching IRE
but the flames were brought under con-
troll before they could reach any of them
There were many thrilling scenes In the
hotel during the earlier stages Of the nre.
A bell boy discovered the flames while he
was passing along the fourth floor, Inn
mediately over the rooms occupied by
President McKlnley's brother, Abner Nc
Knley and his family. The boy pulled a
chain attached to the fire alarm, but the
chain broke and he then gave the alarm
by crying "Fire Fret" The lad when he
got TO the floor above the main ball. ran
into the American dining room and gave
the alarm TO the guests there. Only a few
persons were In tho dining room at the
time and they escaped When the boy
reached the main floor, where Warren j.
Leland. the proprietor Of the hotel, was
he shouted that the building was on fire.
On Mr.. Leland's instructions, the clerks
tried to save all the books and papers, and
the boy then rushed down the basement
stairway and alarmed the women who
were working in the laundry, 1t Is be.
lieyed that all Of them escaped.
One of the most daring rescues eHectof
by the fremen occurred on the fifth fiool
OF the Fifth avenue side An elderly wo.
man was seen at window and two FIRE
men succeeded in reaching tho window i'm
mediately underneath One OF them climbe,
TO the coping OF the window on which sh
was standing ana then swung the wo
man clear Of the window and landed he
sqfely in the arms Of his companion, who
with the assistance Of several other fire
men, passed her down 10 the street.
The loss OF the fire is estimated rougbl
: at sl.000000. The building is valued a
|, $25c,O0o.
The first horror occurred lust flfteei
minutes after the FIRE broke out hand
some woman appeared at the window 81
e room on the fourth floor. She held gu
her arms to the crowd below. Then sh
4 raised her hands as II In supplication an
In a moment climbed 10 the winiow an
leaped. She turned around like top an
) struck the iron railing In frpnt OF th
) hotel. Her body seemed TO be impale
there but II fell off and into the area way
she was dead the woman WIS Identified a
Mrs. Amelia Paddock OF Iryington, n. Y.
= One OF the most thrilling scenes OF tn
e fre--at time when the building was