The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-03-20
DIGGING IN THE RUINS
The Search For Victims of the
Windsor Hotel Fire.
FoRTY-FOUR ARE STILL MISSING

The List Is Doubtless Exaggerated.
IL Includes the Name OF Actor Ha-
worth. who Has Turned Up safe I'm
Philadelphia.
New York, March 20.-In a drizzling
rain more than 200 men continued yes
terday to work among the debris and
smouldering ruins Of the Windsor hotel
searching for the bodies OF those who
perished in the flames and to recover any
valuables that might have escaped the
ravages Of the fire. The efforts OF the
searchers were futile, however, as the
ruins were too hot to permit much pro-
gress, and the smoke arising from the
burning material was rendered more
dense by the dampness Of the atmos-
phere. At intervals during the night
flames burst forth from the burning
embers and drove back the workmen.
Work was begun in the morning to de-
molish the fragmentary portions Of walls
on the east and north sides Of the burned
building, and later the number OF work
ers was reinforced and the work Of re-
moving the rubbish pushed as vigorously
as was practicable. The chimney, 50
feet high, standing on the Forty-sixth
street side OF the ruins, near Fifth ave-
nue., was blown up at noon. Thirty
pounds Of dynamite were placed under
the base Of this chimney, and electricity
was used to explode It.
Smoke and steam still rise from the
debBis, and now and then tongues OF
flames shoot up, even at this late hour
after the fire. The Workmen have been
al 70 10 np1v -.
When they dig down a little way the
debris is so hot that they are obliged
to move to another locality.
During the day workmen were engaged
in picking to pieces the six story wall
standing on the Forty-seventh street
side of the hotel. in order to make
search in the ruins safer. The second
S5-foot chimney was dynamited shortly
after o'clock in the afternoon. The
explosion wrecked a number of plate
glass windows and doors in nearby resi-
dences.
A large force Of men were at work
during the afternoon on what was the
main entrance to the hotel. 1t was ex-
pected that bodies would first be found
there. A large amount of small articles,
principally the personal property Of the
guests, was found.
Daniel Sweeney, the emergency wreck
er of the building department and three
men had a narrow escape from injury
and possibly death about o'clock. The
four men were on top Of the six-story
wall, which was still standing on the
FOrty-seventh street corner of the hotel,
tearing it down. A stiff north wind blew
up suddenly, and Sweeney felt the wall
trembling beneath him. He cried out
a warning, and the men hurried from
their dangerous perch. They were just
outside the danger zone when a great
section of the wall, 30 feet or more
square and including that portion where
they had been working, went down with
a roar. A portion Of it 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 injured.
A. p. Demorest called at the East
Fifty-first street police station yesterday
and reported that he had a small safe
| filed with jewels valued at $4,000 In
the ruins Of the fire. He, his wife and
daughter and son occupied rooms on the
third floor, near Fifth avenue and Forty
seventh street. They were all in their
rooms when the fire occurred. His
daughter, when the fire was discovered,
went to the small safe containing the
| Jewels and tried to open it, but forgot
the combination In her excitement. Mr..
| Demorest stated that when he opened
the room door he saw three men running
/ about in the smoke and going into rooms.
/ They were not iremen, and he was Ger.
| tain they were not employees. He thinks
| they were robbers. He and his family
then went out on the fire escape and
were rescued by hremen. Mr.. DemOrest
was apprehensive about the safety Of the
safe and its valuables.
Thomas Cleary, OF OIL Third avenue,
called on Inspector Harley and stated
that he assisted a woman from the hotel
| whom he afterwards ascertained was
| Mrs. Abner Mckinley. He took her to
the street and put her in a cab. Mrs.
| Mckinley told him that she had dropped
q bag containing some jewelry. he ran
back and got the bag and gave 1t to
! Mrs. Mckinley, and she drove of. In
spector Harley held Cleary in order to
verify the story. OF three trunks taken
from the debris Saturday afternoon two
were claimed by Abner Mckinley.
Last night the persons living in the
| three houses nearest to the wall on
| pOTIg-seNtulu blIGGl WIRE out
| by the police, because OF the danger OF
Its being blown down by the high wind.
The death list remains the same as on
! Saturday-16-and the list of missing
has been reduced to A, as a number of
| those previously unaccounted for re-
| ported in person, or had been located by
friends. That some Of the missing are
buried beneath the ruins is generally be-
| lieved, but there is no doubt that the
list Is greatly exaggerated. In the list
Is the name of Joseph Haworth, the
actor. Mr.. Haworth's sister, In Cleve-
land. had received letter from him say
ing that he was going from Atlantic City
to the Windsor hotel, In New York, and
supposed he had done so. Mr.. Haworth,
however, reached Philadelphia from At.
lantic City last night, and telegraphed
on at once,
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