The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1899-03-23
Little Progress Made in Remoy-
NJ the Debris From the
Ruins Of the Hotel.
ADncr Nckinley's Family, Who We're
Guests Of the Hotel, Mirac-
uously Escaped,
Daring Rescues, From Windows to Death.
scenes OF Heartrcnding Intensity
Described Financial Loss of
Almost One Million Dol
lars on Hotel.

NrH YORK, March l9.-Flames whic
originated from the igniting of lac
curtain burst forth from the secon
s0os - the Windsor hotel at AIT
street and Fifth avenue, shortly afte
d cocook Friday afternoon, lust as tn
:, Pairick's day parade was passin.
,ac building and in few moment
hey had leaped up to the roo
and cuvcloped the entire Fifth
avenue and 47th street front.
q Tie hotel. Ten minutes late,
Mc flames were roaring through the
a'cror II the hotel, and all escape
b. means Of stairways and elevators
was cN' o1. There was the widest
scene u excitement within and with
cu, The building. Hundreds of guests
| and employees were in the hotel when
i TIE fire broke out, and for many of
them 20 escape with safety was impos-
stc
soon after the first alarm was given
people in the lower floors Of the hotel.
4 iA"se who had easy access to the street
sat the stairway, commenced to pour
4 our o. the building in great numbers,
tl' l. soon became very apparent that
crca, majority of the occupants
o. the hotel were either panic
Srchcn or unable to make |
their way 10 the ground floor.
Windows were thrown up on every |
Sae q the building and the guests,
mostly women, in all stages of terror
Iaic their appearance and uttered
'iau'lc appeals for assistance to the
crowd below AS the flames gathered
about them they became more and
more terror stricken, and presently
some ot them stood upon the narrow
"naow >ills and beckoned to the spec
'''''s iaat they were about to leap.
4Ae men collected upon the sidewalks
Ready 10 render any assistance they
''-a' and in the meantime some of !
''e women left the window sills and {
Popped 10 the streets. In most in
Stances The efforts to catch them and 1
'"" 'Ne.T awful fall were unavailing, c
10y 'aey struck the sidewalk and in S
-o'' cases broken limbs were the re- a
SUI .
as soon as the fremen could get C
'leT sealing ladders into position they s.
''.'''. The sides Of the building and d
'-''''d az every window where there h
.'> al unfortunate guest appealing re
'.' assistance and many cases of he al
'' rescue were witnessed by the
.-''lg n the streets. At the corner OF al
''' street and 5th avenue. directly Sc
'.'''' fon the hotel is the home o, pl
A''' Helen Gould, and at her direc- ar
many Of the injured were a
" '''''ea there and were treated bv w
'''''anS and nurses whom she had su
.'l' ''r In the meantime the chief of
. '',' "aa 'clephoned to every hospital in
I'd "e city, asking that assistance he We
.~~ , Amonlances forced their wav be
'., 1s" 'he crowds as quickly as pos He
ri. .'' ana the injured people who had fir,
,"' 49, '"' 'ngh'ful leaps from the hotel
--'"S were placed in them and re-
''''o 10 the hosp tails. Several occu. die
' aus Of 'Ae hotel appeared at the win Git
- w 'Ae sixth and seventh stories at
- .-,. even on the roof and leaped to the Goo
wv :. Us from those points. ma,
..' '' 'c" OF them escaped either in. pits
80 1'a'h or injuries which resulted bet
w. '-''' death a short time later. toul
. Vi 'he most daring rescues ef. Her
n ny The hremen occurred ON tbe yelt
a moor on the 9TH avenue front. NOR
Fl, "olhdn was seen at win. Nan
., """ TWO hremcn succeeded in Kirl
rum. l.'.' We window Immediately nm. died
,,,. "ue OF them climbed TO the Leila
po,,n ,, =" 'nuo" on which she was hote
"a, O, g., " '"en swung the woman hosp
|, y, 'ne window and landed her ter
N II. u ms companion, who dead
.,,' '"' assistance OF several other rrvir
he g., - ner down 10 the street. Sulli
,o,.. DrSt horror occurred lust 1s this
.d'. "''er the fire broke ont A from
- ,-' woman appeared al the win. wom
oa. = room on the fourth tlodr She Avep
=, ~. 81 '''F arms 70 the crown below hons,
.,l.n ' "a 1, ,ed her hands as il in sup wind
wibdo. - moment climbed TO moth
b, ~, '" and leaped. She turned ;ump,
mo @s top and struck the iron wo,na
,oL - ''on' Of the hotel Her BODY 10 Ea
" 'mpaled there, but fell off Nr,