The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-03-21

curtain, burst forth from the second
floor of the Windsor hotel at Forty
seventh street and Fifth avenue short
ly after 8 o'clock this afternoon, and
in a few minutes they had leaped up
TO the roo and enveloped the entire
Fifth avenue and Forty-seventh street
fronts Of the hotel. Ten minutes later
the flames were roaring through the
interior of the hotel I'M all means of
escape by way of stairways and eleva-
toys were cut off and there was the
Ist scene of excitement within and
WITHOUT the building. Hundreds of
ISIS and employees were in the hotel
wien the fire broke out, and for many
of them escape with safety was impos-
sible. Probably ten to fifteen lives
we're lost within a half hour, and thirty
or forty other persons were injured in
Jumping from windows and in rushing
through the flames in the corridors
and on the stairways. Many who were
injured died later at near by residences
or at hospitals and others who made
wild leaps to the stone sidewalk were
so BADLY injured that they are still
HONtIlHS DelWGen lie anu Q6dLn. IL
may be tWenty-four hours or more be-
fore The complete list of fatalities be-
comes known. and it will be longer
than that before it can be ascertained
definitely how many charred bodies are
in the mass of fallen masonry that
marks the spot where the hotel stood.
LIST OF THE DEAD.
List Of the dead is as follows:
Leland, Mrs. Elizabeth, wife of War
rem Leland, proprietor of the hotel,
burns of body; died 1t Flower hospi-
tai.
Leland, Helen, daughter of Warren
Leland, jumped from window; body
identified at east Fifty-first street sta
ton.
Paddock, Mrs. Amelia, Irvington, N.
Y, jumped from window; body at east
Fifty-first street station.
Kirk, Nancy Ann, (Mrs. James S.
kirk, Chicago; died in Bellevue.
Pierce, Mrs. M, Macon, Ga; died at
No. 10 east FortY-sixth street.
Grandy, Miss Lazelles, Elizabeth
street, station.
GD@on, Mrs. Addie, aged 35 years,
shock; died at Murray Hill hotel
0sNdman, Eleanor Louise, aged II
- fractured skull; died at Belle
Connolly, John, hotel employe, burns
and internal injuries; died at Flower
hospital.
Unknown woman, middle-aged jump
ed from window; died at Miss Helen
Gould's residence.
Unknown omar body at East Fiji
ty-first street station.
Unknown man, seen to jump from
the roof at the rear of the hotel; body
not recovered.
Unknown child, thrown from a win
| dow by it's mother; body not recovered.
| Unknown woman, mother of the
| child, jumped from window; body not
| recovered.
The list of injured contains fifteen
men n twenty-six women.
The missing number forty. =
The flames could not be checked and
in two hours from the time that the
fire broke out the entire structure was
in ruins and the streets on three sides
of the building were filled with debris
from falling walls and tall chimneys,
while the streams of water being pour
ed into the interior of the ruins had no
effect other than to fill the air with
clouds of scalding steam, making 1t
impossible for any one to approach
near enough to search for missing
bodies. x.
The fire was the most spectacular
that could be imagined. When it broke
out Fifth avenue was crowded with
people watching the st. PatrickS day
parade which was passing the building
as the fire broke out, and every win
dow in the front of the hotel facing
Fifth avenue, was filled with specta-
TORS, watching h marching men and
floats in the streets. An unusually
large rMuber of people were on the
Estreeta "a interfered not a little with
the movements of the fremen and
Kpolice. In addition to the regular
quests of the hotel the were
crowded by a large number of specta-
Ntors, residents of this city, who had
Econgregated there to witness the pa
Trade.
Soon after the first alarm was given
Hpeople in the lower floors of h hotel
Those who had easy access to the
Nstreet and stairway, commenced &C
Apour out of the building in great num-
beers, but it very soon became apparent
that a great majority Of the occupants
#of the hotel were either panic stricken
Tor unable to make their way to the
aground floor. Windows were thrown
up on every side of the building and
quests, mostly women made frantic
appeals for assistance to the crowd be
low.
FIREMEN TO THE RESCUE.
Finally some of them stood upon thu
harrow window sills and beckoned t
i the spectators that they were abou'
TO leap to the streets. The men col
5lected upon the sidewalks ready tt
Fender any assistance they could. SOM
of the women dropped to the streets
4ln most cases the efforts to catch then
and break their fall were ~unavaifing
and broker limbs were the result. A:
Soon as the firemen could get theil
scaling ladders into position, the!
climbed the sides of h building ant
entered at every window where ther'
was an unfortunate guest appealing
Elor assistance and many cases or he
#folc rescue were witnessed by tn
sanrong, in the streets.
AT thu orner of Forty-seventh stree
md FifygAavenue, directly across from
me hets-, is the home of Miss Heller
4Iould,l I'D at her direction many OF tn
Aa1ureoE Eere carried there and wer'
sreated'by physicians and nurses whom
me had sent for.
In the meantime the chief Of poles