The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-03-23

originated from the igniting of lace
curtain burst forth from the second floor
Of the Windsor hotel, at Fofty-seventh
street and Fifth avenue, just as the st.
Patrick's day parade was passing the
building, and in q few moments they
had leapd up to the roof and enveloped
the entire Fifth avenue and Forty-sev-
enth street fronts of the hotel. Ten
minutes later the flames were roaring
through the interior of the hotel and all
escape by means of stairways and ele-
vators was cut off.
Probably from 10 to IS lives were lost
within half hour, and 30 or 40 persons
We're injured in jumping from windows
and in rushing through the roaring
flames in the corridors and on the stair
ways. Many who were injured died
later at nearby residences and at hos
pitals, and others who made wild leaps
10 the stone sidewalk were so badly in
jured that they are still lowering be-
tween life and death. 1t may be hours
before the complete list of fatalities be-
comes known, and it will be longer than
that before it can be ascertalned def
nitely how many charred bodies are in
the mass OF fallen masonry that marks
the spot where the hotel stood.
The fire was the most spectacular
that could be imagined. When it broke
out Fifth avenue was crowded with peo-
pie watching the St. Patrick's day par
ade.
In addition to the regular guests Of
the hotel the windows were crowded by
large number of spectators, residents
of this city, who had congreEated there
to witness the parade.
Soon after the first alarm was given
people in the lower floors Of the hotel,
those who had easy access to the street
and the bar, commenced to pour out of
the building in great numbers, but it
very soon became apparent that great
majority of the occupants of the hotel
were either panicstricken or unable to
make their way to the ground floor.
Windows were thrown up on every
side of the building 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 be.
came more and more terrorstricken, and
| presently some of them stood upon the
narrow window sills and beckoned to the
| spectators that they were about to leap.
The men collected upon the sidewalks
ready to render any assistance they
| could, and, In the meantime, some uf the
| women lett the window sillS and dropped
| to the streets. In most instances the ef-
| forts to catch them and break their aw-
| full fall were unavaihng, for they struck
the sidewalk and in most cases broken
limbs were the result.
AS soon,a as the tiremen could get their
scaling ladders into position they
climbed the sides OF the building and
entered at every window where there
was an unfortunate guest appealing for
assistance, and there Were many cases
of heroic rescue.
At the corner Of Forty-seventh street
and Fifth avenue, directly across from
the hotel, is the house of Miss Helen
| Gould, and at her direction many of the
| injured were carried there and We're
treated by physicians and nurses whom
she had sent for. In the meantime the
chief of police had telephoned to every
hospital III the city asking that assist
ance be sent. Ambulanoes forced their
| way through the crowds as quickly as
| possible, and the injured people who had
made the frightful leaps from the hotel
windows were placed in them and re-
moved to the hospitals. Several occu-
pants of the hotel appeared mt the win
'dows of the sixth and seventh stories
and even on the roof and leaped to the
streets from those points. Very few of
4 them escaped either instant death or in.
juries which resulted in their death a
\ short time later.
Within 40 or 40 minutes after the fire
first broke out the walls ON the Fifth
| avenue side showed every indication of
falling, and presently, with AN awfnl
| crash they struck the asphalt covering
| Of the street in front of the hotel ana
caused. the, bundgcds of ns-.lo, who
| Were sUanulng there to scatter III every
| direction.
This fall weakened the walls on the
| Forty-sixth and Ferty-seventh streets
sides and they followed a amoment later.
| When the walls fell the bricks and NOR
| tar and twisted girders aud corrugated
| iron filled the streets on three sides of
the hotel.
The doorsteps and iron fences in front
| of the houses on the opposite side of the
| street from the hotel were wrecked by
the falling walls, and the amount of
| debris piled Ill the streets was so great
that travel will be impeded for several
| days. Tho northeast wing of the hotel
| continued to burn for half hour after
| the walls OF the other part of the build
ing fells. Firemen continued TO play
the adjoining buildings, including Miss
| Gould s residence, which seemed in inn
minent danger of catching fire, but the
flames were brought under control be-
fore they could reach any of them.
About 10 minutes after the fire broke
out Mrs. Amelia Paddock of Iryington,
n. Y, appeared at the window of
room ON the fourth floor. She held out
her arms TO the crowd below. Then she
raised her arms as il in supplication,
and in q moment climbed to the window
and leaped. She turned about like a
| top and struck the iron railing in front
of the hotel. Her body seemed TO be
| impaled there, but IL fol- Off and into
the areaway. She WAS dead when
| found. nh|
A woman had been carried down
from the fifth story. Mrs. A, III. Full
ler Of Pittsburg thea appeared with her
maid Mt the window of the fourth story.
Nremen ran up and with great difi-
Guilty brought down Mrs. Fuller and
her maid. just as she was gotten out
OF the window middle-aged woman
appeared at widow just north of thft
at which the ladder was placed. A