New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-18

women. wild with terror and tho fear Of the
death that they held ar bay behind them, nao
leaped TO the avenue and the street
CUT OFF FROM ESCAPE.
Those who were on the first and second floors
OF the hotel had time enough for the most part
to escape before the flames. famed to strength
by the draughts Of the halls ard the elevator
shafts. could cut them off. With those on the
upper floors things Jared much worse Some OF
tine guests were in the rear rooms Of the hotel
and, rs the warning was not spread as rapidly
as the flames travelled when they realized their
position they were largely cut off from MI
escape save from the windows. Under these
circumstances II Is not strange that many men
and women lost their heads and leaped from
thc windows or attempted to slide down the
ifc-ropcS found in their rooms before the
necessity for such action had arrived. II was
in this way that several lives were lost
While panic regned seemingly supreme. not
all the guests of the hotel were terror stricken
to the point of hclplessncss in the face of the
quick and awful danger that confronted them.
This was illustrated In the case of a man and
woman who escaped from the fifth floor. N
Tortv-sixth.st. Two women had made the
awful slide down a slender lifeline. ana both
were plcled up lifeless The trouble was in the
friction caused by the bare hands on the rope
the frightened women not understanding how
to lower themselves gently. After the TWO
women had unsuccessfully tried the rope a
third made ready to descend. She had been
coached by her husband bur she was pale and
tremhed. and kissed her husband goodby with
n look Of anguish
CASE OF HEROIC NERVE.
Suddenly a man with leather lungs ran up
under the rope and putting his hands 10 his
mouth in mecaphOne fashion yelled. PUT a
towel on the rope" The man and woman
dartod back into the room. Then consultation
followed. apparently over the best means or
descending They leaned out and drew III me
rome hand over hand As soon as he had II all
nm ne tied the end carefully under his WI"
arms around her body and bracing himset
he pad ont the line gently but swiftly The
smoke enveloped him. but he never lost his
nerve. The line paid out smoothly. Nearer ana
nearer 70 the ground came the Whlte-taced
woman She was about 70 reach the ground
when the man with the leather lungs casped
her in his arms and united the rope while the
crowd found time 10 cheer Then the man came
down the rome hand under hand like JACK tar
When he reached the ground his wife threw
her arms about his neck and tainted. The man
with the leather lungs was 50 delighted that
no inmped up and down. and said: "fou didn't
cot ratified old man. YOu deserve 10 live.
,rboir names could not he learned. as they
drovo away in the first cab within call The
woman was richly dressed.
Among those who lost their lives perhaps
+ho host known were Mrs Warren f. Leland.
,,.ife Of the proprietor of tho hotel. and her
1ou,htor Helen Mrs. Leland was rescued
from the building. but died afterwarl at the
Flower Hospital F. Brown. the stalwart son
~ Dr F.. Parmly Brown, OF No. 500 Fifth
ova was the man who rescued Mrs. Leland
from her room on the Forty-seventh-st side of
tho hoteI She was one of the last 10 he taken
,ou.r tho ladder before the flames made ii i'm
nossihle 10 work there longer. and her clothes
,,.ore nortly burned from her when Mr.. Brown
rooched her The rescue of Mrs. Leland was
dascribed by Dr Brown to a Tribune reporter
81 was in my office looking ont Of my win
dow, whom the fire broke ont. n had not been
burning five minutes when my son and got
thore The Forty y-sevcnth-st. side WAS closest
20 nc and we ran for that point we saw a
number Of people ar thc windows on the third
ord fourth floors trying to get 70 the street
WAS particularly worried about the welfare
Of nv two nleces the Misses Blanche and
Emma Brown. who lived at the Windsor
Their APARTMENTS We're on the Forty-sevenths 81
side and we made orr way there. ! soon dis
covered that the windows of my nieces apart
ments were closed Ladders were being placed
against the walls on the north side Of the burn
ING building. and after number OF fremen
had gone up into the hotel, | started up my
self
RESCUE OF MRS. LELAND.
MY son insisted on doing the rescue work
himself and was soon on the inside OF the
building. He reappeared with a fainting woman
In n few seconds. and got her 10 the ground in
safety. Her clothing was nearly all burned
off. Later my son appeared at the top OF the
ladder with a woman whom | recognized as
Mrs Leland She was badly burned. and was
soon carried TO the hospital in an ambulance.
Abner Mckinley, brother of President NC
Kinlev lives at the Hotel Windsor, but he was
NOT ot the hotel when the fire broke out. Mrs
Mckinley Miss Mabel Mckinley and Miss
uelen Mckinley. sister Of the President, were
In the hotel M the time. but as their apart
ments were on n lower floor they had no trouble
4, escanlnc Miss Helen Mckinley got sepa-
ratad from her relatives and for time they
,o,red that she was lost. but they finally found