The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-03-18


\ Brooklyn fireman who came over to
see the parade saw woman on the
seventh story right over where the fire
occurred first. He rushed up stairs and
rescued Kate Flanagan, a domestic.
She was badly burned and injured by
falling debris. and was unconsclo1s when
brought down.
Thomas Mcpherson, an emplcye Of the
Government docks at Brooklyn, went
through the fire and smoke five stories
and rescued Mrs. II. Butler. who was
unconscious from shock and fright.
Mcpherson was so badly burned that
he had to be taken to the hospital HIM
self.
All of these and many other incidents
occurred in a period of a few minutes.
Meanwhile terrifying scenes were
being enacted by frenzied men and wo
men on almost every floor of the grea-
building How many persons are buried
in the ruins is not known but at leas
three or four persons were seen TO jump.
whose bodies have not bee1 recovered.
A young man, apparently an cmpioya
jumped from the roof on Forty y-sixth
street side of the hotel. Another un-
known man jumped on the Fifth avenue
side, and two more were seen to jump
from the rear.
Shortly after that two women jumped
from the room to the court ward below.
1t is known that two of these at least
are dead. Eye witnesses say they saw
a woman throw a child from window
and fall a moment later hers III, just be-
fore the collapse. As yet no trace of
these bodies has been 70 IHd.
j. Lemott Morgan, of Birmingham,
Ala, who has been watching the parade
with a number of friends from the bal
cony, ran to the fourth floor and rescued
Mrs. Algernon Jarvis and her daughter
Mabel. He took them to the balcony.
and thence they were taken to the street
by firemen.
Abner Mckinley, brother of President
Mckinley had four rooms on the ground
floor of the hotel. Mrs. Mckinley and
her daughter Mabel Mckinley, occupied
the rooms with Abner Mckinley. Miss
Mabel Mckinley had ordered Il coach
for drive at $3.50 O'Clock, and was
dressing for it when the alarm of fire
was given. She saw the smoke and. be-
coming frightened opened the window
and was assisted out by m unknown
man. She walked half block and
found her carriage in waiting. She was
driven to the Hotel Buckingham.
Fireman William Kennedy. of Engine
Company No. 23, rescued a Mrs. Brann,
from the fourth floor of the hotel by
means of scaling ladder. Her rescue
was -cheered by the immense crowd.
A crippled woman was found j. ing on
the floor of room on the fourth fioor
unable to move, and was carried safely
to the street.
Mrs. Mckinley and her daughter,
Helen Mckinley, were entertaining Mrs.
John Sherwood. the author. Bo-h Mrs.
Mckinley and daughter and her guests
do not know how.
The McKinleys went to the Manhat-
tan Hotel, where there was Il joyful re-
union of the family. They lost every
thing except the clothes they w1re.
DR.. L. Parmelly Brown, of 800 Fifth
Avenue, and. A. e. Brown. OF Congress
Heights, Washington, knowing the Me-
Kinleys were in the hotel, rushed to
the place as sooL as they learned of the
fire and rushed up stairs. As they were
going up the stairs. they saw two men,
one fireman and the other an emlioyc,
bringing do,vn MIs. Warren Leland.
The woman's clothes were burned from
her body.
The men told DR.. Brown that they
found the woman in the hallway, lying
on the floor unconscious. The men said
that they saw one woman leap from
the window of the room, but they had
no time to stop her. She was Miss
Helen Leland, daughter of Mrs. Le-
land
This was the saddest incident of the
fire. Warren Leland is the proprietor
of the hotel. The Lelands have anoth-
er daughter Miss Fanny Leland, but
she was away from the hotel at the
time.
Mrs. Leland died in Flower Hospital
at 9:1J tonight. Her son Charles was
the only relative with her when the
end came.
Frederick Corbett, the chief engineer
of the Hotel Windsor, said that he, with
his assistant, Robert Walker, and TWEEN
ty helpers, were Ill the engine rooms
He was made aware of the fire by the
cracking of the flames. There We're
number of women and men coming
down from the windows by means OF
ropes: some slid down distance and
uf0DDeu TO the court lIu. "A huihpSI
of employees who were on the roof jump
ed to the court yard and received frac-
lures and injuries which he thought
would cause their death.
Mr.. Corbett said he met Mr.. Warren
Leland, who told him to shut off the
electric current in order to enable the
firemen to combat with less difficulty
and danger. While Mr.. Leland was
talking with him several women jump
ed out of the windows and from the
roof and there lay unconscious Ill the
court yard.
DIR. Robert Stafford Newton who was
one of the first doctors to arrive said
that many women and men who had
tried to make their exit from the hotel
by the side entrance, were driven back
by the tremendous crowd that surged
about the entrance way
The loss Oh the contents of the build
ing is almost complete. The salvage
men managed to save $4,000 worth of
paintings on the first floor of the hotel,
but very little else was carried out.
Many of the guests who lived at the
Windsor regularly lost valuable Jewelry
and bric-a-brac and furnishings, among
them being f. f. Flower, nephew OF