The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1899-03-23
|NEW YORHS HOTEL FIRE
Windsor Hotel Destroyed and Many
Lives Sacrificed.
KNOWN DEAD DNUMBER EIGHTEEN

But 1t Is Believed There Are Bodies
Buried Beneath the Ruins, Where
Gangs of Men Are Now at Work.
Abner McKinlcy's Family Escapes.
New York. March 2O.-The Windsor
hotel, at Forty street and Fifth
avenue, was totally destroyed by fire
on Friday afternoon last. The fire was
discovered while the ST. Patrick's day
parade was passing. and the windows OF
the hotel were crowded with people view
Ing the parade. The fire was started. it
Is said, by the carclessness OF n guest,
who lit n cigarette and threw the match,
still blazing, into the folds Of n lace cur
tain. The discovery of the fire. which
spread with frightful rapidity, caused
terrible panic, and number of women
jumped from fifth and sixth story win
! dows. Iost of these were killed nj ono"
or died soon after. There were many
heroic rescues by the fircmen. who were
cheered by the thousands who witncssc
the cOntlagration from beyond the fire
lines.
Evidence has been discovered that
while the patrons of the hotel were flee
ing in panic to places Of safety. leaving
everything behind them, thieves entered
the building and looted apartments, re-
gardlcss of the fact that women AMI
children were pcrishing for lack OF as
sistancc. One man was arrested hy de-
tcctivcs as he was leaving the hotel with
n bundle of booty. w. Il. Smith. Donald
Mackcy's valet. said three men entered
| Mr.. Mackcy's rooms while he was tryir.
to save what he could and helped them
selves to what they couiu lay their hands
on. A. \. Minis, who had visited the
hotel to make call, saw another man
on the third floor stufiing valuablcs into
lis pockets. II is probable that the per-
sQnal losses OF patrons, many OF whom
made the hotel their home, at n low es-
innate will exceed S50O,0O0. The build
ing. which was owned by Eldridgc r.
! Gerry. was insured for S59I,0O0.
Among the guests of the hotel were
Abncr Mckinley, his wife and daughter
Mabel. and Miss Helen Mckinley, the
presidents sister. Mr.. Mckinley was
at his Office. and the ladies escaped with
out injury.
No body has been found since o'clock
yesterday morning, when the workmcu
came across the remains of two charrcd
bodies in the ruins. The first body taken
out was from the Forty-sixth side. the
second from the Fifth avenue side. clos"
by what had been the main entrance of
the hotel. There were merely fragments
Of both bodies, neither having head.
feet or arms. These fragments were
taken to the morgue, where they were
ticketed as bodies 'One" and two" and
placed in the section especially set aside
for the fire victims. These two bring the
total number of bodies SO far recovered
up to II. Besides these there are at
least six persons who were seen to jump
from the roof and windows while the
hotel was burning. and OF whose bsdics
no trace has yet been come upon.
A button found in the segment of the
body known as body No. - and sup
posed to be the body of woman from
Is to p years of age, was made in this
city. 1t is common cloth button, and
Is used only by manufacturers of ready
made clothing. This fact, and the fact
that the kid gloves are of poor quality
lead to the belief that the woman was
not Il guest but an employe of the hotel
From time to time articles of more or
less value were found and turned over
to the police. They included jewelry
watches clocks. canes, articles of cloth.
ing, letters, keys, photographs, field and
opera glasses, silverware and toilet
articles. A necklace was found on the
Forty sixth street side, near where the
baths were. 1t was set with diamonds
and opals, and estimated to be worth
about 10000. A gold and diamond
bracelet valued at 81 800 was found near
by. According to the lists OF missing
property prepared by the police both be
longed to Mrs. James Il. stokes, who
is missing. One OF Thomas i. Ochil
trees trunks was found, the contents
quite uninJured.
Several Of the persons hitherto re
ported as missing were found to be safe
yesterda The present list of missing
numbers Al. This, however, takes into
account but few of the 200 servants OF
the house.