The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-03-18
BURNED AND
BRUISED.
Fifteen Persons Killed, Fifty
two Known Injured
And Forty UnaccOunted For is
the Record
OF THE WINDSOR FIRE.
Many More Narrowly Escaped
Death or Injury.
Among These Were the Family
of Abner Mckinley.
OF THE WINDSOR FIRE.

New York March 1S.-Flames,w which
originated from the igniting of a lace
curtain, burst forth from the second
floor of the Windsor hotel, at Forty
seventh street and Fifth avenue, short
ly after 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon
just as the St. Patrick's day parade was
passing the building, and in a few MIN
utes they Ieaped up to the roof and en-
veloped the entire avenue and Forty
seventh street fronts of the hotel In ten
minutes they were roaring through the
interior of the hotel and all escape by
means of stairways and elevators was
cut off
There was the widest scene of excite
rnent within and without the building.
Hundreds of guests and employees were
in the hotel when the fire broke out and
for many of them escape with safety
was impossible.
Probably from ten to fifteen lives
were lost within a half hour and thirty
OF forty persons were injured in jump
ing from windows and in rushing
through roaring flames in the corridors
and on the stairways-
Many who were injured died later in
nearby residences and at hospitals and
others who made wild leaps to the stone
sidewalk were so badly injured that
they are still lowering between life and
death.
THE DEAD.
John Connolly. empIoye of hotel,
died at Flower hospital.
Mrs. Addie Gibson, 35. Cincinnati, o.,
shock. died at Murray Hill hotel.
Eleanor Louise Goodman, II, daugh-
ter of Samuel Goodman. of this city,
died at Bellevue hospital.
Miss LaseIles Grandy, of Elizabeth
City, n. c., here on shopping tour, burn
ed to death.
Mrs Maurice Henry, of this city who
died at Roosevelt hospital at O'Clock
this morning from burns and injuries.
Nancy Ann Kirk, wife of j. ). kirk,
soap manufacturer of Chicago, died at
Bellevue hospital
Mrs Warren Leland. wife of the pro-
prietor of the hotel, burns on body, died
at Flower hospital.
Miss Helen Leland, daughter of the
hotel proprietor, found dead.
Amelia Paddock. 80, of Irvington, N.
Y, died at the fire.
Mary Sullivan, died at Bellevue hos
pital of this city.
Unknown man. who jumped from roof
Unknown man, who jumped from a
Fifth avenue window, died at Helen
GouldS house.
Unknown child, thrown from window
by mother.
Unknown woman, mother of child
above mentioned, jumped from hotel
window.
Unknown woman jumped from win
dow. dead at 19 East Forty-sixt street
AS soon as the flames were discovered
shooting from the windows, that part OF
the St. Patrick'S procession which was
near the building came to halt and in
a few minutes the parade was dlsband-
ed. for the police came rushing toward
the fire from every direction and where
they were able drove the people from
the streets. One fire alarm after an
other was turnd in. The engines caused
a wild scramble among the paraders
nd a q : th6V rushed along the
street and fell into position for service:
In addition TO the regular guests of
the hotel the windows were crowded by
large number of spectators, residents
of this city, who had cOngregated there
to witness the parade.
Soon after the first alarm was given
the people in the lower floors of the
hotel. those who had easy access to the
street and the stairway, commenced tO
pour out of the building in great num-
bers, but it very soon became apparent
that a great majority of the occupants
of the hotel were either panic stricken
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 in the crowd be-
low.
As the flames gathered about them
they became more and more terror
stricken and presently some of them
stood upon the narrow window Sills
and beckoned to the spectators that
they were about to leap. The men col
lected upon the sidewalks ready to rem
der any assistance they could and in
the meantime some of the women left
the window sills, and dropped to the
streets. In most instances, the efforts
to catch them and break their awful
fall were unavailing for they struck
the sidewalk and in most cases broker
limbs were the result
As soon as the firemen could gel
their scaling ladders into position they
climbed the sides OF the buildings ant
entered at every window where there
was unfortunate guest appealing fol
assistance and many cases of heroic
rescue were witnessed by the throng il
the streets.
MISS GOULD OPENS HER HOME.
At the corner of Forty-seventh stree
and Fifth avenue, directly across from
the hotel, is the home of Miss Heller
Gould, and at her direction many of the
injured were carried there and were
treated by physicians and nurses whom
she had sent for. Several occupants o
the hotel appeared at the windows O
the sixth and seventh stories and ever
on the roof and leaped to the street.
from those points. Very few of then
escaped either instant death or injuries
which resulted in their death in a shor
time later.
Within forty or forty-five minutes af
ter the fire first broke out the WALL
on the Fifth avenue side showed ever,
indication of falling and presently witt
an awful crash, they struck the asphaI
covering of the street in front of tn