The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-20
THE GREAT HOTEL FIRE.
THRILLING SCENES ENACTED As
THE WINDSOR BURNED.

Mind Which Enabled Man to
save His Notwithstanding REM
inisccuces OF the Hotel and the
Famous Men Who stopped There.
The following additional details Of the
ufning of the Windsor Hotel, New York.
On Friday night last are culled from the
stories OF The various New York papers:
AIRS. Alice w. Price, a sister-in-iaw of
Gov. Gambler. of Georgia, occupied rooms
on the fifth floor Of the Windsor. Mrs. Hen
ry. wife of Or. J. p. Henry, Of SIS Fifth
avenue. was calling upon her. They heard
The cries in the corridor, and Mrs. Price
sank on her knees. She is a paralytic and
has little use of her right side.
DR. McPhatter. a physician, who was
stopping at the hotel, broke open the door
and rushed in. Mrs. Price was acquainted
with him. A dense cloud Of smoke from
the corridor outside filed the apartment.
Mrs. Price seized the rope hre-eseape and
poised herself upon the window sill.
I'm going to risk it, doctor" she said.
'TI say goodbye TO you"
4 do not know how it all happened"
said Mrs. Price later. q felt my hands
burning and then I found myself in the
arms of an ambulance surgeon"
Mrs. Prices fingers were covered with
valuable rings. She insisted that the sur
geon took them away from her before the
ambulance started for Bellevue Hospital.
The jewels were expeditiOusly If not gently
taken from Mrs. Prices fingers in des-
cend.ng by a rope Her hands were badly
Iacerated by the rope.
DR.. McPhatter, who had assisted Mrs
Price to make the descent. succeeded in
getting down the rope also. He let 80 too
quickly and is now at Flower Hospital
,At the hospital it was found that Mrs.
Price had fractured an ankle. Her condi-
ton was as good as that of any of the
other victims there. She gave Superintend-
ent O'Rourke of the hospital, Sl050 that
she had brought from her room, and at
her request he put it in his office safe.
Astride the Fireman's Shoulders.
While the fire was at its hercest says
the Press, just before the first wall fell
in, a girl with blond hair flowing over
her shoulders was at a fifth-foor win
dow on the Forty-siXth street side of the
hotel. She crawled out upon the window
ledge, and was about 10 throw herself into
the street, when the firemen in the street
below shouted TO her not to jump. The
Elil utSlldtttls AutH sat SUM- calmly Waltn-
ing the persons in the street below.
An extension ladder was hoisted and
Curry climbed to the top. 1t would reach
only TO the fourth story, and in a few min
utes more all hopes of saving the girl
would be gone.
The ladder was extended to the last
notch, but still it would not reach the girl.
Curry balanced himself on the topmost
rung, his fingers clutching at the hot walls.
hi cfill he cnu11 a oir ri NV
several feet.
BY encouraging words, Curry induced
the girl to let herself down by her hands
as far as she could. Her feet barely
touched Currys shoulders, but he told her
40 keep cool and he would get her down
all right.
The fireman steadled himself. then brac-
ed his knees against the wall
Now, drop" he shouted, and the girl
obeyed, falling in a sitting position on his
shoulders.
The drop was almost too much for the
fireman. He tottered on his perch and
nearly fell to the street with his burden.
But ne saved himself dropped down the
ladder until he got firm hold, and then
bore the girl to the street
Several persons who saw Curry's rescue
informed Chief Bonner of the act, and said
Curry ought to have medal.
Remarkable Presence of Mind.
One of the most remarkable incidents in
this hour of thrilling experiences was the
cool courage displayed by Edward p.
Wells. who. with his wife and daughter,
was a guest in the hotel says the Times
Mr.. Wells is past middle age, and is a
resident of jamestown, N. d. His expert
ences in that country taught him the val
lie of clearheadedness in trying moments,
and 1t is to this quality that he owes not
only his life ha nd oh
of hts family, all of whom escaped without
a scratch.
Mr.. Wells and his family had apartments
facing the Fifth avenue SIDE on the sixth
floor, and, so far as can be learned they
were watching the parade just before they
became aware that the hotel was on fire
They had hardly time to realize that some
thing had gone wrong when the smoke
rolled through the corridor and their es-
cape was cut off in that direction.
The window was now the only hope, and
TO jump meant certain death. In this emer-
gency Mr. Wells besought his family TO
remain calm, and he then proceeded with
great deliberation TO measure the chances
of escape. He first paid out the fire escape
rope in the room until he saw that II would
reach the ground, and hauling il back. he
quickly but securely fastened il about his
daughters waist.
He then lifted the form OF the girl to the
window ledge and slowly allowed il to de-
scend He wound the rope tightly about his
hands and braced his feet against the wall
of the room, meanwhile slowly paying out
the rope at the end of which dangled the
almost inanimate body of his daughter.
Smoke and flame shot out at intervals
from the windows below, but the passage
81 the girl was not retarded, and In a few
seconds she had reached the ground
There she was quickly taken care of by
hremen, who released her, and the rooe
was quickly hauled back by Mr.. Wells
ana exactly the same performance was
gone through with in the case OF his wife.
who had meanwhile stood at his side al
the window. For the third time Mr.. Webs
pulled the rope back after he had seen his
family in safety and he then made prep
rations for his own descent
lie recognized, seemingly that il would
be impossible for him to go down hand
over hand. and ksowing the decorations
that would result if ne slid down the rope.
he first carefully tied up his hands in
towels Then he clambered out on the
window sill and swung clear. He shot