Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-30
TWO KILLED AT FIRE
Hotel Jefferson, in New York, Burns
This Morning.
SEVERAL PERSONS BADLY INJURED
Thrilling Rescue of invalid Girl by
Her Uncle.
MANY NARROW ESCAPES
SEVERAL PERSONS BADLY INJURED
MANY MARROW ESCAPES

NEW YORK, January 3O.-Two lives
were lost at tn. burning of the Hotel JEFF
ferson, a seven-story building. 1O2-1O6 East
10Th street. early today. The damage by
fire is estimated at $4,000.
The dead are:
Elenora Downing. twenty-five years old.
a nurse, and Elizabeth Reynolds, thirty
years old, a waitress.
Mrs. Downing was being lowered from
sixth-story window by means of a rope.
The rope broke, and she fell to the side
walk. striking en- her skull. Miss Reynolds.
who was on the seventh floor was sufro-
ca ted.
Among those injured were: John p
Walsh. fifty years old, contractor right
knee fractured and body bruised; John
Kallagher, porter right arm badly burned;
j. Ensign Fuller, feet and arm badly
burned; w. H. Voltz. New Haven, a stu
dent on the way to Princeton. hands torn
by sliding down rope fire escape
John Chatfield. proprietor Of the hotel;
Mrs. Chatfield and her mother, Mrs F. Fl.
Streator, escaped from the burning build
Ing clad only in their night robes.
Thrilling Rescue of Invalid.
j. Ensign Fuller. an elderly man, made a
thrilling rescue of his seventeen-year-o
invalid niece, Miss May Upperman.
She was-4ip a back room on the third
floor. Through the heat and smoke Mr.
Fuller carried her down stairs on his back
His feet were terribly burned and as he
reached the open air he staggered and fell
with his unconscious charge into the arms
Of policeman.
Col. VIM L. Gildersleeve attache Of the
supreme court of New Mexico. was caught
on the fourth floor. He tried to make his
way to the rear. A plate glass door stopped
him. He broke 1t with his fist and crawled
through to safety. His face and hands
were badly cut.
Edward Marshall, who lost one leg as the
result Of wound received while serving
as war correspondent in Cuba, occupied a
room on the second floor of the Jefferson.
When he was aroused the halls were filled
with smoke Not waiting to find his cork
leg Mr.. Marshall climbed to the fire escape
In the rear of his room and one story from
the ground. There he found that no iron
ladder was available to reach safety. Di-
rectly in the rear Of the Jefferson Is Stein
ways piano warerooms, with one-story
extension in the rear. Steinway's watch
man secured board. which he placed
from the extension roof to the balcony on
this board Mr.. Marshall and the others
who climbed down the fire escape were
rescued. ~
Lively Times on Fire Escape.
There were lively times on the fire
escapes" said Mr.. Marshall "a dozen peo-
pie were there trying to reach the ground
and no ladder was in sight or to be had. 1
was almost helpless. having only one leg.
and for time I thought 1 had not gained
any advantage by leaving my room and
crawling to the fire escape.
Finally some watchman secured a plank
and pushed 1t across from the one-story ex-
tension back of Steinway. and about ten
feet from the Jefferson balcony fire escape
Perhaps thirty people crawled across this
board to the roof and escaped.
There was considerable difficulty in get
ting many Of the tim!d ones to risk them
selves on this narrow plank as the dark
ness below made 1t look as IL we were
thirty feet from the ground However. the
cracking flames in the rear and the shouts
of those at the windows acted as an in
centive for action. and the hesitating ones
were thus induced to cross the plank In
safety.
LAS I sat on the balcony waiting for the
cases. personal belongings and articles OF
clothing passed me with whirr.
Guests had thrown them from the win
dows before climbing down the fire escape.
At one time more than dozen people were
climbing down the iron ladder, at the sane
time few of them wearing anything more
than their night clothes.
MANY of those we helped were cut by
glass, but none was seriously injured. Sew
eral of the women inmates were so badly
frightened they had to be carried across
the D1ank"