Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-02-22
Street Gar Barns Also Threatened with
Complete Destruction.
FIRE STARTS IN MILITARY HEADQUARTERS
Bodies Of Guests of Hotel Found in the
Ruins.
'THER soARDEHs JUMP FOR RESCUE
Determined Efforts of Firemen Are
DRmed by the Flames-Entire
Police Force at the
scene.

NEW YORK, Feb. 22.-Fire that broke
out early this morning in the armory OF
the Seventy-hrst regiment, National guard,
New York. at Park Avenue. Thirty-third
and Thirty-fourth streets, spread to the
Park Avenue hotel and at least four lives
were lost while the damage is roughly es-
timated at over $1,OOoOoo.
One woman, a guest of the hotel, jumped
from the nfth story and is believed to be
fatally injured.
Colonel Pepper on Death List.
Four bodies have been taken out up to
$3.50 this morning but the only one so far
Identified is said to be that of Colonel Pep
per of Louisville, Ky.
The Park Avenue hotel will, IL is be-
lieved be a total loss. The Seventy FIRST
regiment armory. a magnificent granite
structure, and one Of the finest in the city,
was destroyed.
The carbarns Of the Metropolitan street
railway on an adjoining corner. were mo-
mentarily threatened with destruction, but
for hours the good work Of the hremen
succeeded in saving them.
The armory occupied an entire block and
was occupied by the Second battery and
the First signal corps.
starts I'm the ArmOry.
The FIRE was discovered in a window OF
the armory on the Thlrty-fourth street
side, and by the time the iremen arrived
the flames had completely enveloped the
building and appeared through the roof.
Shortly afterward the cartridges and am
munitlon exploded.
Shortly after 2 o'clock a thousand pounds
of powder in the cellar exploded and the
walls of the building were thrown out
ward.
BY this time the people living In the
neighborhood had been driven from their
homes by the heat and we're sheltered In
the carbarns near by. Many narrow es-
capes were witnessed and heroic work was
done by iremen and spectators.
Hotel Guests Panic Stricken.
The guests of the Park Avenue hotel
numbering about 900, were aroused as
quickly as possible, but not without panic
among the women and children. The nre-
men poured eleven streams upon the side
| Of the hotel nearest the armory, but In
| spite Of this the third floor caught fre and
flames ran along the walls OF the hotel
! and spread to the roof The hremen ran
| ladders UP on every side and attempted to
work their way through the hotel, but were
driven back by the dense volume of smoke
again and again.
Hotel Is Doomed.
A little after o'clock the four upper
floors Of the hotel were mass OF flames and
the fire was spreading rapidly down through
the structure 1t was then apparent that
the hotel was doomed.
Notwithstanding the fact that everybod
in the hotel had ample time to get out.
large number of women were carried dow
the ladders by the firemen until II wa
thought everybody had been taken out.
Just at this time a woman in her night
clothes appeared at a window on the hfth
floor and before a warning could reach her
flung herself headlong to a portico over the
main entrance. 1t is believed she will die
Four Bodies Found.
Two bodies were found on the fifth floor
by the fremen and two more in other parts
Of the building. II is feared several Other
bodies will be found in other parts Of the
building At 4 o'clock Chief Croker. who
had been inside the building. said he be-
lieved a large number Of dead were inside
in the halls and corridors.
Among those who escaped were BlshoT
Ludden. Monsignor Kenny and a number Of
Catholic priests from Syracuse. N. Y.
James NJ Payne of Connecticut and G. II
Stockwell Of Troy. n. Y.
At AIS the fire was under control.
Admiral MIIIer's Fate.
Admiral Miller u. s. N, retired. VIII
had a room on the NTH floor of the Parl
Avenue hotel, fell unconscious in an at
tempt to escape from the burning building
1t is stated that he cannot recover. Ad
miral Miller went through the Windso
hotaI FIRE and the MURRAY Hill expIoaio
unscathed.
Two men whose names have not beeI
, learned attempted to escape from the Par
Avenue hotel by going to the roof. Bot
, OF them jumped from the roof later an
one was instantly killed. The other wa
, fatally injured.