Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-02-22
A DEATH TRAP.
Twenty Persons Killed
in a Hotel Fire.
Some Denver Men Among
the Dead.
Park Avenue Hotel Burned Early
This Morning.
TOTAL LOSS Sl,75O, GOO.

New York, Feb. ga fire early this
morning. which destroyed the Park
Avenue hotel and Seventy First Regi-
ment armory, in this city, resulted in
the loss of twenty lives and the de-
struction of property valued at $1,750,-
600. The dead persons were all guests
of the hotel. The revised list of dead
and injured follows.
The dead: Norman Acton, Ala
bama: Col. Charles L. Burdett, Hart
ford, Conn; Mrs. Ellen Foster, Tombs
prison missionary; Fred S. Hovey,
Lyons, n. Y; Thomas p. Horne, Den
yer; John H. Iverson, Denver; Mrs. F.
w McGinnis, identification not posi-
tive); Charles Underwood O'Connell,
New York; col. Alexander Piper, u. s.
A, retired; G. A. hobbins, lawyer, Sci
ma, Ala; Miss Esther Schlessinger,
Chicago; Jacob SPAIN. lawyer, Roches-
ter. \. Y; John E. Waller Columbia,
Tenn; Unknown man. 35 years old;
Frank B. Reed, proprietor Park Ave
nue. hotel; Mrs. Frank B. Reed Will
liam Stebbins, So years old; Mrs. S.
y
land, Me-; Unknown woman.
The injured: Mrs. Leonard A.
Bausch; Margaret and Catherine Ben
nett, Denver, Colo, burns; Harold Ben
nett, burns; Rev. William S. Brook
man, Norfolk, Conn. Mrs. William S.
Brookman; Louis Berry Portland, Me-;
- Bridgeman, burns: William A.
Cove, employe at hotel; Charles A.
Gregory, lawyer, New York; Mrs. Caro-
line T. Rhall and daughter; Miss Anna
G. Hall, Newark, N j.; William B.
Hale, Williamsville, Mass; Z. S.
Hearne, Atlanta, Ga; William B. Hale;
William Livingston; - Lyons, las
East Twenty street; Miss e. S.
Meyer Savannah, Ca; Joseph Pear
son, 60 years old.
The fire started in and consumed the
armory of the Seventy-first Regiment,
national Guard, fine granite struct-
ure, which, with it's equipment, cost
$3.50 900. The flames communicated to
the Park Avenue hotel, where a finan-
cial loss of 81 100000 was inflicted.
Shortly before 1 o'clock flames were
discovered bursting from the roof of
the armory at the corner of Park ave-
nue. and Thirty-fourth street. BY the
time the fremen arrived it was impos-
sible to do anything toward saving the
magnificent building. Shortly after 2
o'clock the flames were discovered
running along the windows and wood
work of the fifth floor at the northeast
corner of the Park Avenue hotel dag
onally across the street from the ar
mory. This was entirely unexpected
and the police up to that time, had
bent their efforts toward removing the
inmates to adjacent houses in cross
streets. The frightened occupants of
the hotel soon appeared at every win
dow and many were rescued by means
of ladders set up by the firemen. In
some unexplained manner the fire got
into the elevator shaft.
In the armory a large quantity of
ammunition was stored. These car
tridges soon began to explode and
added to the intense excitement. Short
ly after these explosions ceased, the
wall on the Thirty-third street side fell
inward. This crash was followed by
the explosion of about 900 pounds of
powder stored in the basement, but the
firemen had been warned of the dan
ger and none were injured.
Firemen hurried. through every por-
ton of the hotel in search of guests
who might have been overcome by
smoke. On nearly every floor and in
all the Railways, scores were found.
Twenty-siX persons were taken to the
New York and Bellevue institutions
and nearly double that number were
given medical aid on the spot. The
death in each instance was caused by
burns or suffocation with but one ex-
ception. One man jumped from a
fifth story window to the inner court
and his skull was crushed.
Mrs. Charlotte Bennett, and her hus-
hand. Harold. of Alabama, stood on
ledge on the fifth floor Just over the
portico at the main entrance of the
hotel Mrs. Bennett screamed for
some one TO rescue her. Her husband
grasped her and the crowd in the
streets shouted warnings not to jump.
When il was seen she was determined
10 lump. firemen gathered in circle
and stretched out their arms. Mrs.
Bennett wrenched herself free from
her husbands grasp and flung herself
into the arms of waiting tiremen, five
stories below. Flames were licking
ont of the windows beyond her, and
inside the room was all N flames. Mrs.
Bennett struck in the arms of the fire
men. but her weight caused them 10
sag and she struck the pavement. She
was terribly burned about the body and
was taken TO Bellevue hospital, where
she died. Her husband fell back into
, the room and was not seen atterward.
Col. Charles L. Burdett, of Connect