The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-02-22
FIFTEEN DEAD,
Fifty or More Persons Injured
by Fire and Smoke.
Park Avenue Hotel, in New
York, AbIaze.
STARTED In ARMORY.
Large Amount of Cartridges and
Powder Exploded.
Building and Equipment Valued
at $65O,OOO.
TOTAL LOSS $75O,OOO.
One Guest Jumped From 9TH
Story and Was Killed.
Building and Equipment Valued
at $65O,OOO.
TOTAL LOSS S75O,OOO
One Guest Jumped From 9Th
Story and Was Killed.

New York, Feb. 22.-Fire early this
morning in the Park Avenue hotel and
the Seventy-first regiment armory, this
city, resulted in the loss of Is lives and
the destruction of property valued at
$3.50. 200. The dead persons were all
guests of the hotel. Flames were first
discovered in the armory and 40 min
utes later it was found that the hotel
was on fire. A list of the dead and in
jured follows:
THE DEAD.
NORMAN ACTON, Alabama.
COL. CHAS. L. BURDETT, Hartford,
Conn.,, colonel First regiment of the Ma
tional Guard of that state.
MRS. ELLEN FOSTER, a Tombs
prison missionary.
FRED S. HOVEY, Lyons, N. 7.
THOMAS P. HORNE. Denver.
JOHN H. IVERSON, Denver.
MRS. Z. w. MAGINNIES (identifica-
ton not positive).
CHARLES UNDERWOOD O'CON-
NOR, New York, died of his injuries
in a hospital.
COL. ALEXANDER PIPER, U. S. A.,
retired resident of hotel.
G.. A. ROBBINS, lawyer of Selma,
MISS ESTHER sCHLEsINGER,C Chi
JACOB SHANK. lawyer of Roches-
JOHN E. WALKER, Columbia. Tenn.
VIM. H. BARNHART, of Chicago.
Mr.. Barnhart had come to New York
OF department store.
Unknown woman. Body found on the
sixth fioor-wore five rings on the left
hand.
THE INJURED.
The list Of injured, who are being
cared for at Bellevue and New York
hospitals is as follows:
Mrs. Lenora Basch, an invalid suffer-
ing from nervous shock.
Margaret and Catherine Bennett Of
Denver, Col, burns on bodies, hands
and limbs.
Harold Bennett, face and hands burn
ed
Rev. William S.Boardman, of this city,
burns.
Mrs. w. S. Boardman. burns on face
and arms
Louis Berry, Portland, Me-, shock.
- Bridgeman, burns.
William A. Cove, employe of hotel,
burns and shock.
Charles A. Gergory, lawyer, New York;
face and hands burned.
Mrs. Caroline T. r. Hall and her
daughter.
Miss Anna G. Hall, Newark, suffering
from burns and shock.
William B. Hale, Williamsvi1le, Mass,
partially SuffOcated.
E. S. Hearne, Atlanta, Ga, burned on
body.
Emily I. Livingston, burns on face
and bod-.
- Lyongs, 145 East Twenty-second
street, cut by falling glass.
Miss f. S. Meyer, Savannah, Ga, suf-
fering from shock.
James Pearson, 60 years old, hyster-
les
Frank B. Reed, proprietor of Park Av-
enue hotel, burned on face and hands
Mrs. Frank B. Reed, burned on face
and hands.
William Stebbins So years old, burned
on face and hands.
Mrs. S. Veach, burned on face, hands
and body.
Charles L. Woodbury., Portland, Me-,
partially Suffocated.
BEGINNING OF THE FIRE.
The fire started and consumed the
armory of the Seventy-first regiment
N. Y. N. G., a fine granite structure
which with it's equipment cost $3.50 900.
The flames communicated with the Park
Avenue hotel where a financial loss of
100000 was inflicted.
Shortly before one o'clock fire was
discovered bursting from the roof of
the Seventy-first Regiment armory,
Park avenue and Thirtyfourth street.
The flames had gained tremendous
arrived on the scene, it was impossible
to do anything toward saving the mag
nificent building. Several times flames
were communicated to the car barns of
often extinguiShed. The heat of the
burning armory became more and more
intense and shortly after 2 o'clock
flames We're discovered running along
the windows and woodwork of the fifth
floor at the northeast corner of the
Park Avenue hotel diagonally, looking
across the street from the armory. This
was entirely unprotected and the police
up to that time had bent their efforts
toward reaching the inmates of ad-
jacent houses on the cross streets.
Frightened occupants of the hotel soon
appeared at every window and many
were rescued by means of ladders set
up by the firemen. In some unexplained
manner fire got into the basement of the
elevator shaft and on its way upward
to the roof. Most of the damage to the
hotel was done in rooms surrounding
the elevator shaft.
AMMUNITION ExPLODES.
In the headquarters of the Fifth
brigade in the Thirty fourth street and
Park avenue quarter Of the armory a
large quantity of ammunition, both
blank and bullet cartridges was stored.
These cartridges soon began to explode
and added to the intense excitement.
Shortly after these explosions had
ceased the wall of the Thirty-third
street side fell inward. This crash was
followed by the explosion of about one
thousand pounds of powder stored in
the basement of the armory. The de-
tonation was terrific but firemen had
been warned of the danger and none of
them was injured
Ambulances We're called from every
fOSnifa1 in the district frar11ka11