The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-02-26
PATRONS COMPLAIN OF
DANGER OF The HOTEL
Were Not Told the Building
Was AblaZe.
PARK AVENUE INVESTIGATION
Declared That No system of Alarms
Was Used in the HOtel-MIssinE
Watch Found and Police Deny
There Was Robbery of Guests.

NEW YORK. Feb. 26.-To the coroner
many Witnesses have corroborated the
statements that the Park Avenue Hotel
patrons were not protected nor warned
when the fire broke out. Coroner Golden
kranz has started to make a record on
this disaster. and has said that he intend
ed TO make slow but good progress in his
preliminary investigation before the act
ual holding Of the inquest
The coroner has procured sworn state
ments TO this effect from many persons.
Among them are Chief Ross. Of the Eighth
division Of the FIRE department. Capt
Malachi DorOhUe. Of Truck No Z; Mr..
Graimaux, a patron Of the hotel; Build
ing Inspectors Miller. O'Connor. Sander
son. Superintendent Perez NJ Stewart.
Louis Sinclair. Fire Marshal Freel. James
Patterson. armorer Of the SeveDty-Grst
Regiment; Policeman John j. Rust. and
William A. Ramsey. of Colorado Springs
another patron Of the Park Avende
Mr.. Ramsey said that there we're no
fre-escapes and that the only warning he
received was given by a friend.
Martin J. Coyle. chief porter Of the
hotel said that Frederick A. Reed. pro
prietor of the Park Avenue. told him 20
30 to the roof He went and saw that "a
shower Of sparks was falling. but that all
sparks we're extinguished without doing
damage. On his return into the hotel ne
smelled smoke and went through the sew
enth floor to warn anybody there, but
sN1
Reed Helped Warn Patrons.
he was joined by Mr. Reed and to-
gether they went along the sixth Gocr,
telling everybody TO use rear stairway
and not get excited. This procedure, he
said, was kept up on all the floors TN
the second was reached. Coyle ran the
elevator. and he and the proprietor jump
ed out at that floor and seized three fire
extinguishers. One was useless. but the
other two were used.
/ CoyIe said that Reed did all that man
/ could do. and ordered him, the head por-
I ter, 10 return to the upper floors and
/ wake up the guests.
/ Fire Marshal FreeI testified that che
( hotel had no system OF fre-alarms
/ There was no arrangement by which each
+ guest could be reused by the clerk in his
Office. The hotel. he declared, was prac-
ticalIy unmatched while the armory FIRE
+ was burning. everybody-s attention being
/ directed to the outside
James Clarkson. OF Amesbury. Mass.
having a room on the sixth floor. said
that he went down the elevator eli right
the flames shot up and the elevator mar
reversed the lever, sending the ear ~
again.
Run it down." shouted the guests. snJ
the man did So the occupants iumpins
cut at the Office floor.
Mr.. Clarkson testified that there wer,
10 fTe-escapes and that he heard ALSO
lutely no fire alarm till he jumped of
/ the elevator
Other witnesses were Edward B. Brusch
Thomas Hoague and Harry d. Turner, the
night clerk.
The missing watch which belonged Il
John IvisOn. one OF the victims. va!
found yesterday. II was in the possession
Of the Park Avenue Hotel clerk 10 whom
II had been given by Chaplain Smith
who took il for saTe-keeping.
NJ 1A-e = mum paoA-
Inspector Thompson declared that tn,
hotel was not fred by incendiaries anC
that there was no robbery
District Attorney Jerome said yester
day that his assistant. Mr.. Sanford
would look up the question which depart
ment was responsible for the lack or FIRE
fighting apparatus. the building or the fir
/ department.
superintendent Ste yaTt. OF the buildin
department, said yes. eTday that. in add.
ton 10 the re-inspection o. public place
as regards hre-escapcs. he had given par
. ticular instructions 10 the elevator in
. spCctOrs 10 see that not only in hotel
and apartment houses, but ia building
Of all kinds, the bottom Of elevator shaft
shall be made absolutely free frOI
grease drippings.
officers OF the Seynnty-frst Regimen
met last evening for he first time sine
their armOry was destroyed. The meet
ing was held in the armory Of the Twelft
Regiment
The offer OF the Twelfth Regimen
ArmOIy for the review Of the Seventy
first - Mayor General Roe on March
was accepted. On that occasion the me
Of the Seventy will wear caps
blOuses and belts leaned by the Twelft
I and will drill with the guns Of the Latter