The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1902-02-27
CAUGHT IN death
Nineteen People Perish I
Park Avenue Hots|
MANY SCENES OF WILD

Guests Were watching FIRE
When the Hotel Caught ,
Escape Was Cut om-WiI,
Of q Panic Followed.
New York. Feb. 2l.-Ano
added to New York's list Of
horrors Saturday morning,
guests Of the big Park Aver
at Thirty-third street and |
nue.. were burned or SUIT
death. q score or more oth
injured, and property valued
900 destroyed. Among tho
lives were sacrificed were SCI
and women prominent d
walks of life, among them I
Ellen Foster, better know
angel of the Tombs."
Fifteen minutes before d
were discovered in the Pad
Hotel fire broke out In the|
granite armory Of the Sd
Regiment, N. G. N. Y, loc@
onally across Park avenue,
third street, running throus
ty-fourth. The blaze In Il
was discovered by q woml
third floor at the Thirty.th
end of the building.
The flames quickly sprea
out the structure. and It w}
minutes after the fire was
that the entire building vi
of flames. Ten minutes
roof fell with q terrific cr
the Thirty-third street wall
The burning armory was
from the Park Avenue Hot
the width Of Park or Fou1
and the 500 or more guests
walls Of the hotel were
aroused by the noise and
The Park Avenue Hotel We
to be fireproof, and It 10
word was sent to all the
there was no danger. At al
windows looking toward
armory were filled with
gazed with fascinated eye
spectacle afforded. Suddel
went up from the throngs oI
that the hotel was on fire
reached the ears Of the ped
and the widest kind of q
lowed, men and womeI
about in their night clOt
seeking a means of escape
Finding the elevator shi
Of flames and the main st
of, several jumped from
and others perished amid
and smoke. More than
were in the building at th(
all fed in haste to places
Those who occupied rooms
fifth floor were able to e
the stairways.
In their terror men al
climbed out of the windot
rooms and tried to escape
along icy window ledges
rescued nearly a score Of
the front of the building b
pier scaling ladders. Onl
jumped, from the rear Of Il
struck on an adjoining n
brains were dashed out.
The Park Avenue Hotel
frightful death trap aln
twinkling Of an eye. Aim
ly the two elevator sha
flaming chimneys from th(
the sixth floor. The halli
killing smoke. Down "a
where there had been no
usual excitement up to th
employees saw showers Of
the elevator shafts.
Even with the warning
possible to convince scor
that every second Of del
death closer on their heel
women who were awake
on going back to bed. M
who ran into the halls be
dered and half suffocated
back to the opened windo
which embers from
armory entered In q
Down the stairways pour
OF half-clad. frenzied y
within ten minutes afte
was known to be on fir
and corridors Of the grou1
filled with fugitives. ma
night clothes, many Of
and crying aloud in their
Various opinions were
the origin Of the fire in U
manager claims that It
diary origin. Others
theory that the fire oril
sparks from the burn
building. swept by the VT
rection Of the hotel. de-
air shaft, which was di
side the elevator. and q
bris which was piled up
ment near the elevator
idea Of incendiary orisi
by the guests of the h6ts
Chief Croker.
The Assistant Pootmaste