Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-02-27
HENRY c. CONRAD'S
AWFUL EXPERIENCE
He Barely Escaped From Per-
ishing in the Park Avenue
Hotel Fire in New York.
WALKED ALONG A HIGH CORNICE
Was Rescued With the Aid of
Two Ladders.



The fire at the Park Avenue Hotel,
New York, on Saturday morning
proved to be more disastrous than al
first reported. The hotel was crowded
with guests, who had gone to attend
the festivities to be given in honor OF
Prince Henry. More than 800 persons
We're in the house. The fire was con
fined principally to the fifth and sixth
| floors, near the elevator and air shaft
At about the time the hotel was found
to be on fire the lights went out, and
! the corridors were filled with smoke
| The guests, unable to find their way
through the darkened Railways, jumped
from windows or ran directly into the
flame swept portions of the building
1t is this fact which accounts for the
large loss of life, although the hotel
was not destroyed. Seventeen persons
were killed and many were injured
Among the killed were Mrs. Rebecca
S. Foster the "Tomhs Angel, we'll
known for her deeds of Kindness to
prisoners. Lee j. Conrad of 215 East
Fifteenth street, New York. was
another victim. He was a cousin of
Henry C. Conrad of this city, who
was his guest, and who had a narrow
escape from death.
Henry G. Conrad and his cousin had
attended the dinner of the Delaware
Society of New York at the Waldorf
Astoria on Thursday evening. Going
to the Park Avenue Hotel, they were
assigned to room 5a5 on the fifth floor.
| About 2 o'clock Saturday morning
| they were awakened by the fire in the
| Seventy-tirst Regiment Armory, which
| is opposite the hotel. Putting on their
| underclothes they watched the spectacle
without thought of danger to them
selves.
Here is Mr.. Conrad's account of
what followed:
imagine my cousin and ] stood
watching the fire in the armory about
an hour, when | suddenly noticed that
the hallway of the hotel was filling
with smoke. / remarked to my cousin
that we had better make preparations
to leave. When we got up to watch
the armory fire we had slipped on our
underclothing. After we noticed the
smoke in the hallway we started to get
dressed ] had drawn on both my
stockings and had got on one shoe
when we saw through the transom of
our room the lurid glare of flames in
the hallway. | said to my cousin,
Lee, we haven't got time to dress.
We are hedged in. How can we get
outY' | don't remember him making
any reply to it. ! went to the window
and raising it found there was cornice
that ran around the building | started
to Climb out and as | did so my cousin
called to me: Cousin Harry. don t
of haf 1.a =
death. | suppose he had an idea that
nature entered my mind. | thought
that | could possibly attract the at
tentiun of fremen and they could
reach us with ladders.
| had no idea where the cornice lead
when | got out on it. | found that it
was iron and thought that such being
the case, it would be the last place to
be affected by the fire. / then thought
the best plan would he to reach a
corner, as | knew corners were fire.
quently the last place flames reach,
and then also that, fsing ON a corner,
/ might be seen sooner. / reached up
my hand and found that at each win
dow there was u sort of a uiilar or
column with ornaments Mt the top. |
found ! could grasp these ornaments
and steady myself, and then COM
menced my walk around the cornice.
! could not hold on with my hartig all
the time, for the pillars with the
ornaments only occurred at each win
dow. The cornce had a sort IT a z;g-
gag course, going in and out at each
window.
Before starting on my walk ]
stopped for minute or so and thought
or tried to think. The thought that
flashed through my head, as / now
recollect, was that it was the end. |
wondered if | would die by fire or fall
from the cornice. | thought that if
the fire came through the window the
impulse would not be stronger to drop
over the edge to death than to fall
victim to the flames. | don't know
what prompted me, but / started to
walk toward the centre of the hotel.
should Judge that it was fully $50 feet
from my widnow. 1t was tedious work
going along that narrow footing, partly
coated with ice and unevenly shod as
| was, for on one foot was shoe and
on the other was only a stocking.
During that walk | did not meet
soul. Every window l passed was
closed tight.
AlbCI NdlhtllSf Wudb S6tIIleu 10 TllP
a long distance, | reached a point
directly over the main entrance. | was
soon seen by some firemen, who i'm
mediately shouted not to Jump | had
no idea that they were calling to me.
l had no idea Of jumping. | supposed
they were shouting to people on the
floor below who we're at the windows.
After some time the firemen got
ladder on top of the portico over the
main entrance to the hotels
This ladder was extended it's great
est length and then only reached to the
fourth floor. In few seconds firemen
came running up it. Evidently they
had been used to dealing with panicky
people and supposed that l might be
nervous, for one of them, looking at
me over the cornice, called out: You're
all right Don't jump Stay right
whore you are! Well get you off /!
just wait minute and you'll be all
right!'
II looked over the cornice and saw
them take two persons from the window
below me- The fireman then looked
up again and called to me: Now, don t
you jump Well get you next. This |
ladder won't reach. Well have to get
another ladder, just hold steady and
you'll come next.
In q few seconds tiremen came IN
the ladder again and brought with |
them scaling ladder. It, is like a !