The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-02-23
New York City Has Another
Windsor Horror.
THE PARK KAyENUE BURNED
Handsome Armory Of list Regi.
ment a Mass of Ruins.
LIST OF INJURED A LONG onE
Hotel Was crovded With Guests Who Tad
Gone TO Attend Festivities Atteudast oa
Reception Of Prince Henry-Firs
Aseeuded Eleyater Shaft, and
the Occupants, Frightened,
Lesped to TheIr Death.
LIST OF INJURED A LONG onE
fBy Associated Prest.l

tBy Associated Rress.}
NEW YORK, Feb. 22.-For this third
time since New Years Day, Park Avsnue,
this city. was the scene Of loss OF hunian
life. First was the collision in the New
York Central tunnel, at Ffty-si1th Street
and Park Avenue, second. came the dy-
namite explosion in the Rapid Transit
subway, at Forty-first Street, and the
third, to-day, was a 1re which started!
i'll the Seventy-tirst Regiment Arnory, at
Thirty-third Street, and then spread to
the Parke-Avenue Hotel. where eighteen
persons were killed and many injured
It was the worst hotel fire SINCE the
Windsor Hotel was destroyed. Tho hre
was first seen at about 1:30 o'clock IN, the
morning in the armory, an0 IN a remark
ably short time that building was alamo
from end to end. The hremen made their
way as best they could through the
streets, deep with slush, and did all pos,
sible to confine the fire to the armory..
s but after they had been at work near1T;
an hour the discovery was mace that tna
hotel was on fire.
HOTEL CROWDED
Tho hotel was crowded with guests who
had come to attend the festivities in
honor of Prince Henry. More than SO
K PERSONS WeIS III the ltCLSS. = iS hi"
confined 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 filed with smoke. The
guests. unable to find their way through
the darkened Railways. jumped from
windows or ran directly into the flame
swept portion Of the building. 1t is this
fact which accounts for the large loss Of
u ~. - ~,7S Inr{ r{xn.. ..Ar
The fire in the armory started on the
third floor. on the Thirty-third Street
side, where there was a. tier of rooms
occupied by different companies OF the
regiment. Within five minutes the whole
structure was beyond saving, and ten
minutes later the roof fell in with a ter
rifle crash. There was no one In the ar
mory at the time except a janitor and his
family. They escaped by going through
a scuttle-hole in the roof and thence along
the battlements on the Thirty-fourtit
Street side to safety on the roofs ot,
houses to the cast This passage was at
tended by much danger, owing to the
icy condition of the roofs. Six alarms
were turned in for the fire, but in spite of
quick response the armory was soon
doomed to ruin. The prevailing gale
made is impossible to check the flames.
SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS.
ton stored in the armory detonated in a
series OF minor explosions. partly wreck
ing the portion of the walls near which
it was stored. This added terror and
caused fear of greater explosions to thosa
who were fighting the flames.
1t not unit. almost 5 o'clock that
flames We're discovered in the Park
Avenue Hotel, directly across from tho
Armory- Manager Reed, OF the hotel.
had been on the roof watching tho fro
in tho Armory, with guests Of the hotel.
He had descended to the first floor and
was standing talking to a guest when
a burst Of flame came up through the
elevator. Immediately he ordered his
| men to go through the hotel to give the
alarm. The lights almost Immediately
went out and the hotel corridors were In
darkness The flames Ieaped up through
the elevator shaft and seemed to gather
| around the fifth and sixth floors, filing
the halls with dense smoke and making
exit by means of the stairways almost
impossible.
Manager Reed ran up to the fourth
floor and there entered the elevator which
was descending. He alighted at the first
floor and soon after the elevator was q
! wreck.
AS TO ORIGIN.
Various opinions were given as to the
!, origin of the fire III the hotel. Tho man-
ager claims that it was Of incendarY
origin. Others hold that the fire origin
atad from sparks from the burning ar.
mory building, being swept by the wind In
the direction OF the hotel. descending the
air-shaft, which was directly aloassids
the elevator. and ignting the debris which
was piled up in the basement. and near
the elevator shaft Tho idea OF incen-
| diary origin is secuted by guests OF tha
hotel and by Fire Chief Croker Another
theory is that the fire started on the
fifth and sixth floors al thus resulted 10
Lhe damage to those floors more than to
any other portion OF tho building. The
theory advanced by the majority as to
the air-shaet is confirmed by many OF tl1s
fire captains.
ESCAPED THROUGH WINDOWS.
The flames mounted rapidly and the
ire extinguishe.s made little impression.
| Guests on the fifth and sixth floors had
been aroused and those who had nos
| lost their heads started for the stalrwaYs.
clad only in wrappers, aud some with
only sheets thrown over them scores OF
people were taken from the windows OF
| the third, fourth and nth floors OF shs
| hotel by firemen and by police. many OF
| the rescued being made hysterical from
! fright. At the windows on the Park Ave-
/ I1,1e side OF the hotel many persons ao-
/ reared Women were screaming franst-s
ically for help.
sfr. and Mrs Bradley. guests OF tha
! note, who were to leave to-day on tine
/ TRANSPORT McCielland for Manila, ap-s
nsare,t at a fifth floor window on the
/ firhirty-fourth Street side. screaming loud
/ Il. A Mrs Charlotte Bennett and her
Ih,sband. OF Alabama, stoed on the htth
| --------T-/ -/r,., .;,,,.a -, s.scond pa1AN