Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1902-02-28
CAUGHT IN Death TRAP
Nineteen People Perish in Fire in
Park Avenue Hotel.
MANY SCENES OF WILD TERROR


When the Hotel Caught and Their
Escape Was Cut oH-wildest Kind
Of Panic Followed.
New York, Feb. 24.--Another was
added to New Yorl1's list OF hotel fire <
horrors Saturday morning, when 10 /
guests of the big Park Avenue Hotel, !
at Thirty-third street and Park ave
nue., were burned or suffocated to
death. a score or more others were
injured, and property valued at $780,
900 destroyed. Among those whose
lives were sacrificed were several men
and women prominent in various
walks Of life, among them being Mrs.
Ellen Foster, better known as the
angel of the Tombs."
Fifteen minutes before the flames
were discovered in the Park Avenue
Hotel fire broke out in the immense
granite armory of the Seventy-drst
Regiment, n G. N. Y, located dag
onally across Park avenue, at Thirty
third street, running through to Thir-
ty-fourth. The blaze in the armory
was discovered by a woman on the
third floor at the Thirty-third street
end of the building.
The flames quickly spread through
out the structure, and it was but five
minutes after the fire was first seen
that the entire building was a mass
of flames. Ten minutes later the
roof fell with terrific crash. Later
the Thirty-third street wall fell in.
The burning armOry was separated
/ from the Park Avenue Hotel only by
the width Of Park or Fourth avenue
and the 500 or more guests within the
walls of the hotel were naturally
aroused by the noise and excitement.
The Park. Avenue Hotel was supposed
20 be fireproof, and it is said that
word was sent to all the guests that
there was no danger At any rate the
windows looking toward the blazing
armory we're filed with guests who
gazed with fascinated eyes upon the
spectacle afforded. Suddenly a shout
went up from the throngs on the street
that the hotel was on fire. The cry
reached the ears Of the people inside,
and the widest kind Of a panic fol.
lowed, men and women rushing
about in their night clothes vainly
seeking a means Of escape.
Finding the elevator shaft mass
of flames and the main stairway cut
off. several jumped from windows
and others persisted amid the flame
and smoke. More than 500 patrons
were in the building at the time, ane
all fed in haste to places of safety
Those who occupied rooms below the
fifth floor were able to escape down
the stairways.
In their terror men and womeI
climbed out of the windows Of thei
rooms and tried to escape by crawling
along icy window lodges. Firemel
rescued nearly a score of them from
the front Of the building by the Pom
pier scaling ladders. Only one mai
jumped, from the rear of the hotel H
: struck on an adjoining roof and hi
brains were dashed out.
The Park Avenue Hotel became
frightfuI death trap almost in tn
twinkling of an eye Almost instant
! " the two elevator shafts becam
flaming chimneys from the ground t
! the sixth floor. The halls filed wit
) killing smoke. Down in the oftic'
where there had been no furry Of III
u usual excitement up to this time, tn
u employees saw showers Of sparks fl
the elevator shafts.
l. Even with the warning it was in
possible to convince scores of thel
J. that every second Of delay brougl
death closer on their heels Men an
women who were awakened insiste
on going back to bed. Many of thos
who ran into the halls became bewi
dered and half suffocated, and bolte
back to the opened windows, throug
which embers from the burnin
armory entered in a fiery torren
Down the stairways poured a strea
Of half-clad, frenzied patrons, an
e within ten minutes after the hot
was known to be on fire the ofic,
and corridors Of the ground floor we
Il filed with fugitives, many in the
s night clothes, many of them burn'
Y and crying aloud in their agony.
# Various opinions were given as
u the origin of the fire in the hotel II
: manager claims that it was of ince
diary origin Others hold to Il
L theory that the fire originated fro
d sparks from the burning armo
e building, swept by the wind in the
4 rection Of the hotel, descending t
d air shaft, which was directly alor
S. side the elevator, and ignited the
Is bris which was piled up in the ba.
l. ment near the elevator shaft. T
lie idea Of ineendiary origin is scout
Is by the guests of the hotel and by Fl
'e Chief Croker.