Evening journal., 1902-02-24
NINETEEN DEAD
IN HOTEL FIRE
Widest Kind Of Panic Among
Many Guests
They We're Watching Destruction Of
New York lrmOry When the
Park Caught Fire

added TO New Yorll'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 OF suffocated to
death. a score or more others were
injured. and property valued at $3.50.
600 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-frsi
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 a 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
to be fireproof, and Il 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 were filled 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
of, several jumped from windows
| and others perished amid the flame
and smoke. More than 500 patrons
were in the building at the time, and
all fed in haste to places Of safety
Those who occupied rooms below thl
fifth floor were able to escape dow
the stairways.
In their terror men and womer
climbed out Of the windows OF theii
rooms and tried to escape by crawling
along icy window lodges. FiremeT
rescued nearly a score of them from
the front of the building by the Pom
pier scaling ladders. Only one mar
Jumped. from the rear Of the hotel He
struck on an adjoining roof and his
brains were dashed out.
The Park Avenue Hotel became
frightful death trap almost in the
twinkling Of an eye. Almost instant
ly the two elevator shafts became
flaming chimneys from the ground 4
the sixth floor. The halls filed will
killing smoke. Down in the Office
where there had been no furry of un
usual excitement up to this time. tn
employees saw showers Of sparks III
the elevator shafts.
Even with the warning It was i'm
possible to convince scores OF then
that every second Of delay brough
death closer on their heels. Men AM
women who were awakened insistel
on going back to bed. Many of thos
who ran into the halls became bewil
dered and half suffocated, and boltel
back to the opened windows, through
which embers from the burning
armory entered in a fiery torrent
Down the stairways poured strean
, OF half-clad, frenzied patrons, ant
, within ten minutes after the hote
, was known TO be on fire the Office
and corridors of the ground floor wer
filed with fugitives. many in thei
y night clothes. many of them burne
and crying aloud in their agony.
Various opinions we're given as Z
; the origin of the fire in the hotel TIL
manager claims that IL was Of iucer
T. diary origin. Others hold to tn
theory that the fire originated fror
4 sparks from the burning armor
/ building. swept by the wind in the d
: rection of the hotel, descending th
y air shaft, which was directly along
= side the elevator, and ignited the d.
t bris which was piled up in the bas'
t ment near the elevator shaft Th
I idea of incendiary origin is scoute
9 by the guests of the hotel and by Fir
4 Chief Croker.
r Ilidns Moves 70 Be Removed.