Evening star., 1902-02-22
FIFTEEN DIE IN FIRE
Park Avenue Hotel in New
York Burns.
MANY WE'RE INJURED
BLAZE STARTED IN ARMoRY OF
71ST REGIMENT.
That Building Completely Destroyed
Thrilling Scenes at the Great
Confagration.

NEW YORK. February 22.-Fire early
this morning IN the Park Avenue Hotel and
the list Regiment Armory, this city, re-
suited In the loss of fifteen lives and the
destruction OF property valued at S750,o
The dead persons were all guests Of the
hotel. Flames We're first discovered in the
armory, and forty-tive minutes later it was
found that the hotel was on fire. A re-
Sised list Of dead and injured follows:
The dead
Norman Acton, Alabama
Col. Charles l.. Burdette, Hartford, Conn.,
colonel lst Regiment of the National Guard
of that state.
Mrs. Ellen Foster, a Tombs prison mis-
sionary.
Fred S. Hovey. Lyons. n. Y.
Thomas p. Hore, Denver
John II. Iverson. Denver.
Mrs. E, W. McGinuis identification not
positive).
Charles Underwood O'Connell New York
died of his injuries in hospital.
Col Alexander Piper, L. S. A., retired,
resident of hotel.
G. A. Robbins, lawyer of Selma Ala.
Miss Esther Schlesiuger. Chicago.
Jacob SPAIN, a lawyer of Rochester, n l.
John E. Walker. Columbia Tenn.
Unknown man. body found on the fifth
floor, about thirty-fve years old. five feet
seven inches in height, ITO pounds black
hair and moustache, wore white striped
trousers, gray underwear, silk jacket and a
gold ring.
Unknown woman. body found on the sixth
floor, wore five rings the left hand.
List of the Injured
The list of injured who are being cared
Fnr IpaIIa
as follows:
Mrs. IeonOra \. Bausch. invalid. suf-
fering from nervous shock.
Margaret and Catherine Bennett of Dem
yer Col. burns on body. hands and limbs
Harold Bennett, face and hands burned.
Rev. VIM. 5. Boardman Of this city, burns
Mrs. W. 5 Boardman, burned on face and
arms.
Louis Barry. Portland, Ne, shock
- Bridseman, burns.
VIM. A. Cove, employe Of hotel, burns and
SHOCK.
Chas A. Gregory. lawyer. New York
face and hands burned.
Mrs. Caroline |. +. Hall and her daughter
Miss Anna 6. Hall. Newark, y. j.. suffer
Ing from burns and shock.
VIM. Il. Hale. Wiliiamsville Mass par
TALLY sudocated.
+. $. Hearne, Atlanta, Ca, burned on
body.
Emily l. Livingston, burns on face and
body.
= Lyons. 14a East I'D street, cut by fall
ing glass.
Miss L. 5. Meyer, Savannah, Ca, suffer-
ing from shock.
Jos Pearson, sixty years old, Mysteries.
Frank R. Reed, proprietor Of Park Avenue
Hotel, burned on face and hands.
Mrs. Frank B. Reed burned on face and
hands.
VIM. stebbins, efghty-ffve years old.
burned on face and hands.
Mrs. $. Neach. burned on face. hands and
body.
Charles L. Woodbury., Portland, Me-, par
TALLY suffocated.
Their search was rewarded, for on nearly
every floor and in the hallway scores of
persons We're found who had been overcome
before they could reach the open air.
Hos pital records show that twenty-six
persons were taken TO the New York and
Bellevue institutions. Nearly double that
number We're injured III their panic-stricken
endeavorS TO escape and were given medi-
cal aid on the spot. OF the scores taken
from the windows Of the third. fourth and
fifth floors, many We're slightly burned and
We're hysterical from shock.
OF the dead three We're women. Death
I'm each instance was caused by burns or
suffocation with one exception. One man
jumped from the tifth-story window to the
inner court. His skull was crushed and
death was instantaneous.
When the fire started III the armory
scores OF guests in the Park Avenue Hotel
and crow dcd TO the hotel windows. 1t was
about fortv-five minutes after flames We're
discovered in the armory before they spread
to the hotel. but in spite of this. many OF
the guests We're in their rooms dressed III
their night clothes and some of them were
in bed
The tlremen. as soon as they learned that
the hotel was in danger, decided 10 devote
all uf tht ir efforts to the rescue OF its oc-
cupants. Men and women appeared at the
windows of the Park Avenue Hotel and
called for help. Mrs Charlotte Bennett and
her husband. Harold. of Aiabdma stood on
q ledge 81 The fifth floor just over the
portico over the main entrance 70 the hotel.
Mrs. Bennett WIS terror-Strichen and
screamed again and again for some one to
rescue her. Her husband grasped her and
from the crowd OF thousands gathered in
the streets there were shouted warnings
not 10 Jump.
Firemen Tried to Catch Her
When il was seen that she was deter
mined to jump the firemen gathered in
circle and stretched out their arms. With
a faai desperate effort Mrs. Bennett
wrenched herself free from her husbands S
grasp and with a piercing scream, flung
herself into the arms of the waiting fire
men five stories below. When she jumped
from the ledge on which she and her hus-
band had stood the flames were licking out
of the window behind her and around her
form. The inside of the room was all in
flames.
Mrs Bennett struck in the arms of the
fIremen. Her weight caused them to sag
and the woman struck the pavement She
was terribly burned about the body. She
was carried into the hotel by fireman and
later was taken TO Bellevue Hospital
where she died Her husband. when Mrs
Bennett jumped fell back into the room
lie was not seen afterward, and ii is be-
Iev.d tha; he was buried or suffocated to
death
Col Charles T. Burdett of Connecticut
met death in terrible manner. His body
with the skull split open. was found lying
In the court yard within the hotel. He had
fallen at least six stories. Col Burdett had
a room the eighth floor of the hotel.
When the alarm of fire reached him his
escape was cut off. His room faced the
court in the center of the hotel
Apparently he had dragged the mattress
from his bed and dropped il to the roof of
an extension over the hotel dining room
several stories below. Then, by knotting
the sheets together. he made a rope and Sc
cured ii to the window. When his prepara-
tions We're complete-they must have been
finished in a few mOments-he lowered
himself on the improvised rope and then