New-York tribune., 1909-03-19
FIRE NEAR PLAZA
MANY BADLY HURT
FIFTH AVENUE APART-
MENTS DESTROYED.
Flames Shut off Escape By EleUGtor
-Fremen Garry Occupants Ont
Great CrO7cds There.


street adjoining the Hotel Plaza. attracted great
crowds 10 seth street and back into Central
Park as well as in the great plaza The build
ing was practically destroyed. and many OF the
occupants. scarried out by iremen. were taken
to Flower Hospital severely burned Several
fremen were also badly hurt
Panoyer Simpson. whose wife and daughter
were burned in the fire, is unaccounted for No
body seems to know where he was when the fro
started whether in his apartments or not
A Mr. Lennox who lived on the fourth hoOrs
vas reported missing at o'clock this morning
Among the injured were:
HIILHoUsE. MRS, FRANCIS. burns on face and 60dy'
HULzwERTH BERTHA soverness snnPoysd @ t7ss n Ess
HOSPITAL
LEWIS. GEORGE. Engine Company 5 internally In
tured; Flower Hospital
MDoNALD JOHN W. burns face and body Presoy-
M.DoNALD. MRS. j. W. burns face and neck: Flow
MDoNALD. JOHN A. hands and arms burned; Prssos--
SIMPSON. MRS. J. W. burns hand and body: Elcwsr
SIMPSON. MISS MINERVA, slightly burned on faos
Hospital '0'-'
FIREMEN CONRAD and BOLLINGER- OF Engine q
badly burned and arms broken. Roosevelt Hospital
The tanitor locked UP the building at II
o'clock Not long afterward he found the base
ment in flames and vainly tried 10 hand
extlnguisher. This failing. he out and asked
passers by TO send in al alarm from the box at
Sixth avenue and 5sth street. which is nearly 3
block away.
The flames went up the elevator shaft and
communicated to the stairs in the big apart
rnent house, and escape that way cut or
The flames had spread out the top floor be-
fore those above the ground floor were aware
that the building was burning.
The majority Of the occupants escaped by TAX
ing to the rear fire escapes and crossing into the
rear of No 2s West 59th street
The hrenen carried John ". Mcdonald. an
employe Of the Controllers Office, and his son.
John Arnold Mcdonald. down the extension lad
ders. and they were removed TO Flower HOspi-
taI both suffering from painful burns
The telephone operators in the Hotel Plaza
informed the guests that there no danger
from the fire, but many dressed and went down.
stairs. The ground floor Of the Plaza was q
| scene or activity. the injured were carried
there and attended by the doctors from Flower
and Presbyterian hospitals
Mrs J. ". Simpson and her daughter Miss
Minerva Simpson. we're carried by the hreu1en
down the extension ladder from Mrs Simpsons
apartments on the fifth floor OF the Fifth Ave-
nue. Apartments.
Ffrenen O'TooIe Herman and Boylan. OF
ladders as soon as the truck had swung into
a position in front OF the burning building
Women and men could Ne seen from the street
sitting on the window ledges. and the crowds
below shouted not TO jump The three hrernen
made their first trip up for the McDonalds and
their servant girl Then they got out Mrs
Simpson and Miss Sarah Simpson
Francis HilIhouse, with his wife, daughter.
Mary. ten years old: his son. Francis six years
1Yc-FrT n
lived on the third floor. Mr. Hfllhouse. awak-
AnAd bv the commotion throughout the building.
tried 20 get his family out Of the apartments by
means Of the hall. but when he opened the han
door a burst OF flames compelled him 20 shut
and lock H. HiIhousa then took his daughter
and carried her to safety down the rear IRE
escape.
Mrs Hinhouse took her son, and with the
servant girl sought refuge IN the windows OK
the apartment on the 59th street front Hers
the hremen found the trio and carried them
down the ladders. Mrs. HnIhouse was burned
and was taken to Flower Hospital after being
treated in the Plaza by the surgeons
DR. Robert e Moore, with his mother. had
apartments on the ground floor. He was roused-
and being unable TO go through the nan. as
sisted his mother out OF a rear Windo" ana
into q ward In the rear OF the apartments ad-
tonins on the west, No. 2S
Mrs Moore. the doctors mother, SAID sno
heard a sound which came from the basement
shortly before the fire was discovered She said
the sound was like that OF an explosion
One hour after the fire started the three top
floors had been cleaned out
Az 1:3O a m the five stories above the second
with the roof crashed down. and the debris
settled at the second floor The crash was ac-
companied by a shower Of sparks that rose 70
the top of the Hotel Plaza. and the blaze re-
shifting lit up the entire neighbOrhOOd FIRE
men were lighting the flames with hose hang
ing from the windows OF the Hotel Plaza
Five surgeons responded with three amou-
Iances from Flower Hospital special calls for
ambulances having been telephoned from the
Hotel Plaza
Sarah Fulford servant employed by the Nc
Donalds, discovered the fire on the seventh floor
and shouted down alarm to persons passing
in 5sth street Then the girl climbed Up on 10
the window. and probably would have Jumped
had not Mr.. Mcdonald and his son caught her
and held her until the extension ladder was
Dlaced against the building
Fireman George Lewis OF Engine Company ;.
fell from cornice of the third floor 10 the street
and was internally injured and his legs We're
broken. He was taken to Flower Hospital
chief Croker estimated the damage at S125.o09.
There was no water above the seventh floor
To, standpfpes were used from the roof Of thS
Plaza
Among the physicians who gave assistance
s Dr T L. Dow. OF the Hotel Plaza: DR.
1obn p Num- Mrs Russell Sages physician:
m Hudisch and DIR. Boiling Lee. house physi-
clans of the Hotel Plaza
/
COUNT TOLsToY ILL AGAIN.
T.