New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-11
HOW F|NNEY MET DEATH
Actor Left Bathroom in Terror
and Rushed Into Burning Corridor
MIGHT HAVE BEEN RESCUED
Loss by Hotel Carlton Fire Near
$300,000-All Claims Will
Be Satisfied.

tel In which the body OF Jameson Leo Fin
ney, the American actor, was found follow
| ing the fire IN the hotel on "Wednesday
night. showed that his life was lost through
a piece OF III luck. or, perhaps. an error
Of Judgment. applicable in a moment Of ex-
treme peril
| The bathroom in which Mr.. F1nney was
bathing when the alarm was given was
not touched either by fire or water, and
even the door to the room had not been
scorched. Had the actor remained there
/ he could easily have been rescued by the
/ iremen. who ran up ladder TO within
few feet OF the bathroom window. On the
other hand the corridor into which he
rushed in terror was seething mass OF
flames
! \ committee Of English actors has been
appointed 10 cooperate with Mr.. Fnney's
friends in making arrangements for the
/ funeral
/ An inquest into the death OF Finney will
I be held on SATURDAY..
! The body OF Mr. Finney will be cremated
after the inquest and the ashes sent to tho
! United States 10 he buried beside the grave
of his mother. who died last April This Is
| In fUlflment If wish expressed by Mr.
Finney short time ago.
II appears that he pas much broken in
/ spirit by the death Of his mother and sub
sequently entertained presentiment Of i'm
| pending evil 70 himself. Only last June
he made will I'm which he gave directions
/ 70 Miss Ada Dryer. the actress. OF New
! York. with whom he had been associated
professionally. for the disposal of his body
and his effects
The body was so badly charred that II
could Rot be recognized. II was Identified
through a chain which the actor wore on
his neck and by finger rings.
After thorough examination the man
agement 81 the Carlton today estimated
the loss caused by the fire and water at
between $4,000 and 10000 The loss is
completely covered by insurance. which
also includes the belongings Of guests. Few
claims have thus far been fled against the
I hotel management. and these are noetly
for small articles, such as scsrfpns, which
we're left on dressers. As far az is known
no guest suffered q heavy loss
The loss 10 the American guests is not
81 heavy as had been anticipated. This "a
particularly true ~ those who did not at
I tempt TO remove any NJ their belongings
during the course Of the fire.
The guests who deserted their rooms as
they we're when the flames broke out
found this morning that the salvage corps
had done their work so thoroughly that I'm
many cases their baggage, clothing and
Other. possessions. even down 10 toilet srti
cles had been unchanged.
The experience Of Ansel Oppenheim. Of
New York. was typical Mr. Oppenheim
was outside the hotel when the alarm was
"a n
his room. He spent the night quietly az
another hotel. and when he went to the
Carlton this morning and was token MP to
his room he found that articles which hc
had left or the floor had been carefully
placed on the bed. which, with his trunks
and bags. wes covered with tarpsulins.
Everything was in perfect order. even
down 10 his toothbrush and ten two-cent
pieces which lie had left on the bureau.
This was on the fourth floor. Immediately
under the $40. where the fire burned most
fercely.
James r Kecnc got out some Of his
baggage last evening and tho rest Of II
this morning II was little worse for hav
ing passed through a fire. The Americans.
Of whom there were many stopping AZ the
hotel. highly praise tho work of the salvage
2
insurance companies Upon receiving the
alarm practically the whole corps was sent
TO the Carlton. The different companies
we're assigned 10 various floors and went
systematicsly from room TO room pillng
UP their contents AMI covering them with
tarpaullns
The Americans had no great praise for
the FIRE department, the work OF which
they considered slow as compared with
that OF the frefghters I'm American cities.
The fire department however. places the
blame for It's delay in getting 10 the
scene on the hotel management itself.
which tried to put out the blaze when it
originated in the elevator shaft with appli-
ances i'm the house before sending out an
alarm The alarm was sounded at I
o'clock and by that time the flames, shoot
ing up the elevator shaft on the fifth and
sixth floors, were breaking through the
roof.
The hotel management endeavored to be
little the fire, and up to the last moment
withheld the fact that Jameson Lee Fin
ney, the American actor had been burned