Year: 1872

L


however, that she "'''' ''0u' '"A'' ''''''''''''
JUMPED FROM CHAMBER WINDOW


snrougn skylght and fell the height OF two


.'Were there any objections made by the pro-
Rrletors 70 Sne nremen entering the building
| turep, " ~


The foreman OF Company No. IL said that at first
they did not wish panic created among the
guests. But he insisted upon attending TO his
ausy st ana o,sca. wens up stairs where he gained
which he. adhered until the fre was sub
dued, despite the binding and choking smoke.
his belly with the nozzle of the e" hose in s his
hand. Engine Company No. 10 followed his exam
from the Twenty-third street II entrance Tse @ other
companies on duty there last night were the Third,
Elghteentn, Nineteenth and Twenty.sxth engines;
anu tne T1lrd Filth, Seventh and Twelfth hook
and ladder trucks.


Opinion or the Fire Marshal.


reporter OF the HERALD called upon Fire Mer-
shal McSpedon yesterday to obtain his Views the
subject OF the fire. The Marshal had just returned
from an examination OF the hotel, and when asked
ifhe thought sufficient precaution had been taken
to guard against loss OF life In the event OF fire In
the Fifth Avenue Hotel he answered, emphat-
cally:-


'.No, sir; nothing like proper measures were
adopted These poor women were huddled to-
gethcr like so many cattle on the top OF that build
ing, and as far as can ascertain, no efforts were
made by the people in the hotel to rescue them"


"Do you think they were forgotten, Mr.. Marshalf'


"That Is possible but my impression Is that the
hotel authorities were SO concerned about the bag
gage OF the guests on the lower floors, of which
there wasrealy no danger, that they had no time
to think about the human lives that were being
sacrificed ON the top Ones"


ssWas the alarm sent In proper timer,


"From all can learn, 1t was; not but mean TO
probe that point to the very core and fasten the
blame upon the right shoulders. You see, when
the fire started they tried to put 1t out themselves
and finding 1t was growing too strong for them the
alarm was given. Now, have been constantly Inn
pressing upon the minds OF hotel keep
ers and managers of theatres the neces
sity OF having nre alarm box on the
premises, and the moment hre broke out to give
the alarm to the Fire Department. One fireman
can do more to stop fire or save human life from
destruction than ten men Of the hotel and theatre
corps These men are generally the servants hal
taught In the manner Of working hose who get de.
moralized and wild the moment fire starts; and
when professional fremen are called on the spot
they find them more in the way than
anything else The first duty Of the people in the
Fifth Avenue Hotel should have been to rouse all
the sleeping women in that wing Of the building
where the fre started. That done, they should
Fire Department answered the alarm.n


'If that entire wing in which the poor women
were burned was consumed would the damage be


''No. Sir; the whole place was most miserable
r0okery. In my opinion, II the entire hotel had
compare with the calamity that occurred. The hotel
people were mot. not Of 4 the same way Of thinking, and


'spo you think there ought to be some one TO in.
struct the servants in the means Of escape in case


aMost certainly, and not only the servants but
the guests. Why, II q re was to catch the body Of
that building nothing could save hundreds of peo-
In ne ne


.Is there no remedy against this great danger I"


"There are several remedies. The difficulty con-
any. SO much consideration is set upon matters OF
business that human life particularly that OF ser
to Sn the Of men an
women are put to sleep Ia In our magnificent


Mr.. Sheldon, Assistant Fire Marshal, break


aThey have dug half way under Fifth avenue to
find sleeping accommodation for the servants Of


'In all probability, Mr. Marshall, these servants
at the Filth Avenue had no idea of how to escape ?"
COUPLE q weeks s out Of Of Castle @ Gar Garden.
nre. The manner Of getting servants Of the
hotel was to take them out OF Castle Garden as
soon as they landed; First employ them as scrub
bers, and as they became acquainted with the
work and the ways of the house promote them"


II noticed during the progress OF the fire all the
men IN the hotel were engaged in moving baggage


ITO be sure. when half of them should have been
% on the L roof , warning the people asleep in the
themselves"


"was there fire escape on the rear Of the SER


''There was; but, as usual, 1t was In the wrong
place..


tion OF all the hotels In the city, Mr.. McSpedon W


at would and intend to do 1t. You shall be
with me II you like and the people shall learn Of


Testimony Before tho Fire Marshal.


The following testimony was taken before the
Fire Marshal yesterday


VIM. Bouton, engineer Of the hotel being duly
sworn, stated-T was not in the hotel when the
fire was discovered; was at my home, No. 142
Lexington avenue; was sent for and came
Immediately to the hotel; the flames were
coming up through the stairway at the
time; there was q regularly trained fire
brigade OF the servants at the hotel
as to facilities for putting out any fire, we have
three rising mains to the top Of the hotel; we have
hose on each floor, generally from fifty to hun
dred feet in length; when got there / think they
had several streams Of water on the fire; from my
observation OF the premises am Of the opinion
that the fire commenced in room No. $685. on the
landing between the paror floor and the floor
above, which room adjons the servants stairway,
extending from the basement to the top OF the
house and was occupied by OF the laundry girls;
there Is also passageway connecting this room
with the main hall; small hand elevator passes
up in one corner OF this rooom separated
by board partition; the room l think
is about six by nine feet; there was a sta
tionary gas jet in the room and the usual fur
niture of servants room; everything in the room
seems to have been consumed; the girl who oc.
cupied 1t, Mary Groves was burned somewhat
clothing was c0nsumed: she was In bed at the
time the fire started and Is not able to give any
intelligent account OF 1t; she says that when she
woke up she saw q light and she got out
as soon as she cOuld there Ia n steam nina No cqin0