Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 March 1899 — Page 2

WEEKLY REPUBLICAN. GEO. E. MARSHALL, Publisher. RENSSELAER, - - INDIAN*.

THE MAINE MYSTERY.

DISCOVERY THAT MAY PLACE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT. Alleged Discovery of the Location of a Mine Switchboard at Havana by an Ohio Officer—Cleveland Hotel Destroyed by Fire. A Cincinnati paper prints a story that the location of the keyboard by which the Maine was blown up in Havana harbor has been found by an American engineer officer. The story is that Captain T. L. Huston of the volunteer engineers, who entered the service from Cincinnati and who had been assigned to the duty of cleaning out the fortifications of Havana, discovered in the gunroom of the Cuartel de Foerste a wooden box or hut, in which he found a gutta percha tube containing one large copper wire and several smaller Wires. He also found evidences of a keyboard having been torn away. Captain Huston confided his discovery to Warren J. Lynch, general passenger agent of the Big Four, who was visiting Havana, and said he was about to trace the wires to prove his theory that the Maine was exploded from that point. The wreck of the vessel can be seen from this gunroom not more than a hundred yards distant. The room itself was in a part of the prison to which access was only allowed to a few officers. FIRE IN CLEVELAND HOTEL. Sleeping Guests Aroused and Saved by the Police. The Brooklawn Hotel in Cleveland was partially destroyed by fire shortly after 5 o’clock the other morning. Over fifty people were asleep in the building when the fire broke out. A high wind was blowing and the flames had gained great headway when discovered by a policeman. The latter promptly ran through the building, awakening the guests. In many cases it was necessary to break in doors in order to arouse the sleepers. A panic ensued, but all the occupants finally escaped without injury. Several women were carried down the fire escapes by firemen. The origin of the fire is unknown. Loss about >IO,OOO. FIVE CHILDREN SUFFOCATED. Terrible Result of Lamp Explosion at Hutchinson, Kan. The home of John Moore at HutchinKan., was burned to the ground, the result of a lamp explosion, and his five children, ranging in age from 3 to 12 years, lost their lives. Firemen found the children lying side by side in their bed on the floor, all dead, but not badly burned. They had apparently been suffocated by smoke. The father, who slept in an adjoining room, was so badly frightened that he was unable to attempt a rescue. Mrs. Moore was away from home. India Adopts the Sugar Bill. The legislative council of India has adopted the countervailing sugar bill. The viceroy of India, Lord Curzon of Kedelston, expressed satisfaction at the unanimous feeling of the council on the subject of the bill. He said the- fullest inquiries had shown the necessity of urgency in the case, and he condemned the bounty system as being “a vicious expedient for selfish interests.” Coal Combine Completed. Pittsburg capital is about to figure in more combinations. Some of the biggest coal interests doing business at Cincinnati have been merged into one concern and a number of representative window glass manufacturers are about to consummate the proposed window glass trust if possible. The former combine has been completed, while the latter has been hanging fire. Many Miners Are Stranded. Miners who have arrived at Seattle from Copper river, Alaska, say that Gov. Brady has been requested to ask the Government to send a vessel to Copper river for the purpose of bringing home stranded prospectors. There are between 200 and 800 of these men who are without means to secure transportation. Many of them are suffering from scurvy. Engineer and Brakeman Killed. The southwestern limited on the Lake Shore road was wrecked at West Seneca, N. Y., by an ice-clogged switch. Engineer Henry S. Shattuck was killed and Brakeman George W. Roberts was severely injured. While the passengers were roughly shaken up, none was in- . jnred. “Apple King” la Dead. John M. Downey is dead at Sugar Lake, Mo., of brain fever, aged 60 years. He was known as the “apple king,” and was one of the proprietors of the Reece & Downey orchard, one of the largest in the country. Death of Orville B, Skinner. Orville B. Skinner, for several years traffic manager of the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railroad, died at Cleveland, at .the age of 65 years. Mob Routed by Soldiers. In a riot at Laredo, Texas, over removing smallpox patients to the pest house, two men were killed, a woman and several of the rioters seriously injured. Report a Rich Copper Find. * Miners in from Blackfoot reservation report a rich strike of copper on Swift Current, eight miles above the town of St. Mary, Mont 2s Execution of Mrs. Place. Mrs. Martha Place was put to death in the electric chair at Sing Sing, N. Y. . Riot in Cuba’s Capital. A serious conflict between the police and people of Havana resulted in much shoot- . ing and clubbing. From thirty to fifty people were wounded, some seriously. Ajnong the injured is Police Captain Es- ; taitapeg, formerly a colonel in the Cuban , ■ Devastation by the Winds scnea of terrine windstorms swept Arkansas, doing an immense amount Of property damage and killing a number ; W persona

BMOKBBSS POWDER FOR NAVI. New Product Meets the Test of All Service Conditions. The Navy Department is ready to take whatever steps may be necessary in carrying out the provisions of the naval bill for the purchase of smokeless powder during the coming year. It is not intended to antagonize the commercial interests involved in this line of manufacture by throwing the whole burden of production upon the Government plants. The Government has a plant at Indian Head which, when completed, will turn out a maximum amount of about 3,000 pounds a day. But this will in no way compete with the private manufacturers. The navy now has a powder known to the profession as pyrocellulose, which is equal to, if not better than, the smokeless product used by foreign powers. The new powder, which has been tested by the navy under service conditions, has been so nicely adjusted to their requirements that it has increased their efficiency an average of 500 second feet. INDIANS IN A TEMPER. Fear of an Outbreak on Leech Lake Reservation. Michael Gogins, a well-known and conservative pine cruiser, says the Leech Lake, Minn., Indians are in a dirty temper and ready for any sort of deviltry. They have been holding councils two or three times a week and the proceedings are kept very quiet. The Indians’ grievance is based on a fear that after prospective pine sales are over they will still be in debt, something that has been known to happen before. Gogins says the Indians could muster in case of trouble fully 1,200 fighting men, nearly all armed. The Government has lately ordered the two companies of the Seventh infantry away from Fort Snelling, and the State now has no available military force except newly organized militia. MOTHER AND CHILD HIDDEN. John A. Barnes Is Granted a Divorce by a Cleveland Court. John A. Barnes, the husband of the second Mrs. Magowan of Trenton, N. J., obtained a divorce from her at Cleveland on the ground of willful absence. The wife put in no plea. This is the beginning of the last chapter in the kidnaping of little Beryl Barnes by Mrs. Barnes last November. The courts gave Barnes the custody of Beryl, but the child is still in the possession of the mother, who is in Montreal, whither sfee fled after her successful abduction of her daughter. Big Oil Deal on Foot. S. C. Rutan of Chicago, representing an English syndicate, claims that he has obtained an option on 100,000 acres of land in the Cherokee Nation, in the northern part of the Indian territory, in the recently discovered oil fields. Maj. Graham, an ex-officer of the British army and an English capitalist, is at the head of the syndicate. The capitalists back of it include many of the wealthiest men in England who have had experience in the European oil fields. Mr. Rutan says the present company, of which he is an official, has men back of it whose wealth would easily aggregate $250,000,000. It is independent of the Standard Oil Company, and expects to compete with that company not only in the markets of America but of Europe. Tank line steamers of 7,000 tons burden have been built and are in the hands of the company. They will run from Port Arthur and other gulf ports to European countries. It is claimed that the plan is practically certain to go through and that the steamers will be running within a few months. Seventeen wells are already in operation and the rigs for several more will be built as soon as the syndicate secured control. Bicycle Makers Combine. Makers of bicycles have arranged the details for the formation of a trade pool that will involve capital to the amount of $50,000,000. It is understood that ten of the leading makers of wheels have entered the combine and that several others will probably be persuaded to add their signatures to the agreement. A. G. Spalding of Chicago is credited with being the moving spirit in the proposed trust. With him are associated Col. A. A. Pope and R. Philip Gormully of the Gormully & Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of Chicago. Attempts to form a bicycle trust have been many in the past, but all have been futile, primarily because the small manufacturers could neither be controlled nor eliminated. Whitney Heads a Big Trust. W. C. Whitney is the head and shoulders of an electric trust which has consolidated with the storage battery companies and will control the electric cabs of New York, build thousands of others, establish electric delivery wagon lines and omnibus routes, push the Holland submarine torpedo boat, build electric launches and ferryboats. The capital stock will be $100,000,600. Crimes of a Texan. Ed Beau, at Bleton, Texas, drove his wife from therr home through the principal street of the town at daylight, shot her down and then killed himself. He had stolen a shotgun from the hardware store of Wilson & Austin and fired the store leaving it. The store burned; the loss ;s $25,000, with $5,000 insurance. f portaman’s Park Sold. At 8:. Louis, under the foreclosure of a deed of trust, Sheriff Rohlmann sold at public auction the Sportsman’s Park and Club, Including the franchise held by the St. Louis Browns, to R. A. Gruner, a prominent lumber dealer and one of the club’s directors, for $33,000. Persia Settles Damage Claims. Under diplomatic pressure Persia has settled in full the claim of Dr. E. G. Wishard, an American missionary at Sfcinerau, whose house, with the connivance of soldiers, was robbed in June, 1898, of goods valued at 200 tomans (about $350). Riot in Hot Springs, Ark. One of the bloodiest combats which ever occurred in Hot Springs, Ark., took place the other afternoon at 4 o’clock. As a result of the fierce conflict five men are dead and another dangerously wounded. Mrs. Harold Frederic Dice. Mrs. Harold Frederic, widow of the well-known American correspondent and novelist, who died in London in October last, is dead of cancer. Oliver Provoet Hanged. Oliver Provost was hanged at Port Arthur, Ont. Provost murdered two French swine herders named Carrie and Delvin, Feb. 10, 1897. Peace Treaty Signed. The Queen Regent at Madrid has signed the treaty of peace between Spain and UH V«HvU Dl-MU-B.

MANY PERSONS HURT.

SERIOUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT NEAR VOLLAND, KAN. Train and Four Cara Leave the Raila— Twenty-aix Passengers Hurt—Cara Are Burned—Contract Let for Steamers for Hawaiian Trade-East-bound passenger train No. 3, Conductor Thomas, jumped the track just west of Volland, Kan., on the Rock Island road, throwing the tank, baggage car and smoker from the track and leaving the chair car and baggage car partly tipped over. The train caught fire, the flames destroying the combination baggage and mail ear, two coaches and a chair car. Twenty-six passengers were injured, two seriously. The train baggageman was killed. A relief train with doctors was sent from Topeka as soon as word was received of the accident, and every possible attention was shown the injured. INDIAN ROMANCE ENDED. White Thunder, Husband of a Chicago Woman, May Be Hanged. The romance of being the white bride of a full-blood Sioux Indian has been suddenly dispelled in the case of the Chicago young woman who went to Gordon, Neb., last summer on the way to Pine Ridge Indian agency. She was then the wife of White Thunder, an Indian whom she met in a wild west show. A few days ago White Thunder was accused of abusing his wife, who is now a domestic in the home of B. J. Gleason. Three Indian policemen undertook to arrest White Thunder, when he opened fire, killing one policeman and wounding another. White Thunder finally surrendered and was taken to jail at Pine Ridge. FOR THE HAWAIIAN TRADE. Contracts Awarded for Two Large Freight Steamers. The Union iron works at San Francisco has been awarded the contract for two of the largest freight steamers ever built in the United States. The vessels are for the American-Hawaiian Steam Navigation Company, with headquarters at New York. The company is to ply its craft between New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Honolulu, with the possibility of extending the route. The first steamer is to be turned out in April, 1900, and the second one at a later date. Each will have a carrying capacity of 8,500 tons. Orange Trees Doiag Well. The orange crop of Lee County, Fla., this year promises to be the largest in the history of the county. The orange groves along the river are in excellent condition. The grape fruit crop likewise promises well. Captain J. B. McKinley of Alva sold tlje fruit on a single tree for $5 a box. The yield from that tree alone paid its owner $l5O. This is a commonplace incident among the fruit growers. Sixteen-Year-Old Murderer. The murderer of Mrs. Anthony Steigler of Mount Lookout, Ohio, whose dead body was found in her home by her son, has been found in Albert Lnken, a boy of 16, living with his widowed mother in Clifton. Luken was arrested and made a full confession, saying his motive was robbery. He got about S7O. Canned Goods Combine. Merrill & Soule and the Loomis-Allen Company, large manufacturers of canned goods at Syracuse, N. Y., have been approached by outside parties interested in the same line of business with a proposition to form a trust, capitalized at $20,000,000. Amalgamation is expected to take place June 1. Great Combine Projected. Preliminary steps have been taken at the Waldorf-Astoria, New York, to form a $75,000,000 knit-goods trust. A committee was named to visit all the factories in the country and report on the capacity and valuation and the basis on which each mill should be admitted to the trust. Antarctic Explorers Ashore, The Antarctic exploring expedition's steamer, the Southern Cross, has arrived at Port Chalmers, New Zealand, after landing Borchgrevink and his party at Cape Adair, Victoria Island. She reports that all the explorers were in good health when landed. Great Fire in New York. The Windsor Hotel, Fifth avenue and Forty-seventh street, New York, burned to the ground. Fifteen persons lost their lives, nearly fifty were seriously injured and an unknown number were buried in the ruins The property loss is over sl,000,000. To Vaccinate All Lawmakers. Members of the Arkansas Legislature were panic stricken the other day when it was announced that physicians had diagnosed the illness of Senator Lankford as smallpox. After a half hour’s debate the House voted to vaccinate all its members. Becker Makes a Confession. August A. Becker, the Chicago wife murderer, has made a second confession to the police. In a detailed statement he confessed that he killed his wife with a hatchet, boiled her remains in a kettle and buried the bones on the prairie. Town Excited by Oil Strikes. Oil was struck the other day at Norman, Ohio, at 1,600 feet. The contractor thinks the well will *>ump twenty-five barrels daily. This is a new field and the people are excited. Five thousand acres have been leased. Spain Arranges for a New Loan. The Spanish Government has concluded a han of 30,000,000 pesetas with the barring house of Urquijo. The money wih be devoted to paying the arrears due th« Spanish troops which have served in Cr.ba. Kainlani Is Dead. The steamer China, from the. Orient via Honolulu, brings news of the death of Princess Kaiulani of Hawaii. The cause vs death was attributed to inflammatory' rheumatism. The princess was born Oct. 16, 1875. Reward for Incendiaries. Mayor Flower of New Orleans has offered a reward of SSOO for the arrest of the person or persons who have lately been trying to barn Roman Catholic institutions in that city. Dies Jnat Before the Wedding. At Chagrin Falls, Ohio, Elmer Gifford and Ella Wharfield were to have been married the other evening. Gifford died suddenly of heart disease during the day.

RULES ON INDIAN LAND LEASES. Secretary of the Interior Decides the Creek Nation Dispute. The Secretary of the Interior has reached a conclusion in the matter of the renewal of the leases of lands in the Creek Indian nation to cattle owners for grazing purposes, these leases being terminated by the terms of the Curtis bill. The Secretary has determined that only lands which are occupied by individual Indians, not exceeding the approximate share to which the Indian and the members of his family are reasonably entitled, can be leased in advance of allotments. The Dawes commission will begin the making of allotments April 1. The department holds that it would be a reversal of the proper order to approve leases before the allotments are made, but it is understood that cattlemen having stock on the reservation under the old lease will not be molested until they can have sufficient time to make their leases under the new order of things. RICH GOLD DISCOVERIES. Strikes Made in Southeastern Alaska and Vancouver Island. News has been received of a rich strike in the Sea Level mine, near Ketchecan, in southeastern Alaska. A vein of S4O ore has been discovered, with streaks that run as high as S6O to the ton. Some selected specimens received at Seattle will average from $30,000 to $60,000 to the ton. The Sea Level mine is principally owned by San Francisco parties. An immensely rich gold strike is reported to have Been made on Granite Creek, near Albini, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Assays make a showing of $5,800 to the ton. There is great excitement in the district. Gambler Shoots a Politician. At Cincinnati, James Patterson, a wellknown character and prominent in local politics, was fatally shot by James Depugh, a lookout at one of the gambling establishments in the city. Patterson was standing at his door yard with his wife when Depugh fired five times at him. The fatal wound is in the abdomen. Mrs. Patterson was shot in the wrist. Conflict with Canadians. Far in the frozen north, a few miles off the desolate Dalton trail, Canadian and American miners have met in deadly conflict. Four are reported to have been killed outright and a number of others have been seriously wounded. The trouble arose over the possession of a rich placer gold field, 100 Americans attempting to drive fifty Canadians out. Spring Works Destroyed. The Charles Scott Company’s spring works at Philadelphia were destroyed by fire, entailing a loss of $150,000. Two other buildings, the hub works of John Buckley & Co. and the brass works of B. B. Hill, adjoining, were slightly damaged. The fire was the result of an explosion caused by the sudden immersion of a hot steel spring in a vat of oil. Collapse of a Bridge. An electric car went through the bridge over the Blackstone river at Millbury, Mass., and three men were drowned. One passenger, Louis Pluff, was rescued, nearly overcome, by chopping through the roof of the car. Rich Beggar Found Dead. Mrs. Henrietta Schmidt, a professional beggar, was found dead in her room in Brooklyn, N. Y. The police found a bank book which shows that she had at least $20,000 on deposit. Woman Blinded by Vitriol. An unknown woman called at the residence of Mrs. M. F. McVean, a widow, in St. Louis, and threw vitriol in her face, blinding her and causing burns that may result fatally. John T. West Dies Suddenly. John T. West, proprietor of the West Hotel at Minneapolis, and one of the best known hotel men in the United States, dropped dead in the rotunda of his hotel. Chicago Editor Dies. Joseph Medill, editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, died at his winter home in San Antonio, Texas, of heart failure. He was 76 years of age. Pasig Burned by Natives. The Filipinos burned the town of Pasig. The American soldiers vainly attempted to extinguish the flames. In a short time the entire city was in ashes. Murder and Suicide at Skignay. At Skaguay, Alaska, Thomas Dugan, a barber, shot and fatally wounded William M. Wray, a machinist, and then blew his own brains out. Negroes Lynched in Jail. A mob of 150 white men broke into the jaij at Palmqtto, Ga., and shot down nine negroes wlx were there charged with arson.

MARKET QUOTATIONS.

Chicago-Cattle, common to prime, $3.00 to $6.00; hogs, shipping grades, $3.00 to $4.00; sheep, fair to choice, $3.00 io $5.00; wheat, No. 2 red, 06c to 67c; corn, No. 2,33 cto 35c; oats, No. 2,25 c to 26c; rye, No. 2,49 cto 51c; butter, choice creamery, 19c to 20c; eggs, fresh, 12c to 14c; potatoes, choice. 63c to 70c per bushel. Indianapolis—Cattle, shipping, $3.00 to $5.75; hogs, choice light, $2.75 to $4.00; sheep, common to choice, $2.50 to $4.50; wheat. No. 2 red, 68c to 70c; corn, No. 2 white, 34c to 35c; oats, No. 2 white, 31c to 33c. St. Louis—Cattle, $3.50 to $6.00; hogs, $3.00 to $4.00; sheep, $3.00 to $4.75; wheat. No. 2,69 cto 71c; corn, No. 2 yellow, 33c to 35c; oats, No. 2,27 cto 29c; rye, No. 2,57 cto 59c. Cincinnati—Cattle, $2.50 to $5.75; hogs, $3.00 to $4.00; sheep, $2.50 to $4.50; wheat, No. 2,69 cto 71c; corn, No. 2 mixed, 35c to 36c; bats, No. 2 mixed, 28c to 29c; rye, No. 2,59 cto 61c. Detroit—Cattle, $2.50 to $5.75; hogs, $3.00 to $4.00; sheep, $2.50 to $4.50; wheat, No. 2,72 cto 74c; corn, No. 2 yellow, 33c to 35c; oats. No. 2 white, 30c to 32c; rye, 59c to 61c. Toledo—Wheat, No. 2 mixed, G9c to 70c; com, No. 2 mixed, 32c to 33c; oats. No. 2 white, 26c to No. 2,53 c to 55c; clover seed, new. $3.40 to $3.50. Milwaukee—Wheat, No. 2 spring, 65c to 66c; corn, No. 3,32 cto 34c; oats, No. 2 white, 28c to 30c; rye, No. L 52c to 54c; barley, No. 2,46 cto 48c; pork, mesa, $9.00 to $9.50. Buffalo—Cattle, good shipping steers, $3.00 to $5.75; hogs, common to choice, $3.25 to $4.25; sheep, fair to choice wethers, $3.50 to $5.00; lambs, common to extra, $4.50 to $6.00. New York—Cattle, $3.25 to $5.75; hogs, $3.00 to $4.50; sheep, $3.00 to $1.75; wheat. No. 2 red, 78c to 79c; corn, No. 2,40 cto 43c; oats, No. 2 white, 33c to 35c; butter, creamery. 15c to 21c; eggs, Western, 13c to 14c.

MANY DIE DI FIRE.

Guests of Big New York Hotel Caught in Death SCENE OF WILD PANIC Nearly a Score of People Are Killed and Forty-two Injured. Fashionable Gotham Hostelry, Crowded with Gnests and Sightseers, Burns —Rapid Spread of Flames Cuts Off Escape by the Elevators and Stairways—Men and Women Leap from Windows of Upper Floors to an Awful Death. The Windsor Hotel, occupying a square on Fifth avenue, between Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh streets, in New York, for nearly thirty years one of the most famous hotels in this country, if not in the world, was completely destroyed by fire Friday afternoon, and at least eighteen persons were burned to death, and probably more than half a hundred were injured. There were rescues by the score, some of them the most thrilling imaginable. Among the rescued were Mrs. Abner McKinley, wife of the brother of the President; their daughter, and Miss Helen McKinley, the sister of the President. From the roof and windows, from the fire escapes and cornices, frenzied men and women threw themselves to the pavement five, six, seven stories below. Bewildered guests within the roaring furnace were carried down to death by falling walls, and all the while 50,000 human beings watched the tragedy.

THE ILL-FATED WINDSOR HOTEL, NEW YORK.

Massed into solid lines, men and women filled side streets, avenues and doorsteps, there to watch the parade of the day, but fated to witness the most grewsome fire New York has ever known. The roll of dead is long. Private homes around the place of sacrifice became field hospitals—spacious mansions, including the Jay Gould home, were made temporary morgues. John Foy, a waiter employed at the Windsor Hotel, in a statement made after the fire to Coroner Bausch declared that the hotel was burned through the gross carelessness of a guest. The waiter was In a corridor of the second floor, walking toward 47th street, when he saw a man near the end of the corridor strike a match to light his cigar. The man threw the match to the floor and walked on without waiting to see that it had gone out. Foy noticed the action, and he also noticed that the match was still blazing when it left the man's hand. When the waiter'reached the spot the lace curtains were ablaze. He tried to extinguish the flame, but it was quickly up the curtain and caught the woodwork. The carpet caught fire, and the walls seemed to burn like tinder. Foy gave the alarm and ran

WARREN F. F. LELAND. Proprietor of the Burned Windsor Hotel, Made Insane by the Loss of His Wife and Daughter.

down stairs and out of the building to reach a firebox. An hour after the fire started the ruin was complete. At ten minutes after 3 o’clock the head of the parade reached 46th street and Fifth avenue, opposite the Windsor. An instant later a policeman saw a tiny blaze and a puff of smoke in a bow window in the drawing room on the second floor, on the 46th street side. He turned in an alarm. Before he could return to the hotel the drawing room was • sheet of flames. The room had been crowded with guests watching the parade. When the curtaia igni ted—for that is said to have been the start of the fire —instant panic came over all. Men and women fled to the stairways and the flames leaped after them. Up the stairs and elevators sped the gnests—up air and light shafts raced the flames. In an incredibly short time the whole building was eaveloped in dull, roaring tongues of fire and heavy stifling smoke. It seems as if the fire must have been burning under the floor and in the walls, for on no other hypothesis can the suddenness of its spreading be accounted for. The width of the corridors made it easy to run, and the guests filled them in their rush for the streets. The elevators, although they were run until aflame.

brought comparatively few down In safety. The road out of the death trap was down the splendid marble stairs. And down these stairs poured a terrified procession. Meanwhile through the tangled mob outside the fire engines had forced their way. It was after the first wild rash that swept so many to safety down the broad staircase that the most awful events of the great fire occurred. All of the women had not sprang from their rooms with the first alarm. Some had stopped to dress, some to gather their most precious belongings. And these were doomed. Then, too, there were sick persons in the house, bedridden men and women. When these belated ones got into the corridors they were for the most part bounded by walls of fire. Up the great central well roared the flames. Right at the stairways, the logical and accustomed avenues to the streets, were the terrible sentries, curling and swirling with threats to all who dared to pass that dread picket line. Then these belated guests took to the fire escapes, throwing open windows and reaching their arms out to the sea of people who groaned below. Many of those who came to the windows were saved at last by daring firemen and citizens. But the fire was too swift, the time too short. While the firemen were helping some to safety, others felt the touch of the red hand upon them from behind, and threw themselves from the windows. The firemen displayed the utmost heroism and daring in saving life at the most imminent risk. The Windsor was the resort and dwelling place of rich people, and there may have been half a million dollars’ worth of jewels alone lost by the women who lived there. Among the dead are the wives of millionaires, as well as the maids, who were shut off in the top story. Abner McKinley, brother of the President of the United States, with his wife and daughter, Miss Mabel McKinley, occupied a suite of rooms on the ground floor of the hotel. Among the dead are Mrs. Warren Leland. wife of the Windsor’s proprietor, and her daughter. Miss Helen Leland, and Mrs. James S. Kirk, widow of the millionaire soap manufacturer of Chicago. Panics Within, Pan’cs Without. The fire occurred in the middle of the afternoon, when Fifth avenue was jam-

med with people from curb line to house line, and from curb to curb with St. Patrick’s Day paraders. To this fact is due, perhaps, some of the loss of life and V good deal of the serious injury to person, for the crowd interfered with the police and the firemen; but so suddenly did the fire start, and so quickly did it sweep through the big hotel from floor to floor, from street to roof, from side to side, if there had been no crowd there, and nothing to hamper the work of the officials, there would still have been many accidents and some fatalities. With such awful rapidity did the fire spread, once it started, that people no higher up in the building than the floor above the street had to fly for their lives. Only by a search of the ruins will the extent of the disaster be known, and so complete was the wreck wrought by the fire that this will be a long and tedious work. The fire started, according to the best information, in a dining room. It was due, it is almost certain, to the careless tossing of a match into a lace curtain. Before an alarm could be sent in to the fire department the building was doomed. Had Mt been a tinder box the fire could not have taken hold quicker and completed the work of demolition in less time. Yet the building has been called fireproof. It was fitted, according to the building and fire officials, with all of the equipment for use in case of fire that the law requires. It had sufficient fire escapes and the halls were equipped with electric alarms and with colored globes that should have shown everybody how to reach the escapes. Yet they might almost as well not have been there, for of all the persons rescued not more than half a dozen were taken down by m-ans of the fire escapes, while scores jumped or slid down murderous rope escapes, which burned their hands and compelled them to drop many feet above the street. Within two hours of the discovery of the fire the hotel itself was a total wreck, and the walls had fallen out on every side except the eastern side, where adjoining buildings shored them up. Those two hours were as full of thrilling incidents as any that Fifth avenue ever witnessed. Over 25,000, and perhaps 50,000, people were jammed together in the smallest space that they could be jammed in, and they saw women and children and men leaping from the windows o? the hotel. They saw firemen climbing up the outer walls with scaling ladders and bringing down panic-stricken and often struggling women. They saw rescues almost without number, and they cheered the firemen as they worked. For a time the mob swamped the police and surged back and forth through the streets, now rushing to see this unfortunate falling to death, now to witness another caught in the life nets by the firemen, and again to look in horror upon another impaled on the iron railings that surrounded the hotel, or dashed to death on the huge iron flower urns. This mob was as panic stricken almost as the people in the hotel. They screamed as unfortunate after unfortunate leaped out; they mingled their cheers now and again with the cries for aid of the people who did not jump. The loss on the hotel is estimated at about >1,000,000. Several adjoining buildings were damaged considerably, but the loss on these is comparatively small. All the papers and books of the hotel are be-' lieved to have been saved.