The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-03-17
NARROWING SCENE.

The burning of the Pacific Hotel at
Sc. Louis, gas one of the most intensely
thrilling scenes we ever perused. Mr..
Thomas NJ. Baker says:
I occupied a room in the third sto.Iv,
and was awakened about three O'Clock
by bustling noise in the hall and
faint cry of fire" I raised up in my
bed and put my hand against the wall,
and found it hot enough to blister. l
Jumped up, and put on my pants, under
coat, over coat and shoes; then unlocked
the door, and found it difficult to get
out into the hall on account of the crowd.
/ gotout rather sideways with the crowd
just in front of Mr. Rochester who had
e trunk on his shoulder, and tried to get
to the trout of the house. All the
while there were cries of women, "Oh
God of Heavens" which I heard until
oppressed by feeling of suffocation, I
lost all sense of sound.-When found
myself in danger of suffocation let fall
mysbaggage and dropped my head to
the floor. This relieved me for the mo-
ment. Many of the crowd had their
trunks on their shoulders, and dropped
them, one after another, from suffoca-
tiop; many fell with them. I could
hear the noise of their falling, the smoke
being too dense to see them. also
heard their gaeps in efforts to breathe.
I reached the window. At my shoulder,
lust then, Mr.. Rochester struck the win
dow to break the glass to get air, but
while doing SO, fell back, and saw him
no more. As Rochester disappeared,
heard running noise in the hall and
turning around recogoized Mr.. Strong.
He jumped over the heads of persons in
front of him, aud went through the win
dow feet foremost, carrying sash and
all with him. Mr. Terrence came 20
my side and walked through the window,
gasping and apparently SO weak he could
scarcely. stand. I followed after him,
and like himself and Mr.. Strong found
myself on the roof of small building on
the plate of the back building. Torrencc
and myself jumped about twelve feet
down to the kitchen roof, which we
gained in safety. I now locked about
this roof for Strong. Not finding him 1
looked down into the back yard, and by
the light of the flame saw him lying on
his back and niotionless. Ilistened but
did not hear him groan and concluded
he was dead. Not word passed be-
tween myself and Terrence until dis
covered Strong. then said, "there
lies Strong and our plan is to jump" 1
again spoke to Terrence saying, I would
jump first Hooked down to see if !
could jump withour striking Strong, who
lay between openings or cellar ways. In
another instant 1 was on the body of Mr..
Strong. All this, from the time of leav-
ing my bed, transpired in about five
minutes. 1 arose to my feet, and Tor
renee then came down, striking where
did.
Seeing Terrence fall down iuto one of
the cellar ways, cried out Watch Y
"Helpl' to two watchman. They heard
me, and came running up. By this time
Torrence succeeded in getting out of
the cellar. then pointed out Strong to
the policemen, telling them there lay o
man dead or dying. When they took
hold of him he emitted the first groan |
had heard from him He exclaimed. "Oh
| kill me kill me- Shoot me !" and ap-
peared to want fresh air. left them
there and walked to Mrs. Green's, hav.
ing met her daghters on the way and
being invited by them to go there when
l told them ofmy escape. About fifteen
minutes afterwards, Strong was brought
there by the police. He was in intense
agony, cried for fresh air continuously,
and repeated his exclamation "kill me,
don't let me suffer, kill me-" Strong
died in about twenty minutes; his skull
and shoulder bone were broken, his nose
half tore off, and his shoulder and sides
burned. BY the time I struck the
ground, think no one was alive IN the
house all were gone. Those who died
inside of the hotet, felt nune of the pain
of burns, assthcy died doubtless of suffo-
cation before the flames reached them.
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