The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-12-29
Fire at Richmond. Va-Hotel DESTROYED
Loss of LiHaa

| GAro ~ nlcnHnond, N9-HOte1 Destroyed
Loss Of Lives.
"A dispatch from Richmond, Va,
Of the 18th, gives the following par
ticulars of a most disastrous fire
which occurred there on the morning
of that day:
This morning, just as the porter
had commenced waking passengers
tor the Southern train, the Spotts-
wood Hotel was discovered on fire on
the lower floor. An effort was i'm
mediately made to awake the guests.
and the scene became indescribable.
Men were rushing about trying to
save their baggage, and women near
~ naked and barefooted fleeing into
snow covered streets. The steam en-
glnes were promptly at hand, but the
water being frozen it was some time
before water could be thrown Oh the
building. In twenty minutes the
flames had spread to such an extent
that escape by the stair case had been
cut on. The guests then commenced
leaplng from the windows. P. p.
Clarke, of Philadelphia, and the stew
ard OF the hotel, leaped from the third
story, receiving fatal injuries. The
most fearful scene of the disaster was
the appearance of Mrs. Emily Corne-
llus, of Baltimore, the housekeeper. |
at window in the fifth story, with |
one or two other ladies, screaming for |
help. The fire companies' ladders
We're put up, but failed by two sfo-
raes !. to reach the window. While the
nremen were endeaVoring to lengthen
tne ladders the crying women disap-
peared IN the thick smoke, and were
lost; the room Frightening up mo-
ment after with flames. Up to noon
to-day the only burned whose names
are known are Erasmus Ross, clerk of
me Libby Prison during the war:
Mrs. y Emily Cornelius, housekeeper:
samuel W. Robinson, clerk with En-,
1er e Bro, and Samuel Hines, CLERK
With MilEeser & Co.
The register of the hotel was con.
'umed, and it is impossible to give
he names of strangers who NAV be
ost. Several are believed to have
,erished, as there are about a dozen
Unclaimed trunks of persons from
New York and northen cities. The
weather. was so cold that the telegraph
Yires in front of the burning building
we're covered with ice, and the fire
teamers were encased in ice an inch !
hick. ]
Among the remarkable escapes was
hat of Z. Shelter, attached to the Of =.
ice of state printer, who was in the
oufth story, and escaped by drop- .
ing from window cornice to window
ornice till he reached the ground.
lie was badly burned, however. The
orrespondent of the New York Her.
!, ia also nad very narrow escape.
ne guests lost all of their clothing
nd ladies had to walk barefoot over t
1e snow. The totol loss is $500. 900. :
he insurance is mostly by Northern =
ompanies. The business houses that .
ere destroyed are: Boorch 6 Char a
nts crockery store, Adams Express n
ompany,s offices, and other small a
ores. The following are additional :,
ames of persons who are known to II
burned to death in the Spottswood "
otel: ID. A. Thomas, agent pano- S,
ma Pligrims Progress; w. III. Pace. q,
awhile, Va, q. s. Mail agent. and =,
b. Farres. messenger Southern Ex- ~
'ess Company. The Spottswood IL
otel was valued at $4,000, and in
Ired IN Northern companies for $780,
Y, Messrs. Subtell, Luck & Co. nro- 9,
'ietors. The Spottswood had their % %
rniture insured for $2OOOO. and o.
ines and carpets for $1,000 iu tbe h'
orth British Company |; all the goods re
ady for delivery by the Soufbern n,
xpress Company were DESTROYED. =.
le money safes are buried in tbe III
ms. An incident of the fire was ct
e appearance of man at one of tbe
per windows, who sat tearing ma pc
T into small pieces and throwing ne
em out of the window till he feil tr,
OK. Among those who had very tic
rrow escapes were M. Maiileefert, ca
new 1ork, engineer of the James an
yer opstructlons; s. A. Pearce, Col ch
lola, >. T., private secretary of to
nator Sprague, and Mrs. E. MagiIl, he
tne proprletor's theater. The De- wi
We troupe lose their baggage. The tn,
TEL register was found tonight, and to
SIX strangers are missing. 1t is ta1
'babie that some of the citizens re,
re taken some to their houses. wi
name OF the housekeeper burned of
MRS. kennearly. The following dol
tne names of the missing stran. z
s: j.. II. Wilcox, Lynchburg: n. 49,
mstein, Washington; A. Ieil, an' a
npa, Florida; George and E. H. Tor
dreWs, Syracuse, N. Y: G. sho
tile, New York, and John H. Hol- nils
4, jackson, Tennessee. r. r.
IcHMoND, Dec. 26.-John Fl. Hol- ~,
!, of Jackson, Tennessee, is now et eii'
Wn to have been burned at the Mt.
tswood Hotel, making the eighth -
i'm. Nathan Brinesteen, of Wash
on, has turned up this morning.
cox, of Lynchburg, and VadeH of Blu
sterfield, reported missing. have wbe
led up safe. This leaves several Rye.
missing, of whose safety there is 60ST9 0at9
ltLtle nope. Bari
essrs. George and E. Andrews of PlSa Po3a
'cuse, New York, and Mr.. Shure. Whit
and child reported missing, are Gree
o"Ao' Rags
Hay
Terrible Steamboat Disaster, BUTT
SDeciaI dacnotcb fo A.. O. EggS