The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-12-26
STRICKEN RICHMOND.
ANOTHER AWFUL CATASTROPHE
Shocking loss OF Life-."rnins Of the
Spotswood tel-HeartrendinS Scenes
during the Confla aSration-Sarrow Es-
eaD.s-Psrtial List OF the Burned ,nd
MissInS.
RICHMOND. December 20


The sDotswood Hotel and all the block on
which 1t stool, the finest in the city, was burned
besrre day this morning. Tie business houses
burned were 3, ancn Il Currents crockery Store'
Adams Express CoInpanJ's ohiec, ilowe's sewing
machine store, and other smaller stores. The
weather is the coolest known for thirteen years,
and the ground is covere,, with SNOW. The ther.
monleter was five degrees above zero.
A. quartcr.pas5 . O'Clock, rs the porter was
waking the passengers for the Southern train'
the fire was discovered ID the basement. An
effort be,; Immediately made to arouse the
guests, scene OF iadescribablc confusion and
excitement followed. Men rushed wildly about
trying to save their baggage, and women, nall
naked and blrccooted, ran into the snow-covcred
streets.
Engines were promptly on the spot, but the
water being frozen it occasloaed delay. Before
twenty minutes elapsed, the flames pre-
vented escape by the stairaases, aud the guests
Ceu jumping HOlu VIC h3HHo"Si ~-'e
lowering themselves by blankets and ropes
P. II. Clarke, the steward, was fatally Injured
nv leaning from the third story. Mrs. Emily Cor
nelius, the housekeorer with TWO other ladies'
,npearel at {. window in the fifth story: scream.
inr for help, but the flremeu's ladders failed to
roach them BY TWO stories: White he fsemen
were endeavoring to lcnsthcn their ladders the
women disappeared in slle blaze and smoke,
the room Frightening in q few moments later
with the flames.
Tho pef sons known to have been lost up to
noon to-day are the following: Erasmus Ross,
clerk Of the Libby Prison during the war; Mrs
Emily Cornelius, the houseSccper; Samuel W.
Robinson, clerk with Euker Brother; aud Sam
ne, Hines, clerk with &!lhiser & Co.
The register OF the hotel Is destroyed, ana it Is
therefore impossible to say what strangers are
lostA
There are about dozen unclaimed trunks
or parties from New York and other Northern
cities.
Iii noticeable fact that the fire left one build
Ing on the corner, the same that checked the
evacuation coanaGratlon.
A. C. snarer, the State printer, escaped from
tho fourth story by dropping frcm window cor
nice to window cornce, reaching the ground
burnt, but otherwise unhurt.
A correspondent Of the New York Herald also
narrowly ESCAPED. The guests lost all ther cloth
ing. The total loss is three hundred thousand
dollars. The insurance is mostly In Northern
oalces.
LGrER-The following persons, besides those
mentioned before, are known TO be lost: II. A.
Thomas. agent OF the panorama OF the Pilgrims
Progress; w. II. Face, Of DanV!lle, Va, United
States mail agent, and J. B. Farrs, messenger OF
the Southern Express Company.
The spotswood Hotel was valued at $4,000,
and was Insured for $4,000. Suble, Houck d
Co had SEQ, ,ooo insurance on the furniture, and
$1,000 on the wines and carpets.
All the gools ready for delivery in the South
ern Express Office were burned
Aman was seen at an upper window apparently
paralyzed by ear tearing paper into small pieces,
which he threw into the streets until he fell back
into the flames.
Among the narrow escapes were those Of NJ
Maille, OF New York, the engineer OF the James
River distractions; S. A. Pearce, OF Columbia, s.
O., the private secretary OF Senator Sprsgue; Mrs.
Magill, the proprietress Of the theatre; and R. II
stoweu, member Of Congress. The DeLave Troupe
lost their baggage.
The hotel reg ster has been found. and only
six strangers are unaccountsl for. The name Of
the housekeeper burned was Mrs. Kennearly
The follc wing are the names OF missing strangers:
J.F. Wiicor, OF Lynchburg; Nathan Bernstein, Of
Washington; a. Leil, of Tampa, Florida; E.
George and E. H. Andrews, Of Syracuse, n. T.;
Eenry Kratte, Of New York, and iohn Il. Hal.
man, Jr, OF Jackson, Tennessee.