Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1877-04-17
ANOTHER APPALLING DISASTER.

just thoroughly equipped anew, was destroyed
By FIRE abou. 2 o'clock ON Wednesday morn
ing, and horrible to relate, between 5O and
900 persons were burned up in the ruins or
crushed to death or MANNED in attempting to
escape The fire originated in the store room,
and before the guests could be aroused from
their slumbers the flames had reached the
sixth story. and the whole interior mass was
on FIRE, rendering escape impossible to many
except through the street windows. The ire
apparatus, ladder and life saving contrisances
were promptly Oh hand, and many valuable
lives were thus rescued from inevitable death,
though SO great was the number imperiled
that, with the ladders TOO short to reach the
fifth and sixth stories, tho people below had
to look upon their fellow-beings fainting and
begging for help, and falling and burning
without possibility of rescue. The horror of
the spectacle surpassed all powers of descrip-
ton Frantic men, women and children ran
through the halls shricking in the most heart
rending manner in their wild and desperate
efforts to escape. The smoke was so dense
in some of the halls that the gas jets were
extiuguished, which rendered egress, even
to those most familiar with the building,
matter of great difficulty.
Men. a, choice between the manner of
their Deaths jumped from the fifth and sixth
story windows to be crushed TO death. and
one of the victims making rope ladder Of
che torn sheets, not more than twenty feet
long. Let himself down to the end of it. Men
below, who saw his position, turned away
their faces 60 avoid witnessing the sickening
event that was inevitable. Finally he reached
the end of the rope, and then, for the first
time, he seemed to realize his position. He
stopped. threw his head back, revealing
CHASTITY face aud swung slowly to and fro.
suayed by the breeze which the roaring
around conyulsively, as though to catch upon
something. then he let 60, and groans went
up from hundreds as he whirled round and
round and finally struck on the stone Gag.
sing with n sickeuing thud. He ives carried
70 q saloon across the street and died in few
moments.
A panic stricken lady jumped from the
filth story, and was carried into saloon still
alive Her husband was afterwards rescued.
Kate Claxton, whose escape from the great
Brook Theatre cUnhsgration Was almost
miraculous, was 10 this also. and was again
almost miraculously saved urinjured. son
OF Henry T. Blow, late Minister to Brazil,
was in the sixth story and escaped with both
legs broken. The panic among the servants
OF the Hotel was frightful ard many of them
were lost. The pecuniary destruction is put
down at from $3.50, 900 to 81 100000. The
building was owned by Judge Campbell, and
insured FOR S430 COO.
Special dispatches to the New York pa
pers furnish some additional particulars of
the thrilling scenes attending the FIRE.
TIE ESCAPE or MISS KATE CLAYTON,
the actress, was a very narrow one. She oc-
eupied a room on the third floor. She was
awakened from a sound sleep by loud cry
of fire" from the hall. Jumping out of
bed, she CROPPED her way to the door and
opened it to fad the place was dense with
smoke and that immediate action was neces>
sary. Slipping into the scantlest of gar
nents, she threw up one of the windows to
ascertain the chance of escaping by that
route, and finding it was decidedly slender,
she concluded her only hope of escape lay
BY the hallway. People were screaming and
hurrying past her door, and she determined
IN an instant to cast her lot with them.
There were no lights, and what was done had
to be done in darkness. Entering the hall,
she hurried in the direction of the stairway,
and before proceeding far, was materially
assisted by a gentleman, who seized hold of
her arm and pushed Der along. With
proper appreciation of the need for haste,
when she came to the stairway she fell down
and rolled for some distance after getting to
the bottom, but, not being badly hurt, was
able to pick herself up expeditiously and
make her escape.
MR. HAYDEN's HORRIBLE DEATH.
Mr. Sidmore Hayden, superintendent of
of the American Express. met horrible
death. He occupied a the fifth
f1or. Immediately over the second balcony
ON Walnut street Being awakened from a
sound sleep by the cry Of fire he rushed to
the window and shouted for assistance A
ladder was soon brought out and stood up
with the foot resting on the balcony and the
top reaching to the window of his room. He
got ont on to the ladder. but he had scarcely
got footing on the top rune whom the lad>
der slipped and he preci7itsted head FIRST
on to the ground. His head was split open
and death was instantaneous.
A BRAVE GIRL.
At one point, after much delay, ladder
was put up with view of rescuing the occu>
pants of the fifth and sixth stories, but it was
found far too short for the work. A couple
of fremen assembled the ladder with a rope,
which was caught and secured to an iron pill
lar in the fifth story. Soon white form was
seen fitting down tho side of the house.