The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1877-04-20
Az AwFrL WILDERNESS.

n W
The fire spread rapidly, filling every
room aud hall with flames and smoke,
and the scene was of most terrible
description. Frantic men, women and
children ran through the ball, shrek
ing in the most heart rebding manner,
in their wild and desperate efforts to
escape. The smoke was SO dense IN
some of the halls that the gas jets were
extinguished, which rendered egress
even to those most familiar with the
building a matter of great difficulty.
RESCUED THROUGH THR WINDOWS
The Fire Department was on the
spot promptly, and hundreds OF people
congregated at the scene, ready and
willing to render any aid necessary.
The density of the smoke in the halls
drove many guests and boarders back
into their rooms, and they rushed to
the windows as a means OF escape.
Ladders were raised as soon as possible,
and women and children with nothing
but night clothes on, were thus taken
from the burning building. Some
tainted from fright, and others sunk
exhausted to the ground from nervous
prostration. The ladders generally
were too short to reach the fifth and
sixth stories, but by hoisting some OF
them on the one story balcony on the
east side. and the two story balcony
on the north side of the building, these
floors were reached, and all those at
the windows rescued. The Skinner
fire escape was also brought promptly
into service, ard was the means OF
saving many lives.
AN AWFUL SITUATION.
While this work was going on some
| friphtful scenes occurred One man,
who had been occupying window on
the Walnut street front of the hotel,
became desperate at the seeming delay
in effecting his escape. With nervous
hands he tore the sheets from his bed
into strips, and tied them together.
Fastening this irnprovised rope to the
window sill, and disregarding the fact
that it did not reach more than twenty
feet he let himself down hand over
hand. The men below who saw his
4 position turned away their heads to
avoid witnessing the sickening event
that was Inevitable. Finally lie reached
the end of the sheet, and then for the
first time he seemed to realize his po-
sition. He stopped, threw his head
back, revealing a CHASTITY face, and
swung slowly TO and fro, swayed by
the breeze which the roaring flames
above created. His limbs swung
around convulsively, as though to
catch upon something. Then he let
20, and groans went up from hundreds
as he whirled round and round, and
finally struck on the stone tagging
with a sickening thug. He was carried
to a saloon across the street, and died
in a few moments.
FATAL JUMPS.
Two ether meu jumped from the
fourth story windows, one of whom
seemed not to be dangerously hurt,
while the other expired in a few mo
mems. a woman in a fifth story win
dow. on the Fifth street front, became
panic stricken and jumped out. She
aliebted en- her feet and was carried to
the st. James Hotel, still alive. Her
husband, who had been standing by
/, her side. then tore up bedding and let
the strip so made out of the window.
To this the fremen attached rope,
which the man hauled up. Making il
fast TO the window sill he descended by
in. A Aman named J. E. Wilson Jumped
from a fourth story window and was
killed. Andrew Eusman and Mrs.
Scott me; their death in the same way
, THE FEMALE HELP.
Tie mortality among the female
, help of the hotel is feared 10 be great
, There we're some two hundred of them,
all of whom were lodged in the upper
story Of the building. The panic
among them was perfectly terrible,
and a number of them jumped from
the upper windows on the elm street
| or rear side of the house. Among those
known to have been killed in this man
per were Bridget Mead, Mary Carey
Bridget White, Ellen Reilly and sew
-ral others who we're carried away by
:! friends, and .shose names have not yet
been ascertsined.
LIFE AND REASON LOST.
I Charles Teenan lost his life in at
tempting to save Others. Philip Ger
aid, boarder at the hotel, wal
, brought out alive, but entirely beref
q of reason.
RAPID DESTRUCTION
d At a quarter past two, or about hal
= an hour after the fire was discovered
a the entire ROOT was ablaze, and tn,
o flames were rapidly descending to tn,
e lower stories. Half an hour later tn,
O floors and interior walls began to fall
o The roof fell in and there is now moth
]. ing left of one o. the finest hotels il
q the country, except the Walnut stree
n front and parts of the Fourth and Fiftl
|. streets faces. The loss on the buildip
!. and contents will be from $3.50, 900 +
e 100000
It SEARCHING FOR THE DEAD.
a. The engines are still playing on tn
Y, fire and "a force has haap ar0ani1od 4