The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-04-18
Terrible Holocaust.
DETAILS OF A FEARFUL CON-
FLAGRATION.
Telegram to the Register.

DETAILS OF A UL CON-
FLAGRATION.
Telegram to the Register.
ST. LOUIS, April II.
The Southern Hotel was burned at 2
o'clock this morning. Appalling loss of
life, which was at first supposed to be 200,
but is now reduced to sc. many were
killed jumping from the third. fourth and
fifth story windows. Kate ClaXtOn, the
actress. who so narrowly escaped from
the Brooklyn horror, broke both legs
jumping from the third story. The fire
originated in the upper, stories. The
windows in the upper stories were crowd
ed with shricking men and women, whom
it seemed impossible to save. A few
were rescued by ladders placed on the
Fourth street pOrticO, but on the other
three sides Of the building, bounded by
Fifth, Walnut and Elm streets. the long
est ladders fell far short OF reaching the
windows Mr.. Peter Blow, son Of the
former Minister to Brazil, was sleeping
in his room on the sixth floor, and sue
ceeded, after strenuous eNertions, in Cs-
Gaping with his life and a broken arm.
The building WAS six storios III height,
and Mr.. Blow thinks that the majority of
the inmates Of the two upper stories OF
the building must have persisted. Two
men unrccOgnized were killed by jump
ing from tho third story windows, and Il
third one was badly mangled. Five wo-
men were rescued from the sixth story
on the Fourth street side by the heroic ef-
forts of firemen, who, alter ascending the
patent ladders, succeeded in getting a rope
to the half sullocatcd creatures. The
fire originated in the store rooms
1t is supposed from forty to fifty were
burned to death directly, or first sutfOca-
ted. The fire originated in the store
room in tho basement. 1t first came
through the ground floor, north of the
office, had assembled the elevators and TO-
tunda and spread over the sixth story,
occupied by employees, mostly women.
The smoke was so dense in some OF the
halls that the gas jotS were extlnguishod,
which rendered cgreSs, even to those
most familiar with the building. a matter
of great difficulty. The density Of the
smoke in the halls drove many guests
and boarders back in their rooms, and
thew rushed to windows rs a means OF
escape. Ladders were raised as soon rs
possible, and the women and children,
with nothing but their night clothes on,
were thus taken from the burning build
inr. Some tainted from fright, and others
sank cxhaustcdtothc ground from nervous
prostration. The ladders generally were
too short to reach to the fifth and sixth
stories, but by hosting some on the one
story balcony on tho east side and the
two-storv balcony on the north ! q OF
the buildi lg, these floors were reached,
and all those at tho windows were res
cued. The Skinner fire escape was also
brought promptly into service, and was
4, ---.. - 80, ~ l5HynS tthItn
this work was going on, some friShttu!
scenes occurred. One man, who had
been occupying a window on Walnut
street. in front of the hotel, becoming
desperate at s.eing tho delay in etfecting
his ESCAPE, with nervous hands he tore
sheets from his bod into strips, tied them
together, fastening this improvised rope
to the window sill, and disregarding the
fact that it did not reach more than TWEEN
ty feet, he let himself down hand over
hand. Those below, who saw his posi-
ton. turned away their faces to avoid
witnessing the sickening event that was
inevitable. Finally he reached the end OF
the ropc, and then, for the first time he
seemed to realize his position. He stop
bed. threw his head back, revealing a
chastity face, and swung slowly to and fro,
swavcd by the brceze which the roaring
flames above created. His limbs swung
around convulsively, as though to catch
upon something; then he lot go, and
groans went up from hundreds as nc
whirled round and round and finally
struck on the stone tagging with a sick
ening thud. lIe was carried to q saloon
across the street and died IN n few min
utcs. Two other men jumped from the
fourth story window-one OF whom
seemed not to be dangerously hurt. 80,
LATER.-The fire engines are still
playing on tho fire. A force has been or.
ranizcd to search for the dead bodies, and
several bodies .have already been taken
from the ylins in q more or less burned
ed condition, but have not yet been idcn-
tilted. Also, several dead bodies are al
the morgue awaiting identification. Mrs
Moran, a servant, was killed While Jump
ing from a window. George Frank
Gouldy,' Grand Secretary Of the Crane
Lodge of Free Masons of Missouri, is
supposed to have persisted. Six persons
whose names are unknown, were killed
either by jumping from the windows OF
were ~suffOcatcd by smoke, and dragged
out of the burning building. 1t is diff
cult to procure the names Of the dead, but
it is hoped a complete, or nearly com
plete, list will be obtained this afternoon
Sidmore Hayden, superintendent OF tht
American Express stables, is among the
killed; also Horny Hazen, deputy audit
or Of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Com
pany. An Englishman named Adams,
said to be a commissioner OF education,
was identified at the morgue.
a woman at a fifth story window on
Filth street became panic stricken, Jump:
| ed out, alighted OH her feet, was carried
to st. James Hotel, and is still alive
Her husband, who had been standing by
her side, then decended by a rope made OF
bedding. A man named j. +. Wilson
Jumped from a fourth story window and
was killed. Andrew Ensinan and Mrs.
tScott met their deaths same way. Tho
mortality among the female help of the
hotel was great. There were 200 of them,
all of whom were lodged in the upper
story Of the building. The panic among
them was perfectly terrible. A number
jumped from the upper window on Eli
street, on the rear side of the house
Katc ClaXon, the actress had another es'
cape but was uniniurcd. Among the
known saved was H. Kretz, of Texas
DR.. Gorlact, the German Consul, jumped
from a window and broke a leg. His
wife was unhurt. Charles Teenan los
his life while attempting to q v others
Philip Gerald, a boarder ut the hotel, was
brought out alive, but entirely bereft O
reason. At a quarter-past g, or about
half an hour after the fire was discovered
the entire roof was ablaze, and the flames
were rapidly descending to the lower
stories. A half hour later the floors anC
interior walls began to fall. The roof tel
in. There is now nothing left of one O.
the finest hotels in tho country, except
tho Walnut street front and parts O
/ Fourth and Fifth street faces.
Thc MunicinaEfx Af EdUnGcLl undnr