The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-04-19
HOLOCAUST AT ST. LOUIS.
Destruction of the Southern Hotel.

fires that have afflicted us Tor the past
twenty years. Shortly after L O'Clock
fire was discovered in the upper story of
the Southern Hotel, near the Walnut
Street front, and in the space of three
hours the magnificent structure was re-
duced to a mass of smoking ruins, A
Journal reporter arrived upon the scene
shortly after the first alarm sounded,
and found heavy volume of smoke IS
suing from the roof and small blaze
near the cornice of the Walnut Street
front. The fire had evidently been
smoldering for a long time, as the whole
upper portion of the building appeared
to be filed with a dense, sufocating
smoke. The scene at the Walnut Street
front was fearful one indeed. In
nearly all of the windows were men and
women partially dressed, who had been
suddenly aroused from their beds by the
fearful cry of fire, and finding the halls
filed with smoke, had rushed to the
windows as their only means
of escape from a horrible
death. Those in the fourth and fifth
stories were screaming frantically for
help, while the smoke rolled in dense
clouds around them, and the roar and
hiss Of the greedy flames could be dis
tinctly heard above the hustle and tur-
MOL in the street below. The Fire De-
partment was rather slow in arriving at
the fire, and it was found that the lad
ders would not reach above the fourth
story. A Skinner fire escape was run
up on Walnut Street in front of the main
entrance to the hotel before the fire had
obtained any Roadway, but there seemed
to be some difficulty in getting it into
position, and delay was caused which
undoubtedly resulted in the loss of many
lives. In the meanwhile the helpless
creatures in the windows were scream
ing wildly for help, and the crowd below
was loud in its denunciations of the
seemingly careless conduct of the De
partment. A number tied their bed
clothes together, forming short ropes
which reached barely to the third story,
and upon which they were afraid to ven
ture. Two men, who were nearly suffo
Gated, leaped from window in the fifth
story to the second balcony over the mair
entrance, and escaped with a few
bruises. They were taken off shortly
afterwards by several fremen. The
windows of the Fourth Street side were
also filed with the inmates, number
of whom leaped to the sidewalk, anC
two of whom were instantly killed. A
the windows of the Fifth Street front f;
number of ladies were screaming wildly
and seemed terribly stricken at tn,
slight hope offered them for escape. A
number of these were rescued by ladders
and others were suffocated and perisheC
in the flames. At the Fifth Street en-
trance about fifty boarders made thei
escape, nearly all in their night clothes
Only one escape was seen from tn
southern portion of the Fifth Stree
wing. A large man with heavy blacl
beard and black curly hair, attempte,
to let himself out of one of the sixtl
story windows in this portion of tn
building by rope made of sheets, whel
his frail support parted and he was pre-
cipitated to the roof of the low franz
building beneath, killing him almost in
stantly. In the southern portion of tn
Fourth Street wing were the rooms oC
cupied by the servants, "a number of whom
gathered in the sixth story, .screamin:
frantically for assistance, and re
manned there until nearly the whole o
the Walnut Street front was burned
when they were rescued by a number Q
policemen.
A man named Redmond Ryan wa
passing up Fourth Street, soon after tn
{ fire broke out, when a man leaped fror
, the fourth story close to Ryan, VIII
picked him up and inquired his name
which he gave as J. E.. Wilson, and fe
back dead. A woman named Mortime
also leaped from the fourth story, o
Fourth Street, striking on the railing G
the balcony, and fell to the sidewal
dead. An unknown man stepped froI
; a third story window upon a ladder, an
/, in his terror leaped from the ladder {
the street, breaking both legs. Mis-
frankie Mcclellan, of the Olympi
, Company, in endeavoring to make he
, escape from the building through tn
fire and smoke, was severely burned
and fell down flight of stairs, sustainin
; serious internal injuries, and cutting he
face badly. She was found by jon
nal reporter wandering about the stree
partially insane, with blood flowing froi
a CHASTITY wound in her head, and cal
r ing loudly for help. With the assistanc
of Mr.. Chas. Plunkett, she was remove
to the ladies' parlor of the st. jaime
Hotel, where she was made as confor
able as circumstances would allow
, The scene at the st. James was sa
| one indeed. On the floor of the offic
T lay the bodies of two unrecognized dea
men, while chairs were filled with thos
who had escaped with their lives, br
, were badly bruised and cut. The wount
ed were cared for by men who kindl
t volunteered, and the proprietors of tn
, st. James were untiring in their effort
: to render all the assistance possible A
the hour of going to press it is imposs
BILE to learn the number of guests of til
Southern last night, but those who al
evidently informed as to the probabl
number estimate the number who hay
| persisted at not less than $50. At thi
moment, $50, the building is sti1l burr
ing, and the whole eastern portion ha
fallen in. The dead, as far as has bee
ascertained, are j. Z. Wilson, Mrs
Mortimer and six unrecognize
men. Among the injured are Pete
/ RIo.v ,.ipbt arm, b,.alan. Mr. w :