The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-04-16
THE ST. LOUIS FIRE.
THRILLING PERSONAL INCIDENTS AS RELATED
BY A SURVIVOR.

THRILLING PERSONAL INCIDENTS AS RELATED
BY A SURVIVOR
From the ST. Louis Republican, April
Republican, reporter called last evening on Mr..
William ;. Stewart ldf the irm of Derby 4 Day., who
ost bis wife oy the terrible catastrophe which has
eloped our city IN pail OF mourning and misery
We occupied No. 375 on the nfth floor Of
the motel, facing on Fifth street. About half
past one O'Clock my we awoke me with the
street, and we got out Of bed to ascertain the
cause We saw smoke and the lurd glare in the sky,
snc ny wiis Win fearful presensimsns 81 danger,
ae." Immediately opened the door leading INFO the
hall and found II nIled with smoke In the hope Of
reaching the stairs and getting below the smoke,
which was sunocatng, we tried TO find our
way on our kneea Il was impossible. Alter
come, 1 and y bad literally tier to drag her back
into the best could Tho window was
pass out then Suggested that we should dress our
selves, hoping and expecting that rescue would pre-
sent Itself in some ehape from shs outside The heat
admitting large volume OF smoke. Mrs. stewart be-
came suddenly Wild may say frantic Hope seemed
with people. VINO could SEQ us plainly by the
light In the room, but from the sea OF upiurned
faces there suggestion OF escape. ] made a
rope OF bedcothing-three pairs OF blankets, two
sheets and countsrpane-and spliced them together
length 70 reach tho ground anu as my wife sat on the
window SILL tied one end OF this rope TO her waist
s 0 u a as Of So
| believed Was letting her down 10 life
and to stay there and die. The smoke BY
md proceeded in the effort to lower her
to the sidewalk. Hsr last words 10 me were "Let me
down." cried, 'xIood by. my dear, forever" for
never expected TO sue her alive again. believed she
would be saved by the means | had contrved but
expected 10 DC su'ocaed had not Lowered net net
from some cause almost incomprehensible 10
me- sat down stunned, TO wait tor death or
from Tho other side of the street. j went 10
The window People were calling to me to pull up the
rope OF bcdclothes which had thrown out when my
poor vile tell almost out OF my arms, as 1t were did
So aud found rope attached. put on glove TO
prevent iricton, threw my wiies diamonds with hvc
thousand dollars AMI ewelry into the middle OF tho
bed got out VI the window, adjusted my legs sailor
fashion round the rope, and SLID down IN safety TO tho
sidewalk. About hall un hour elapsed between my
wiies failing from he rope and reaching the ground.
found that she hag been taken to.the ST. James and
from there she was removed TO Mrs Davis boarding
house Walnut street, where she died about three
hours aud q hall. she was conscious only for mo-
mcnt to know me, and that about an hour before her
DEATH She showed no signs OF broken limbs, although
tell iull sixty ieeI She died from the horror OF
The shock and internal injuries.
rHE SOUTHERN HOTEL WELL PROVIDED WITH
FIRE APPARATUS DANGEROUS ARRANGEMENT
or THE ELEVATORS AND sTAIRwAYs-NEGLI-
GENcE OF THE wATcHMAN.
TO THE ERROR OF THE HERALD
The burning OF the Southern Hotel In St LOUIS re-
calls 10 the mind Of the very vvidly tho
81 the burning OF the Lindel Hotel in the same city
some ten years since The chief oil the destruc-
tion Of those two magnificent houses is SO garngly
apparent and is mmincntV liable produce equal
moro irghtful results many OF best hotels and
Office buildings throughout the country that feel 1t
q duty to give to tho press the real clew to the
danger, in order that the poscnt power OF
the newspapers may BIO RACED to correct
IN Our m m rican
architecture. The Linde Hotel took fire in the ntn
story, and the flames reached the elevator
shaft the embers commenced dropping down below,
and IN very few minutes the elevator shaft had be-
come roaring nery chimney and had communicated
he hre 10 avery story Of the building But for the
combustbe nature Of the elevator shalt the building
loss. la the Southern Hotel case the IRE conf
menced In the basement and the elevator shalt
appears appears to have principally aided to com
after the Lindell FIRE the Southern was provided
with first class steam fire engine with iron pipes
nccted thereto, and extending up through different
parts OF the building and attached to these
iren pipes IN all OF tie different stories OF the building
ready for immediate THIS apparatus was sudi-
gently powerful to throw several streams OF water
through the ordinary KIND OF tire hose the
ciear over the building as was proven by actual trial.
Probably NO building In tho country better sup
piled with apparatus Tor extnguishing tire, and had
The walchman OF the building properly attended TO his
been very quickly extinguished. There should be in
Ill hotels the system Of regular rounds the
i
manufactures. The Waterman should be required to
parry the time detector in common In iactories
paper face each night and with different Of keys
liked by chains At the different stations he required
70 visit during his watch. The paper rovolves
do the hands OF clock, but rs locked up In the
the watchman cannot touch IL excepting by putting
in one OF the station keys and turning H. This act
drives q needle point through the paper lace
at point the face which Indicates the ex-
act hour and minute that particular punciure
was made. In the morning or at the close OF the
WIN a n res n he lnca pNarf ~
~ what moment every one OF the stations visited
aud thus faithful service Is secured Had the watch
efficiency who doubs but the Are apparatus OF the
house would quickly have extinguished the nre with
construction OF the Southern Hotel was discussed
by party oil gentlemen while examining n
soon alter the L'ndeli nro above alluded to.
and your drawing OF the building published
the morning after tho fire furnishes good
Illustration of II. BY reference to the said cut II VIII
be observed that tho grand stairway ID, leading from
the ufice floor TO the second parlor floor and The
adies entrance sta rway, N, leading from the
TO the paror floor the only stairways leading
up 10 the second story and The passenger elevator
located further toward Fifth street than your cut
representsl was placed almost between them The
Two stairways lending up 10 tho higher stories were
Glso located in singular proximity each other and
thus confined the exits OF the upper par
ticula locality. which was greatly endangered by the
combustiblc nature Of the elevator shalt Laws should
be Immediately enacted requiring all elevator shafts
10 be built oil fire proof materials only Plastcrng
should not he allowed IN them, detective construc
tion may thereby be concealed.
Hotels should DO required 10 provide suitable fire
proof stairways IN different parts oil the building where
the house is oil considerable Size certain amount
door being limited 10 certain amount OF stair
way.
Hotels should be required to keep watchman always
on guard, with sufficiently extended tours OF inspcc-
lion and limited times OF visitation, guarded by u
proper time detector placed beyond the control OF the
Waterman. Respectfully yours, ARCHITECT.
NEW KIND OF FIRE ESCAPE.
TO THE EDITOR HEnALD:--
Your editorials having reference TO tho Brooklyn
Theatre and the ST. Louis southern Hotel fires are
eeming with suggestions to theatre and hotel pro.
prctors advising them TO remodel and i'm prove tho