The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1877-04-14
FIRE FIEND.
Burning of the Southern Hotel
at ST. Louis.
Appalling Scenes -Frightful Loss
of Life An Immense Pro-
perry Destroyed.
Latest Reports Places the Number Of Lives
Lost at Fifsy-kate claxtOn Again
Narrowly Escapes Cremation
The Building Total Wreck.

ST. Louis, April 1.-THE Southern
III tel burned at o'clock this norm
ing, causing an appalling loss OF life,
at first supposed to be two hundred,
but now the number is reduced 20
nifty.
Many persons were killed by Jump
iDg from the third aud fourth siorIes.
Kate Claxton, the actress who So mar
rowly escaped from the Brooklyn huT-
ror, broke both her legs jumping nom
the third story. The fire originated ina
the lower stories.
The windows of the upper stories
were crowded with shrieking men and
women whom it seemed impossible to
save. \ few were rescued by ladders
placed on abe Fourth street portico.
out on the other three sides Of the
building, bounded by Fifth, Walnut
and Elm streets, the Longest ladders
fell far short OF reaching the windows
Dir. Peter Blow, son of the former
minister to Brazil was sleeping Ia his
room on the sixth floor, and succeeded,
after strenuous exertions, in escaping
with his life and a broken arm.
The building WAS six stories high,
and Mr. Blow thinks the majority OF
inmates OF the two upper stories must
have persisted. Two men, unrecog-
nized, were killed by jumping from u
third story window, aud n third one
was badly mang!ed. Five women were
rescued from the sixth story on the
Fourth street side by the heroic efforts
of the firemen, who, ascending the
patent ladders, succeeded in getting a
rope to the half sufiocated creatures.
IL is supposed forty or fifty persons
were burned TO death directly or first
suiiocated. The fire originated ia The
the store room in the basement, aud
first came through the floor north OF
the Office, and ia ten minutes had rs
ce-ded tue elevators aud rotunda and
spread over the sixth story, occupied
hy employees, mostly women. The
smoke was SO dense in some Of the
balls that gas jets were extIugli.hed.
hich Rendered ingress, even To these
most familiar with the building. a
matter of great difficulty. The density
of the smoke in the halls drove many
back Into their rooms and the rushed
to the windows AS a means OF escape.
Ladders were raised as soon as pos.
sibie, and women and children with
nothing but night clothes on were
thus taken from the building. Some
tainted from fright; Others sank tx.
hsusted TO the ground from neryou:
prostration. The ladders were toe
short to reach the fifth and sixth
stories, but by hosting some of them
Oh the one story balcony on the east
side and the two story balcony on tn,
north si.ie of the building, these floor,
were reached aud all those at the win
dows rescued. The Skinner fire es
cape was also brought promptly int,
| service, aud was the means of SAVING
many lives.
While this work was going on som,
| frightful scenes occurred. One mar
who had been occupying window or
! the Walnut street front of the hotel
| became desperate at seeing delay IL
affecting his escape. With nervou.
hands he tore the sheets from his be,
into strips, tied them together, ans
fastening this improvised rope TO tn,
window sill, and disregarding the fac
that it did not reach more than TWEEN
| ty feet, he let himself down hand oyei
| hand.
Men below who saw his position
turned away their faces To avoid tn.
| sickening event that was inevitable
| Finally he reached the end of the rope
and then for the first time he SCENE,
To realize his position. He stopped
threw his head back, revealing
| CHASTITY face and swinging slowly [,
and fro, swayed by tho breeze which
roaring flames above created. Hi
/ limbs swung around convuIsively q
| though To catch upon something, ther
| he let go and groans v ent up from
/ hundreds as he whirled round ans
round and finally struck on the ston,
| tagging with sickeniDg thud. Ii,
WAS carried To saloon across the stree
and died III few minutes. Two othe
men jumped from the fourth -tor,
windows, one of whom seemed to no
| be dangerously hurt.
The lire engines are still playing OF
the fire. A corps has been organize,
to search for the dead, and severa
bodies have he. n taken from the ruins
10 more or less burned condition
but none of the bodies have yet beer
identified. There are also severa
bodies at the morgue awaiting identi
| fieation.
Mrs. Moran, servant, was kille,
by jumping from q window. Georg,
Frank Gouly, grand secretary
of the Grand Lodge OF Ere,
Mssops OF Missouri, IL suppose,
to have persisted. Six person
whose names are unknown, were kiIie,
either by jumping from the window
or suffocaied by the smoke, aud wer,
dragged on, of the burning building
Sidmore Hayden, superintendent O
| the American express stables. IL anon,
the killed; also, Henry Sozen, deput,
auditor of the Missouri Pacific railroad
An Engiishman, named Adams, sai,
to be commissioner Of education, hal
been identified at the morgue.
| A Somsn at n fifth story window
| on Fifth street front, became paui,
stricken, jumped and alighted on ne
| feet. She was carried to the 81. Jane
hotel, still alive. Her husband VIII,
had been standing 10y her side. thel
| tore up the bedding, let the strips =,
made out of the window To this tn,
! firemen attached rope which was haul
ed up, and making fast 10 window
sill, descended by IL. A man name,
j. l.. Wilson, jumped from the fourth
| story window and WAS killed. All
| drew EuglIshmsn aud Mrs Suits the
deaths the same way. A number
jumped from the upper window Oh
Elm street. on the rear side Of III,
house.
Kate Ciaxton, the actress, had a mar
rev escape. hut was uninjured. Anon.
those known to be saved, is Ill. kritz
OF Texas DIR. Gerlast, German consul
jumped from a window and brok,
his leg. His wife IL unburt- CharIes
Teenan lost his life attemptiuy Il