The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-04-20
TERRIBLE HOLOCAUST.
DETAILS OF A FEARFUL CoNFLAGRI

ST.. Louis, April 11.-The Southern
Hotel was burned at o'clock this morning.
| Appalling loss of life, which was at first
supposed to be 200, but is now reduced to
90 Many were killed jumping from the
third, fourth and fifth story windows Kate
Claxton, the actress, who SO narrowly es.
capped from the Brooklyn horror, brokeboth
legs jumping from the third story. The
fire originated In the upper stories The
windows in the upper stories were crowded
with shricking men. and women, whom it
seemed impossible to save. A few were
rescued by ladders placed on Fourth street
portico, but on the other three sides of the
Ei. au DouiluGo ~ r11s1s " al4as sa5 aas
Of reaching the windows, Mr.. Peter Bows
son of the former Minister to Brazil, was
sleeping in his room on the sixth floor, and
succeeded, after strenuous excrtions, in es-
Gaping with his life and broken arm
The building was six stories in height, and
Mr.. Blow thinks that the majority of in
mates of the two upper stories of the build
ing must have perishcd. Two men uure-
cogniye6 were killed by jumpin. from the
third story windows, and third one was
badly manglcd. Five women were rescued
from the sixth story on the Fourth street
side by the heroic efforts Of firemen, who,
after ascending the patent ladders, succeed
ed in getting rope to tho half suffocated
creatures
1t is supposed from forty to fifty were
burned to death directly, or first sutfocatcd.
The fire originated in the store room in the
basement. IL first came through the ground
floor, north of the office, assembled the
elevators and rotunda and spread over the
sixth story, occupied by employees, mostly
women. The smoke was so dense in some
of the halls that the gas jets were extin-
guished, which rendered egrees, even to
those most familiar with the building,
matter of great difficulty. The density OF
the smoke in the halls drove many guests
and bcarders back In their rooms, ind they,
rushed to windows as means of sscape.-!;;
Ladders were raised as soon as possible, aud
the women and children, with nothing but
their n ght clothes on, were thus taken from
the burning building. Some fainted from
fright, and others sank exhausted to the
ground from nervous prostrojof The lad
ders generally were too short TO reach to the
fifth and sixth stories, but by hosting 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 were
rescued. The Skinner fire sscsnst s942t= WIS V also
1HS Esaving many lives. While this
(sWaEk was going on, some frightful scenes
koctirred. Ono man who had been occupy
ing window on Walnut street, in front-of
1.-THE hotel, becoming desperate at seeing the
delay in affecting his escape, with nervous
j hands he tors ssbss1B from his bed into
STRIPS, tied them together fastening this i'm
proyised rope to the window sill, and disre-
garding the fact that it did not reach more
than twenty feet, he let himself down hand
over hand. Those below, who saw his po-
sition, turned away their faces to avoid wit
Messing the sickening event that was ihey-
table. Finally he reached the end of the
rope, and then, for tho first time, he seemed
to realize his position. He stopped, threw
his head back, revealing a gastly face, and
swung slowly to and fro, swayed by the
breeze which the roaring flames above ere.
ated His limbs swung around convulsive-
ly, as though to catch upon something then
he let go, and groans went up from hun
dreds us he whirled round and round and
finally struck on the stone tagging with 4
sickening thud. He was carried to saloon
across the street and died in few minutes
Two other men jumped from the fourth sto
1 ry window-one OF whom seemed not to bt
dangerously hurt.
LATER.-The fro engines are still play
. ing on the fire. a A force has been organ
, lied to search for the dead bodies, and scve
, raj bodies have been taken from the ruins
in more or less burned condition, but hav,
a no; yet been identified. Also, several dea(
bodies are at the morgue awaiting identifi
by jumping from window. Georg'
0 Frank Goudy, Grand Secretary Of the Crane
Lodge Of Free Masons Of Missouri, is sup
, posedt to have perishcd. Six persons, who's
, names are unknown, were killed, either b.
;. Jumping from the windows or were suffoca
!, ted by smoke, and dragged out of the burn
4 ing building. 1t is difficulf to procure tn
e names of the dead, but it is hoped com
n pleto, or. nearly complete, list will be obtain
!. | ed this afternoon. Sidmore Hayden, super
3 intendcnt of the American Express stable.
is among the Iilled also Henry Hazer
d deputy auditor of the Missouri Pacific Raj
G Company. An Englishman named Adam:
d said to be commissioner of education, wa
"a identified at the morgue.
v "A woman at fifth story window o
It Fifth street front became panic stricken
n jumped out, alightcd on her feet, was Cal
le ried to st. James Hotel, and is still alive
Her husband, who had been standing b
. her side, then descended by rope made c
81 bedding. A man named j. Il. Wilso
70 jumped from fourth story window an
le was killed. Andrew. Enaman and Mr.