The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-04-12
THE ST. LOUIS HORROR.
Burning of the Southern Hotel
Over Fifty Perso Killed or Burned to
Death.
Frightened Women Jump from the Fifth
Story and are Dashed to Pieces.

ST. LOUIS, April IL. = The Southern
Hotel burned at O'Clock this morning,
causing appalling loss of life, which
was at first supposed to be two hundred,
but now reduced to fifty. Many per-
sons were killed by jumping from the
third, fourth and fifth story windows.
Kate Claxton, the actress, who so mar
rowly escaped from the Brooklyn hor-
ror, broke both legs in jumping from
the third story.
The windows in the upper stories
were crowded with shrieking men and
women, whom it seemed impossible TO
save. A few were rescued by ladders
placed on the Fourth street portico, but
In the other three sides OF the building,
bounded by Fifth, Walnut and Elm
streets, the longest ladders fell far
short of reaching the windows. Mr..
Peter Blow, q son OF the former minis
ter of Brazil, was sleeping in his room
on the sixth floor and succeeded, after
strenuous eXertions, In escaping With
his life and broken arm.
The building was six stories in height
and Mr.. Blow thinks that the majority
Of the inmates Of the two upper stories
of the building must have perished.
Two men. unrecognized, were killed by
jumping from the third story window
and a third one was badly mangled.
Five women were rescued from the
sixth story on the Fourth street side
by the heroic efforts of the firemen,
who, after ascending the patent ladders,
succeeded in getting a rope to the hall
suffocated creatures.
The fire is said to have originated in
the store room.
It is supposed forty to fifty persons
burned to death directly or were first
suffocated, The fire originated in the
store room, in the basement; it first
came through the ground floor, north
Of the edifice, and in ten minutes had
ascended the elevators and rotunda,
and spread over the sixth story, occu-
pied by employees, mostly women.
The smoke was so dense in some OF
the halls that the gas jets were extin-
guished, which rendered egress, even to
those most familiar with the building, a
matter OF great difficuitys
The density OF the smoke in the halls
drove many guests and boarders back
into their rooms, and they rushed to the
windows as means Of escape. Ladders
were raised as soon as possible, and the
women and children, with nothing but
their night clothes on, were thus taker
from the burning building.
Some tainted from fright, others sanl
exhausted to the ground from nervous
prostration. The ladders generally were
too short to reach the fifth and sixth
stories, but by hoisting some Of them OF
the first story balcony on the east side
and the second story balcony on th'
north side Of the building, these floor:
were reached, and all those at the win
dows rescued.
| The Skinner fire escape was als'
brought promptly into service and wa
the means of saving many lives.
The Southern Hotel was built abou
1861 and cost then 81, 100000. In 1866 /
was purchased by Mr.. Robert Camp
bell, who repaired it at a cost of $3.50,
600. The insurance on the building wa
$292, 500; on the furniture $500, 900.
;. Great gloom and depression prevail
here at this terrible catastrophe.