The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1877-04-27
HORRORS OF THE FLAMES.
The Southern Hotel at 50. Louis VVrnPpe
in Flames a1 the Dead OF Night.

The Southern Hotel at 81. Louis Wrapped
inFIames a1 the Dead or Night.
The most frightful calamity that has
ever befallen St. Louis took place at q
very early hour on the 11th, involving
the destruction of the Southern hotel
by fire, and the loss of large number of
lives. The exact number cannot now
be given, but it is feared some
FORTY OR FIFTY PERIsHED
either by being burned directly or first
smothered by the smoke, and then con-
sumed. From the best information at
hand, it seems that the fire caught in
the store room in the basement, and was
first seen coming through the ground
floor just north of the Office, and in ten
minutes it had assembled the elevators
and rotunda, and spread itself over the
sixth floor, under the roof. This floor
was occupied entirely by the employees
of the hotel, the largest part of whom
were women. The fire spread rapidly,
filling every room and hall with the
flames aud smoke, and the scene was of
the most terrible description. Frantic
men, women and children ran through
the halls, shrieking ia the most heart
rending manner in their wild and desper-
ate efforts to escape. The smoke was
so dense in some of the halls that the
gas jets were extinguished, which rem
dere1 egress, even to those most familiar
with the building, a matter of grett
difficulty.
The fire department was on the spot
promptly, and hundreds of people con-
gregated at the scene, ready and willing
to render
ANY AID NECESSARY.
The density of the smoke in the halls
drove many guests and bearders back
into their rooms, and they rushed to the
windows as a means of escape. Ladders
were raised as soon as possible, and wO-
men and children, with nothing but
their night clothes on, were thus taken |
from the burning building. Some |
tainted from fright and others sunk ex-
hausted to the ground from nervous
prostration. The ladders generally were |
too short to reach to the fifth and sixth |
stories, but by hoisting some of them on
the one-story balcony on the east side, and
on the two-story balcony on the north
side of the building, these floors were
reached and all those at the windows
rescued. The Skinner fire escape was
also brought promptly into service,
and was the means of saving many
lives. While this work was going on
some
FRIGHTFUL SCENES OCCURRED.
One man who had been occupying a
window on Walnut street front of the
hotel became desperate at the seeming
1elay in effecting his escape. With
nervous hands he tore the sheets from
,he bed into strips, and tied them to-
yether. Fastening this improvised rope
20 the window sill and disregarding the
act that it did not reach more than
,wenty feet, he let himself down hand
,ver hand. The men below who saw his
position turned away their heads to avoid
the sickening event that was
Inevitable. Finally he reached the end
If the sheet, and then for the first time
-ealized his position. He stopped, threw
lis head back revealing a CHASTITY face,
md swung slowly to and fro, swayed by
he breeze which the roaring flames
Ibove created. His limbs swung around
as if to catch upon some
hing; then he let 60, and groans went
Up from hundreds as he whirled round
nd round and finally struck on the stone
tagging with sickening thud.- He
7as carried to a saloon across the street
nd died in few minutes. Two other
len
JUMPED FROM THE FOUTH STORY
,indows, one of whom seemed not to be
hurt, while the other ex-
ired in few moments. ,
A woman in the fifth story window on |
ne Fifth street front became panic !
,ricken and jumped out. She alighted !
n her feet and was carried to the st. !
ames hotel still alive. Her husband, (
no had been standing bv her side, then '
IRE up the bedding and let the strip so I
lade out of the window. To this the +
remen attached a rope which the man q
auled up, and making it fast to the :
indow sill safely descended. A man 5
AIMED J. f. Wilson jumped from b
urth story window and was killed. '
ndrew Ensman and Mrs. Scott met h
leir death in the same way. The NOR n
Ility among q
THE FEMALE HELP
the hotel is feared to be great. There t
ere some two hundred of them, all of n
hom were lodged in the upper story. 2
he panic among them was perfectly ter t
BILE and a number of them jumped 8
ON the upper windows on the Elm |,
rect or rear side of the house. Among t
lose known to have been killed in this q
amer were the following: Bridget '
cad, Mary Carey, Bridget White, Ellen C
ely and several others, who were car v
ed away by friends and whose names I
e not yet ascertained. b
Miss Kate Claxton the actress, had Il
Iother narrow escape and is unharmed. a