The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-04-19
ANOTHER HoRKOR.


LmbtH ever made On the Western Heni-
sphere ~ Allentosea Pay 0Af&Istcle. vi J
ANOTHER H0RKOR.
The Southern Hotel II st. Louis NJ.
stroyed BY Fire and several Eaves
Lost Thrilling lneident..
81. Loom, Apeil Il.
About half -pest one O'Clock fhis morn
Ing people in tho neighborhooFo the
Southern Hotel were startled BY, q cr Of
IRE, and almost Immediately therekfkes
smoke was seen issuing from the lower
windows of that building. TMa alarm
w rapidly spread and three nre COM
renies and two hook and. ladder COM
fanies, with the Salvage Corps, were
quickly on the grould. by which time !
second alarm from the firesboxeshad beenI
sounded, as it was apparent that the.
flames were spreading over the entire az.
tent of the vast building. ! 8
Within ten minutes Of the first arrival
Of the fire force, red flames began. 70 shoot
through the windows Of. the first and sec
ond stories, and immense volumes Of
smoke crept from every doorway and out
let. The hotel was six stories high. and
almost block in dimensions bonndei , hv
Fourth, Fifth, Walnut and Elm streets.
At two a. m, the scene. ss viewed bv vottr
correspondent. WA Of the tnoat thriitinr
character. At that time II seemed as n
the immense structure had been ct a
fire in several places. The confned.
element was roaring and crack Iinc
inside. black smoke vaa rnliine
from the main and ladies, entrnncse'
and away upon the fiat roof he
glare of 4 general confederation Ma r..
Iieved only bv the lightning streaks ~
fame brushing through here and there
from the rooms below. Nov and then
frantic guest in deshsbille. with clothes
or yalise in hand rushed ouf into IRE
streets, but it at oncesbecame annarent
that the great por4i01 a. The inmntes vtas
still inside. First one wfndow and then
another in rapid succession was violentlv
raised, heads Of men. women and chit.
dren were seen evcrywhere.s and I wild.
cry for help filed the AIR.
Many people were evidently nrensrinr
to. Jump from the windows and fI,osc iS!
the streets below continually called Out !;
Don't iump: the ladder viii r. rSS1,ss.
The hook and ladder comnsn}cs wcre
splicing their ladders as fapidlv AZ nosai.
bic. but the work seemed to he slow and
the sixth story was red with flames before
they began to elevate them. A shout of
triumph went IN from the crowd below.
and a faint echo came from those above.
but when the ladders were tried Il
was found that thew would scarcely
reach to the fourth floor. and this
discovery was met with the most
agonizing cries of "Helpi Hemp
The heartrendinp shrieks which fell unon
the ears of the firemen seemed to almost
paralyze them. and the usual efficiency
which has always characterized the St.
Louis Fire Department was evidently lost
for the time being. The tremendous draft
caused by the smoke and hot air had ex-
tinguished all the gas-lights. and the only
illumination was that which came from
the flames that licked the walls on all
sides. On the Walnut side there was
verandah even with the first floor. and in
obedience to the suggestion of q cool
headed spectator, one of the ladders was
raised to that elevation, and the sixth story
reached in this way, anI down this at
least forty people descended, thus saving
themselves
Meantime sheets and blankets began to
float from the windows on the various
sides of the building, many of them tied
together, but none of them making rope
Of sufficient length to reach safe land
ing, though two men and one woman in
the sixth story descended these perilous
strands and succeeded in swinging them
selves in fifth.story' windows, thus in
creasing their chances Of rescue. One of
the first men to mount the ladder on the
Walnut-street side was George Frank
Gouley, Grand Secretary of the Masonic
Fraternity in Missouri. To reach the lad
der he had to descend the knotted rope Of
blankets from the sixth to the fifth story
He had not passed more than half dozen
rounds when his head fell to one side, his
body reeled and fell, the skull being
crushed by striking the cornice, and both
legs being broken, produced instant death.
One man, whose name is unknown, ap-
peared at a window. Throwing the end
Of sheet on the outside, he began to
make preparatiOns todescend, and, though
the crowd called out to him TO remain,
still he persisted in swinging loose. Slid
ing down to the end of the sheet, he found
himself lust above the fifth story, and
nothing below but the pavement, 100 feet
distant. Realizing his terrible position,
he endeavored to climb back, but the
effort to raise himself was vain, and, after
: desperate struggle of three minutes, he
shrieked = Let gof', and fell with every
bone crushed. Another man appeared 1t
an adjoining window, in his night
attire. \ and franticaliy called out,
"What shall / doii'3s The flames
were leaping all about him, and
seemed ready to envelope and consume
him. "Jumpl Jumpp' answered back
at the pavement, as if hesitating what to
do, but the scOrching flames were closing
in on him fast, and he bounded from the
window, turning over twice, and whirling
to the stones below, striking upon his
shoulder and head. he was Immediately
picked up ana carried into an aa3olning
saloon, and lived long enough to s9y tnal
ms name was y, Z. oWvens, Wnen lo e.
5lsea; pr Two o.ner S;es races sooh aPPearou sd q
the window from winch ne had jumped,
but the fame and smoke closed them from
view almost instantly, ana ieit no derpt
OF the awful tate that peiell tnem.
most patnetic scene was Wltnesseu W
many Of the spectators on tne fooltn,
street sioe. Just as me danger appeared
most Imminent. IN 1Itn-story WINDOW,
upon background OF iurld name, Mlgnt
9e seen tne pronles oi 2 man ana woman
:of each ot1eT: They had stood !, 4 tle
winooW ana aPpeaiea lol alu ai. un..a ~ noRe ~
gave out, ana Just wnen tney ieit tne v0i,
uMcs OF smoke overcoming sneM u.a..; snu
saw tnS names apParen.y sLeNnnE s TX
towaro tnem WIN rapiu ssrlucs' Mcy lGll
inso eacn otnefs arms, ana Were esaoenuy
prepared Ior the WORST.