The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-04-19
THE SECURITY or OUR HOTEL GUESTS
How Sojourners Mt the st. Charles are
Protected.

The late fire in ST. Louis, and the loss of life
there has ocoasioned considerable anxiety with
the travelling community, and hotel guests, much
more than at any time heretofore, are timid
about remaining in the upper stories.
A DEMOCRAT reporter yesterday visited Col.
Rivers, the urbane proprietor of the st. Charles,
and asked him as to the exits and means of
escape from that building in case of fire. Col.
Rivers in few words told the whole story. He
said:
have not taken any nitro precautions now
than heretofore, because when | first took the
house / was satisfied that the security of my
guests was most important / supplied myself
with Tt00 feet Of hose; large steam pump.
throwing q four-inch stream, which runs IL oot
of "a hours with the additional supply of 10000
ga Ions of water in q tank on the roof, viii h
would supply the hose in the absence OF the
pump.
Experience prompts me to believe my fire de-
psrtment is efficient, as lately some buildings
near us on Carondelet street caught fire and my
patrol extinguished it before the fire depart
ment of tho city arrived at the spot. Again,
eight rooms in the st. Charles Hotel have been
on fire during the last seven years, and they were
put out without the knowledge OF the existence
OF any fire becoming known to any guest
At recent date fire originated IN our carpen-
ter shop in the basement of the hotel which was
full of shavings and oombnstible matter. Though
IN ten minutes INC DhUCUGk iiT6 uepATtIu5ub WINS
on hand, they found no FIRE, as it had been extin
guished before they had arrived. With this ex-
perience, and having egtt outlets from the build
ing, efficient watt hmen at night, watchmen on
CIV. nv ,or and very limited IN urance, justiies
my opinion rs to the perfect safety ofmy guests
keep on hand Babcock extinguishers, also
In addition to my enormous supply OF water.
never retire before every light and fire is out in
the building, and every Waterman Is at his post.
Were the property exclusively my own l would
not carry dollars insurance. We're fire to oc-
cur over which had no control, each Waterman
Ia provided with an axe to burst open the guests
doors. Outside of the many starcases, there are
many ways over the roofs of adjoining
buildings for escape, and consequently l
can see no possible chance for loss of life in case
OF fire, but to satisfy now anxious public, am
having prepared rope ladders, reaching from the
top windows to the street, as modes Of exit.
These rope ladders will be hung conveniently in
the Railways.
In the st. Charles there are more staircases
than in any hotel in the United States.
Regardless of all these precautions, think it
mpossb for this building to burn, as it is of brick
and mortar and contains very little wood work,
and is 80 protected by thick outer wall from fire
originating elsewhere. With their past eyperi-
ence, the company who built the hotel disregarded
expense 80 long as they secured the building
from future fires.
Feeling SELF confident I, with the aid OF our
most efficient city fire department, am willing to
risk my own child on top OF the roof OF this
buildipg.