, 1877-04-21
ST. LOUIS C0EFiAGRATlON.
Terrible Ioss cr Life aud Property.

81. LoUss, April n, 1871
The most frightful calamity that has ever baflleu
st. louis took plser carly this morning involving
tie destruction Of the southern Hotel bv fire AMI
the loss OF 4 large number OF lives The fire caught
the store rooms in the basement Uus was fir>r
seen coming hTUsh tn glOunl floor Just North Of
the ohce, and IA ten minutes II had assembled the e.
vitors aud rotnuit AMI S7ryti itself the sixth
hoOr under the ToOf IhIs floor occupied entirely
by the employees OF the hntsl, the largest part OF
whom WcTg women. Tie fire spread rapidly, filing
every room and hall with flames aud smoke. ana the
scene WAS Of the terrible description. Frantic
meu, women AMI children ian through the halls
ShTeking III the most hvartreu.In-; thrlr
wild and desperate efforts 20 escape. The smoke
dense IN of tire halls that the gas lets
were eXtibIuiSled which rendered s-srg-s 10 those
most fImihlr with the buIliIny /. matter of sscIt
difficulty The density OF the smoke IA the hall
d. many guests and lOgTIrrs back 10 their TOUE.s
and they rushed 10 the WINDOWS rs a means OF
cape. Ladders were raised as Soon Is possible and
women and children. with nothing on but their
night cloths, taken frOa the burning building.
some tautei trOln lglt anI others sank exhausted
70 the ground from nervous pIOstntlOn. The hidcIS
were generally too sort o reach thr nth and sixth
stories but BY Enstins some the one-sory hilco-
ny OF the east side and the twostory balcony the
north side OF the building these hoors reached
and all those At the windows rescued. The SkiEner
iireescape brought into service and saved many
lives.
While the work was gong on some frghtful Scenes
occurred. Oue man who Lad been occup. Ins Wiz
dow the front OF the hotel became desperate
At the delay In etfe tlu-, his escape With nervous
hands he tore sheets from his bed INTO STRIPS, tired
;bem together, fastening tins mpguyised rIe 10 the
window sill and l!sregarlng the tact that u dt not
reach more than twenty let, be let himself down
hand over hand. The men below who saw lis pOSi-
ton, turned away their heads 10 avoid witnessing
the sIckegn, vent that inevitable Finally DE
reached the end of the sheet and iT the first time
seemed 20 realize b,- position. Tie stopped, threw MS
head buck, revealing CHASTITY fIce AMI swuug SloT-
~ 10 and iro, swayed by the breeze which the
ing Imes atOVe reated His umUs swung around
eoByulsiyeiy though - catch around sorEtthIns
then he let 20, and grulrS Went up igU hundreds ~
he whr.ed round and round and finally struck GA H.
stone htsIns. He died II a fsw InuInen > Two
her men jumped from th- ith story WIniuws, one
os whom ezu4-d not be dangerously hurt, WLI-
the other expired IN . few moments \ woman In
the firth story became panic sirI,k k,n anu Jiri out
She aIshtsd her ieet AMI cstrtg,l tp tie -
James hotel AMI Is stl.l alive. Her husband, Nll
bad been standing by her s-, then tore uP the bed
dug and let :Ee mp made out OF tic wg"!vw.
To this the TrIncu attached TOQe WAI,h tie man
hauled up, making u fast 10 The window sill ami
tieiy descended uy u. \ uaulel j. F. Wilson
/ jumped from th@ fourth 81 ~ and WaS killed. \.
EnsIlitu and Airs. Scott met thu deaths the same
way The mortality among The female nelp Il the
hotel II Is feared viii be found great There we're
some two hundred q! them, all Of whom Were loisel
! 10 ;uc upper story OI the building. TIE pane among
! them W-S perfectly terrible, in4 n''iD=r lui"P~i
I fi0m the windows
Dr Auler, cJ;oner, gives the following list OF the
killed reported 10 hIH ana thinks cOtapri's, all
/ kn wn 10 be dead: Rev y l. Aims, OF stock
Cross BeIk>irr England; GeoIsr /. GJOUley, grand
secretary OF the Masonic fraternity Of l. STATE
! kt.e Reilly, Kate nc0.eH aui many more servants
/ Henry Haz a. OF arIItprs department 81 tie Mis-
! SAun Pacific TIlroti, formerly rom New C.Stle.
PcnnSy wanna wIe UI ". > Stewart, 81 the tim Oi
! Derby & Day Of ans city; Andr " l. Islsmtu, ot
the firm o. Elshfrau 60. OF tn, city tEdrl,s IL
/ Eee.u, y Hayden. Nm Felix, al 30 tea uetn ,e.
OF the english House Of Colrons who WIS nlsir-le
IN Ibis eng months ago, was residing az tue
hD:el with MS VIE, blCma p.IdJ d, aud uHler Tie
| iinpres>i n that she killed IA became intensely
excited luI evidently lost his iueHual Gauce. About
O'Clock ghS morning he wet 20 the room oi il-hi
At the corner OF Fourth ami Oliver streets ami shot
hluse!t L. e0yCagr held an inquest bat could Ut
! ieci!e whether death caused by SUICIDE or &C.
cid-nt There YiTpus Iep0cta Ies,rilus The mat
ter one that lie knew his wIr was SIyei, aui killed
himself while labo-ing under mental derunselHruJ.