Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1877-04-20
Fearful Fire at St. Louis.

On the morning Of the 18th inst T., the mag
niicent Southern Hotel at ST. Louis was
destroyed by fire. 1t was one OF the most
cspacious and finest hotels in the United
States. Forty or Fifty lives, ii is supposed
were lost, perhaps mere, chiefly in the upper
stories, the structure being six stories high
The loss on the building aud contents is est-
mated at rom $3.50, 600. TO 81, 900, 900, with
assurances in various companies in this country
and Great Britain to the amount Of S453, 900.
II appears that the fire caught 10 the sioreroom
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 and under the roof. This floor
was occupied entirely by employees of the
hotel the most of whom were women. The
fire spread rapidly, filling every room and
hall with flames and smoke, aud the scene was
of the most terrible description. Frantic men,
women and children ran through the halls
shr;ekng in the most heartrending manner in
their wild aud desperate Efforts TO escape. The
smoke was so dense in some Of the halls tina,
the gas jets were extinguished, which rendered
egress even to those most familiar with the
building matter Of great difficulty.
The FIRE department was on the spot prompt
ly, and hundreds of people congregsted at the
scene ready and willing to render any aid
necessary. The density Of the smoke in, the
halls drove many guests and boarders back
into their rooms, and they rushed 10 the
windows as means Of escape.
Ladders were raised as soon rs possible and
women and children, with nothing but their
night clothes on, were thus taken from the
burning boilding. Some faint ted from fright
and'others sunk exhausted to the ground from
nervous prostratioH. The ladders generally
were too short to reach TO the fifth and sixth
stories, but by hosting some Of them on the
one-story balcony on the east side and the
two-story balcony on the north of the build
ing these floors were reached and nll those at the
windows rescued. The Skinner fire escape
was also brought promptly into service, and
was the means of saving many lives.
As soon as all on the fifth story had been
rescued by means Of rope tlie ladder was
run up to the upper story, and the first one
taken out was young lady dressed in white.
The solitary fireman away up at the head Of
the ladder could be seen taking the young
lady as she swung by means of a rope from
the window and guiding her carefully 10 the
ladder. The smoke cloud again blew across
the topmost stories and the scene was again
shut out from below. As soon as the crowd
were able to discern what was going on the
brave fireman could be seen slowly moving
down the ladder, round after round, bearing
upoo his back the young lady he had so GAL
lantly rescued. She was cinging TO him with
her arms about bis neck, and ws evidently
so intent on escape that when Several of the
hreman's comrades came to relieve him of his
charge she absolutely refused TO let 90 her
held.
most pathetic scene was witnessed by
many OF the spectators on the Fourth street
side just as the danger appeared most immi-
nsnt. In the 9Th story window, upon n
background Of lurid fame, might be seen
the profile OF man and woman shaking
HANDS and taking a last farewell Of each
other. They had stood at the window and
appealed for aid until hope gave out, and
just when they felt the volumes Of smoke
overcoming them, and saw the flames appar-
entity stretching toward them with rapid
strides, they fell into each others arms aud
disappeared.