The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-04-19
TERRIBLE HOLOCAUST.
Details Of Fearful COnnagration.


ST.. LOUIS, April IL.
The Southern Hotel was burned at 2
o'clock this morning. Appalling loss Of
life, which; was at first supposed soos &c &c &c
200, but ID now reduced 10 30. Many
were killed Ia jumping from the third,
fourth and fifth story windows. Kate
Claxton, the actress, who 80 narrowly
escaped from the Brooklyn horror. broke
both legs jumping from the third story.
The fire originated in the upper stories.
The windows in the upper stories were
crowded with shrieking men and women.
whom 1t seemed impossible to save. A
few weTe rescued by ladders placed ON
the Fourth street portico, but on the
othar three aides of the building
bounded by Fifth, Walnut and Elm
atreets, the longest ladders fell far short
of reaching the windows. Mr.. Petor
Blow, son of the former Minister to
Brazil, was slesping in his room on the
Gus e1ertions, in escaping with his life
six stories in height, and Mr.. Blow thinks
upper stories Of the building must have
killed by jumping from the third story
windowea, and third one was bedly
mangled. Five wome.. were rescued
from the sixth story on the Fourth street
side by the hero efforts of firetnen, &Io,
after ascending the patent ladders, sue
ceeded in getting 8 cope To the half suf-
focated creatures. The fire originated in
tho et0re rooms.
It is supposed from forty to fifty were
burned to death directly, or first suffoca-
ted. The fire originated in the store
room in the basement. 1t first came
through the ground floor, north of the
office, he'd ascended the elevators and
rotunda and spread over the sixth story,
occupied j. employees, mostly women.
The smoke vas 60 dense in some of the
halls that the gas jets were extinguished,
which rendered egrees, even to those
most familiar with the building, o mat
ter of great difficulty. The density of
the smoke in the halls drove many
guests and boarders back in their rooms,
and they rushed to windows as o means
of escape. Ladders were raised as soon
as possible, and the women and chill
dren, with nothing but their night
clothes on, were thus taken from the
burning building. Some tainted from
fright, and o. anFs sank exhausted to the
ground frcU ;lervous prostration. The
ladders gem laliy were TOO short to reach
TO the fifth Ind sixth stories, but by
hoisting some Of them on the one.story
balcony on the east side and the two
story balcony on the north side of the
building, these floors were reached, and
all those at the windows were rescued.
The Skinner fire eaeana y1aa nlsn brought
promptly into service, and was the
means Of saving many lives. While
work was going on, como frightful scenes
occurred. One man, who had bean oc.
ccpyiHg Q ~;aadcs, On Walnut etreet, in
front of the hotel. becoming desperate
at seeing the delay in effecting his es-
cape, with nervous hands he tore sheets
from his bed into strips, tied them to-
gether, fastening this improvised rope to
the window sill, and disregarding the
fact that it did not reach more than
twenty feet, he let himself down hand
over hand. Those below, who saw his
position, turned away their faces to avoid
witnessing the aiekening event that was
inevitable. Finally ne reached che end
of the rope, and then, for the first time,
he seemed to realize his position. He
stopped, threw his head back, revealing
ghastly face, and swung slowly to and
f,o, swayed by the breeze which the
roaring flames above created. His limbs
swunt, Ground convulsively, as though to
catch upon something; then he let go,
and groans went up from hundreds as he
whirled round and round and finally
struck on the stone tagging with sick
eriug thud. He was carried 10 saloon
across the street and died in few min
utes. Two other men jumped from the
fourth story window-one of whom
seemed not to be dangerously hurt.
LATER.-The fire engines are still play
ing ON the fire. a foFcs has been organ.
ICED to search for the dead bodies, and
several bodies have already been taken
from the ruins in moro or less burned
condition, but have not yet been identi-
fed. Also, several dead bodies are at
the morgue awaiting Identification. Mrs.
Moran, servant, was killed while jump.
ing from window. George Frank
Gou.dy, Grand Secretary of the Grand
Lodge of Free Masons of Missouri, Is
supposed to have periehed. Six persons,
whose names are unknown, were killed,
either by jumping from the windows or
were suffocated BY smoke. and dragged
out of the burning building. It is diff
cult to procure the names Of the dead,
but lie hoped complete, or nearly COM
plete, list will be obtained this afternoon.
Sldmore Hayden, superintendent of the
American ExE sbss stables, ID among the
killed; aiso Henry Razeh, deputy audit
or of chs Missouri Fssc:!:c Railroaa Com
pany. An Englishnan named Adams,
said 70 ha commissioner Of eancstson, gss
identified at the morgue.
A woman at o fifth story window on
Fifth street front became panic stricken,
jumped out, alighted on her feet, vas
carried to st. James Hotel, and 10 atill
alive. Her husband, who had been
standing by her side, then descended by
rope made Of bedding. A man named
j. E. Wilson jumped from fourth story
window and was killed. Andrew Ens-
man and Mrs. Scott met their deaths
the same way. The mortality among the
female help Of the hotel wos great.
There were 200 of them, al: of whom
were lodged In The upper story Of the
building. The panic among them was
perfectly terrible. A number jumped
from the upper window on Elm street, on
the rear side OF the nouse. Kate UIax-
ton, the actress, had another escape, but
was uninjured. Among the known saved
was II. Kretz, of Texas. DR.. Gorlaet,
the German Consul, jumped from win
dow and broke leg. Els wifs was un-
hurt. Charles Teenan lost his life while
aid, o boarder ct the hotel, was brought
out alive, but entirely bereft os reason,
at quarter-paat 2, or about half an honr
a.. n.