The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1877-04-17
st. Louis Southern Hotel En-
tirely Consumed.
GREAT LOSS OF LIFE.

tlrely Consumed.
GREAT LOSS OF LIFE
Frishtiui Scenes and Incidents.
Sr. Lotus, April IL The most fright
ful calamity that has ever befallen St.
Louis took place at an early hour this
morning. involving the destruction of
the Southern Hotel by fire and the loss
OF a large number OF lives. The ex.
act number cannot now he given, but it
is claimed that some forty or fifty per.
ished either by being burned directly or
smothered by the smoke and then con-
sumed.
From the best information at hand it
seems that the fire caught in the store
room in the basement and was first seen
coming through the ground floor just
north Of the office, and in len minutes
it had ascendsd the elevators and ro-
tunda and spread itself over the sixth
floor and under the roof This floor
was occupied entirely by the employees
of the house, the largest part of whom
were women. The fire spread rapidly,
filling every room and hall with flames
and smoke. The scene was of the most
terrible description. Frantic men, wo-
men and children ran through the hall,
shrieking in most heart-rending man.
ner, 10 their wild efforts to escape. The
smoke was so dense in some of the halls
that the gas jets were extinguished,
which rendered egress even to those
most familiar with the building a mat
ter Of great difficulty.
/ The FIRE department was on the
ground promptly, and hundreds OF peo.
pie congregated at the scene, ready and
willing to render any aid necessary.
The density of the smoke In the hall
drove many guests and boarders back
in the flames, and they rushed to win
dows to escape. Ladders we're raised
IS soon as possible, and women and
children, with nothing but their night
clothes on, were thus taken from the
burning building. Some tainted from
fright, and others sunk exhausted to the
ground from nervous prostraliont The
ladders generally were too short to reach
to the fifth and sixth stories, but by
hvisting some Of them on the first story
balcony, on the east side, and the Sec
ond story balcony on the north side of
the building, these floors we're reached,
and all those at the windows were res
cued. The Skinner fire escape was
brought promptly into service, and was
the means of saving many lives. While
the work was going on some frightful
scenes occurred. Oae man, who had
been occupying window on Walnut
street in front of the hotel. became des.
perate at the seeming delay in effecting
his escape. With nervous hands be
tore the sheets from the beds into strips
and tied them up. Fastening this i'm
proyised rope to the window sill, and
disregarding the fact that it did not
reach more than twenty feet, he let him.
self down hand-over hand. The men
below, who saw his position, turned
away their heads to avoid witnessing
the sickening event that was inevitable
Finally he reached the end of the sheet
and then for the 1rst time he seemed to
realize his position. He stopped and
threw bis head back, revealing ghost
ly face, swung slowly to and fro, sway
ed by the breeze which the roaring
flames above created, his limbs swing
ing convulsively. as though to let &c
and catch upon something Then ht
let go, and groans went up from hun
dreds as be whirled round aud round
and finally struck ON the stone Tagging
with sickening thud. He was carried
to saloon across4he street and died il
. few moments Two other men jump
ed from the fourth story windows, on,
Of whom seemed not to be dangerousl,
hurt, while the other expired in yer,
few moments. A woman in the fiftl
story window on Fifth street becam
panic stricken and jumped out. Sh
alighted on her feet and was carried t
the St. James Hotel, still alive He
husband who had been standing by hel
side, then tore up the bedding and lie
the strip SO made out of the window
and to this the firemen attached rope
which the man hauled up, making it fas
Ito the window sill, and safely descended
by 1t. A man named j. E Wilson
Jumped from the fourth story window
and was killed. Andrew Ensman anG
Mrs. Scott met their death the SAM
way. The mortality among the femal
help of the hotel is feared to be grea
as there were come 200 of them, all D
whom were lodged in the upper story o
the building. The panic among then
was perfectly terrible and number o
them jumped from the upper window
on the Elm street or rear side OF th
house. Among those known to hay
been killed in this manner were Bridge
Mead, Mary Carey, Bridget White, El
len Reilly and several others who wer
carried away by friends, and who's
names have not yet been ascertsined. =
Miss Kate Claxton, the actress, had an
other narrow escape and 10 unharmed