The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1877-04-19
MANY LIVES LOST


Narrowing Scenes and Incidents.
ST. LOUIS, April 1.-THE most
frightful calamity that has ever befal-
len St. Louis took place at an early
hour this morning, involving the de-
struction of the Southern Hotel by fire
and the loss Of . large number of lives.
The exact number cannot now be Civ
en-, but it is feared some forty or fifty
perished, either by being burned di-
rectly or first smothered by smoke
and then consumed.
From the best information at hand
it seems the fire caught in . stOreroom
in the basement, and was first seen
coming through the ground floor, just
north Of the Office, and in ten minutes
it had ascended the elevator and ro-
tunda, and spread itself over the sixth
floor under the roof. This floor was
occupied entirely by employees OF the
hotel, the largest part of whom were
women.
The fire spread rapidly, filling every
room and hall with flames and smoke
and the scene was one of the most ter
rible description. Frantic men, wo-
men and children ran through the
halls shrieking in the most hesrt-rend-
ing manner in their wild and desper-
ate efforts to escape.
The smoke was SO dense in the halls
that the gas jets were extinguished
which rendered egress, even to those
most familiar with the buildings mat
ter of great difficulty. The fire de-
partment was on the spot promptly
and hundreds of people congregated at
the scene ready and willing to render
any aid necessary. The density of the
smoke in the halls drove many of the
guests and boarders back into their
rooms and they rushed to the windows
as q means of escape. Ladders were
raised As soon a. possible, and women
and children with nothing but night
clothes were thus taken from the
burning building. Some tainted from
fright and others sank exhausted to
the ground from nervous prostration.
The ladders generally were too
short to reach to the fifth and 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, aud all those at
the windows were rescued.
The Skinner fire escape was also
brought promptly into service, and
was the means of saving many lives.
While this work was going ON some
frightful scenes occurred.
One man who had been occupying
a window on the Walnut street front
of the hotel, became desperate at the
seeming delay in effecting his escape.
With nervous hands he tore the sheets
from his bed into strips, tied them to-
gether. fastening this impsovised 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. The men below who
saw his position turned away their
heads to avoid witnessing the sicken-
ing event that was inevitable. Final
ly he reached the end of the sheet, and
then for the first time he seemed to
realize his position. He stopped,
threw his head back, k,revealing ghast-
ly face, and swung slowly to and fro,
swayed by the breeze, which the roar
ing flames above created. His limbs
swung around 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 sickening thug. He was car
ried to a saloon across the street, and
died in a few moments.
Two other men jumped from the
fonrth story windows, one of whom
seemed not to be dangerously hurt,
while the other expired in q few mo.
ments. A woman in the fifth story
window on the Fifth street front be-
came nic-stricken, and jumped out.
She alighted on her feet and was car
ried to the st. James Hotel, still alive.
Her husband, who had been standing
by her side, then tore up the bedding,
and let the strip 80 made out of the
window. To this the firemen attach
ed rope, which the man hauled up,
and making it fast to the window sill
he safely descended by it.
A man named j. L. Wilson jumped
from the fourth story window and
was killed. Andrew Ensman and
Mrs. Scott met their death in the same
way.
The mortality among the female
help of the hotel is feared to be great
There were some two hundred of them
all of whom were lodged in the upper
story of the building. The panic
among them was perfectly terrible
and q number of them jumped from
the upper windows on the Elm stree
or the rear side of the house. Among
those known to have been killed II
e this manner were, Bridget mead, Mary
Cerey, Bridget White, Ellen Reilly
and several Others, who were carried
away by friends, and whose name:
are not yet ascertained.
Miss Kate CIaxton, the actress, hst
another narrow escape and is unharm
ed. Among those known TO hav'
been saved are III. Kretz, Texas; Mrs
A. Mccoy, Altoona, Pa; Mrs. Gott
syracuse, ". Y. w. B. COgeswell ant
family and +. J. Kimbah, of Mine /.