The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-04-20
rmR 81. LoUIs laoRRols.
The Burning OF the southern Hotel.


one of the largest and most popular
hotels in the country, and several
hundred guests and nearly 200 en-
ployes were in it when the fire
was discovered, most of whom
managed to escape with their lives,
although few If any, saved any of
their baggage. The loss of life so
far as can be ascertained is less than
twenty, some Of whom were guests
and some were employees. The
corerners jury is now making .
thorough investigation as to the or
igin and management of the fire,
which is believed to have started in
some unknown manner in the store
room In the basement. The build
ing and furniture werc valued at
over 81, 000, 600, and the proPrietors,
Warren, Darlin 81 Co., had an In
surance on the building of $3.50, 900
on the furniture of $4,000, which
will probably meet half of their
losses. The names of those known
to have lost their lives are as fol-
lows:
Rev. A. r. Adams, OF England ;
George Frank Gonlen, Henry Ha-
gan, Mrs. N. f. Stewart, Charles
Tienan, Andrew Eistmsnn, III. j..
Clarke and wife, Kate Reilly, Kate
Dolan and Mary Moran, servants ;
VIM. Felix Munster, of England,
the latter q suicide committed
under arrangement brought on by
intense excitement.
Various bodies connot be identi-
fed.
1t is stated, and there seems TO be
ground for the statement, that the
employees of the hotel, when they
first discovered the fire, endeavor-
ed to subdue it without giving any
alarm, and that they did not give
an alarm until the halls were SO
filled with smoke that the gas
lights went out, and it is great
wonder that the sleeping hundreds
in the vast building managed to es-
cape as generally as they did. A
large number of very valu able
wardrobes, much valuable jewelry,
and considerable money, was lost by
the guests, who were only too glad
to escape with what scanty cloth
ing they managed to grasp as they
rushed from their rooms. The
building was elk stories high, and
most of the people in it seem to have
been roomed in the three upper
storiee. The rooms were not pro-
vided with ropes or any means of
outside descent, and many people
were obliged to jump from the
third, fourth and fifth stories, upon
the stone pavement below to avoid
8 more awful death. The scene was
the most exciting and terrible ever
witnessed In that city.
One man, In the fifth story, made
Q rope out OF some bed clothing,
only twenty feet long, and then ty-
ing it to the window sash, started
to GO down hand over hand, not
discovering in his excitement the
shortness of his line. When he
reached the end, far above the pave
ment, he hung on as he could, una
BILE to ascend, and finally dropped
to his death. Another man, Mr..
Stewart, let his wife out of the
window on q similar rope, but it
gave way or united when she was q
few feet down, and che was killed
by the fall. lie then let the line
down and pulled up a rope, by
which he safely descended. He lost
his wife's diamonds and $1,000 in
money on the bed, being too excl
ted to take them with him. A New
York jewelry salesman left his
trunk, containing $4,000 in sam
Piles. Mr.. Munster, who was a mem
Der of the English Parliament, and
married q st. Louis lady a few
months ago, escaped with her, but
went back to see the fire, and be-
came distracted aud shot himself
dead. Miss frankie Mcclellan, an
actress, jumped from the fifth story
to one story shed, and was terri
bly, injured, but may recover. Ka-
tie aClxton, who was on the stage
when the Brooklyn theater buned,
and so narrowly escaped, and was
lately nearly burned to death at q
fire in Newark, was also in the
Southern Hotel, and barely escaped,
losing all her effects. While CROP
ing through the smoky halls ste
says a woman suddenly pressed her
hands to her temples and exclalm-
ing, "My God, cannot leave my
child" rushed back into the SIN oke,
and disappeared forever. Miss
Rose Osborn, another actress, also
escaped, losing all her wardrobe.
The firemen spliced ladders and
did all they could to save those at
the windows of various rooms. In
one room in the upper story were
seven servant girls, shrieking for
help. The flremen spliced and rails
ed ladders to the fifth story, but
could do no more. Three firemeu,
Mike Hester, Charles Barry and
Mr.. Conway, went up the ladders,
and when Hester reached the top
the others passed him up q rope
and q short ladder. Sitting on his
dizzy and shaky perch, he passed
the short ladder mp to the window,
and the end of it then was two feet
above the ladder he then stood on.
He called to the girls to hold their
end, and they did SO while he
up trusting to their uerve
and strength to hold on. He en-
tered the window amid their cries
of Joy, and fastened the ladder Sc