Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-04-13
The st. Louis Fire.


ing scenes attending the destruction By tire OF
the Southern Hotel at St. Louis, at 20 early
hour ca Wednesday morning. Tbs escape o'
Miss Kate C!axton, the actress, was very Oar.
row one. She occupied rooE on the tolru
floor. She was awakened from sound sleep
by loud cry of FIRE" from the hall. jump
ing cut OF bed, she CROPPED her way to the door
and opened it to find the place was dense with
smoke and that immediate action was necessary.
Slipping into the scantiest Ct garments, she
threw up one Of the windows to ascertain the
chance Of escaping by that route, and finding
it vas decidedly Slender, she concluded her only
hope OF escape lay b. the hallway. People
were screaming and hurryiug past her door,
and she Determined in an Instant to cast her
lot with thea, There we're 40 lights, aud what
Was done had 10 be done lie darkness. Euter-
inr the hall, she hurried in the direction OF the
stairway, aud before proceeding far, was mate.
rally assisted hy gentleman, who seized holt
OF her arm aud pushed her along. WITH
proper appreciation OF the need for haste, When
She came 10 the stairway she fell down and
rolled for some distance after getting to the
bottom, but, not being badly hurt, was able to
picl: herself up expediiousIy and make her es.
cane. Miss Cla1ton lost e7erything--her ward.
robe, and what she valued most, number OF
valuable papers, &c., which she had preserved
for long time, and whose loss is severe one.
Mir. Joseph Pulitzer the famous German
orator and writer, occupied rooms Nos. 3O4
and 305, He escaped almost naked. He re-
turned TO the hotel al about 80 O'Clock from
q tea party. After chat with friend MIR.
Pulitzer, at about half after midnight, retired.
An hour allerwarJ he awoke, hearing loud
cries Of fire on the street below. Hearing
M alarm from tic butcl Office he says he re-
manned perfectly quiet until he heard the
shrinks oil women on the floor below. lleWeut
out without dressing and found the staircase
and corridor thoroughly filled with smoke. He
never returned to his room, and was nearly
choked to death when he reached the exit on
Fifth street. Mr.. Pulitzer thinks that the
alarm bell never WAS sounded inside Of the ho-
tel, ana people on the street told linn the lire
was observed from the street nearly twenty
minutes before the fire alarm was given.
a thrilling scene was Witnessed 1t the east
front at about 30 o clock. a number ui peo-
pie had been taken out Of that portion OF the
building by means OF the Skinner truck, which
had then been removed, it being supposed that
that side had been emptied Of its Inmates.
Suddenly at one of the windows on tic fourth
floor man appeared in night dress. Glanc'
ing around he seemed to realize his situation
perfectly. The ladder had been taken away,
and below him was a sheer descent Of sixty
feet. 10 Jump was certain death. "What
shall lo?" he asked. Stay where you are, y
answered the crowd, aroused to clear apprc.
citation OF the imminence OF the daDner, and OF
tue possibility Of securing help. "God deliver
sky, aud down at the floors below him now all
abIaza. He looked up at the sky and clasped
his hands in prayer: lord, for Jesus sake,
could be easily heard by the throng below
caItncd into perfect silence. It seemed hour:
bctor the truck was brought. lord, for Je
sus sake" he cried. Stand where you are, -
said fifty voices. The truck finally came and
| was raised to the window. Two fremen went
| up aud put the man on the ladder. He came
down slowly, his limbs trembling beneath him.
at the bottom he raised himself up to his full
height. "Hurrah for St. Louis" be cried;
| New York ain't dead yet" Then raising bis
hand up to the sky, he said in a lower touc
Lord forgive ne for every sin that have
| ever committed. To think Of having youS door
| opened with cry, aud tiod the whole building
On fire, ADD then TO get out Lord, | thank
! thee! | have been 10 fires before, and il bat
| ties and fights, but this beats all. He was too
| much excited TO give any rational account oil
| hims2lG aud was hurried away in 40 overcoat
which had to be forced on his shoulders and
| held there by the two strong fremen who cs.
| coftcd him to place oil safely.
MIR. Sidmorc Hayden, Superintendent Of the
American Express, met horrible death. lie
occupied room on the fifth floor, Immediate
| ly over the second balcony on Walnut street.
| Being awakened from sound sleep by the cry
OF Grc he rushed to the window and shoutc
| lur assistance 4 ladder was soon brought out
| and stood up with the foot resting on The bal
cauy and the top reaching to to the window Of
his room. He got out on to the ladder, but he
| had scarcely got a footing on the top rung when
tho ladder slipped and he was precipiated
head first on to the ground His head was
sp!iL open and death was instantaneous.
Al one paint, alter much delay, ladder was
puL up with Il view Of rcsculng the occupants
Of the fifth and six stories, but it was found far
too short Tor the work. a couple OF tiremcn
| aSrhndcl the ladder with i rope, which was
caught aud secured to ali iron pillar 10 the fifth
story. Soon white form Was seen fitting
down the side Of the house. There was DOW A
slide Of ten or fifteen feet, aud again the slide
was short and ierkcy; now the foot rested a
| moment in cornice work aud again upon the
window sill The t0rm was evidently feminine,
but thG grasp co the rope Was a sure one, aud
as the crowd caught glance of the white figure
gliding down the side Of the building they real
ized the situation and sent up shout. The
name of the young lady who made the first de-
scent was Miss Clara Hardy. Others follow
ed her and were saved.
A. so0u as all on the ilth.story had been res
cucd hy means of the rope the ladder was run
up to the upper story, and the first one taken
out was Il young lady dressed in white. The
| solitary fireman away up ut 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 clonl again blew across the topmost
stories and the scaae was again shut out from
below. Az soon as the crowd were able to dis.
Germ what was going on the brave fireman could
be seen slowly moving down along tho ladder,
rung after ruDg, bearing upon his back the
vOunr lady he had 40. gRlianly rescued. She