The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-04-11
ST. LOUIS SOUTHERN
HOTEL BURNED!
Fifty Lives Lost
A Million of Property Des-
troyed.
Heart-rending Scenes at the Fire,

~ASs~A s-4SAsAAAS SSS4Ss ds t40 - Is
ST. LOUIS, April 1.-THE Southern
Hotel in this city was destroyed by fire
at two o'clock this morning About fifty
lives are lost as near as can be ascertained
up to this time.
ST. Louis. April lI.-At 1:25 this
morning the Southern Hotel, the finest
edlhce of the kind in this city, was discov
cred to be on fire. The salvage clrps
responded to the alarm before it was
sounded on the city bells. but before the
engines arrived the entire upper stories
were in flames AT 2 o click the scenes in
the immediate vicinity of the hotel were
| Understandable, the excitement being of the
most intense character. The windows in
the upper stories were crowded with
shrleking men and women whom it SEEM
ed impossible to save. 4 few have been
rescued by ladders placed on the Fourth
street porticO, but on the other three
sides Of the building, bounded by Fifth,
Walnut and Elm, the largest ladders fall
far short of reaching the windows. Mr..
Peter Blow, son of former minister to
Brazil, was sleeping in his room on the
9th floor and succeeded, after strenuous
exertions, in escaping with bis life and a
broken arm. The building was six stories
high, and Mr.. Blow thinks that majority
of the inmates in the two upper stories Of
the building must perish. Two men.
unrecognized, we're killed by jumping from
the third story windows and third one
badly manged. Five women were rescued
FROM the sixth story on the Fourth street
side By the heroic efforts of a fireman
VINO, after ascending patent ladders, sue
ceeded in getting a rope TO the half sui,
foeated creatures.
The fire is SAID to have originated in 6
; store room.
SECOND DISPATCH.
ST. LOUIS, April 1.-The most fright
full calamity that has ever befallen St
Louis took place at very early hour
this morning involving the destruction o
the Southern Hotel by fire and the loss o
large number of lives, the exact numbe
cannot be now gwen, but 1t is feared tina
some forty or fifty perished, either b.
being burned directly or first smothereC
by smoke aud then consumed.
From the best information at hand
seems that the fire caught in the store
. rooms in the basement and was first seel
coming through the ground floor jus
. north OF the office and in ten minutes
b.. asceudc1 the elevators and rotunda ant
spread itself over the 9th floor under tn
II roof. This floor was occupied entirely b.
p employees, part of whom were women
x The fire spread rapidly, filing every roo1
and hall with flames and smoke and til
- scene was one OF most terrible description
2 Frantic people ran through the hall.
E shriuking in the most heartreuding mar
.lr i l.. Al,
n escape. The smoke was so dense IN som
= of the halls that gas Jets were extingulshed
al which rendered egress, even to those mos
IL familiar with the building, a matter c
R. great difficulty.
The fire department was on the spt
promptly and hundreds of people congr,
y gated at the scene ready and willing
render any aid necessary. The dense smoE
=, in the halls drove many guests and boar
ers back into their rooms and they rushe
=, to the windows as a means OF escape. Lac
ders we're raised as soon as possible, al
women and children with nothing but nigI
'S clothes on were thus taken from the bur
ing building. Some tainted from frigI
and others rank exhausted to the grour
from nervous prostration. The ladde
generally were too short to reach to Il
on the one story balcony on the east sit
VS. and the two story balcony on the north sit
ot- of the b,ldiDg these f1ors were reacht
and all those at the windows rescued. II
Skinner fire escape was also broug
promptly into service and was the mea
Of saving many lives.
While this work was going on sou
frighttul scenes occurred. One man "
had been occupying window in the W;
nut street front of the hotel, became dc
perate at the seeming delay in etfecting
escape, and with nervous hands he to
the sheets from his bed i1to strips ii
them together, fastening this improvis
rope to window, and dIsregardiUg the ia
TO that it didn't reach more than twenty tet
ef, he let himself down hand over hand. NJ
ne ne below who saw his position turned aw
md their heads to avoid witnessing the SIC
'nd enipg event that was inevitable. FiDa
iin in, be reached the end of the sheet, and tn
ds for the first time he seemed to realize
position. He stopped. threw lis he
back, revealing d ghastIy face, and Swir
ing slowly to and fro, swayed by the bree;
I which the roaring flames above create
His limbs swung around convulsively
ned though to catch upon something, then
ian let go and groans went up from huBdre
om as he whirled round and round and fna
struck on the stone Tagging with sicke
iro- iug thuG. He was carried to a salo
across the street and died IN few II
I. meuts Two other men jumped from (
fourth story windows, one of whom see
ed not to be dangerously hurt, while t
other expired 10 few minutes A WON
- on Il Fifth street front became pa
q stricken and jumped out. She alighted
her feet aud was carried to the st, Jan
Hotel and is still alive. Her husbal
who had been standing by her side, tt
tore up bedding and let the strip SO ma
out of the window. To this the 6reu
attached rope which the man hauled
making it fast to the window sill a
safely descending by it. A man named
bore 4. Wilson Jumped from the 4th st
ring window and was killed. Andrew FL
facs man and Mrs. Scott met their death in
tiles tiles same way. The mortality among
Z. female help of the hotel is feared to
Igreat. There were some two hundred
o them, all of whom were lodged 10
upper story of the building. The .;
among them was perfectly terrible an
number of them jumped from the ur
windows on the Elm street or ]
side of the house, Among those kn
to have been killed in this manner "
Bridget Mead, Mary Carey, Brio
2 White, Ellen Reilly and several otf
who were carried away by friends,
,ent- whose names are not yet ascertained.
:, all Miss Kate Ciaxton, the actress,
y ws5Z six another narrow escape and is unharu
=