Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-04-11
Fifty Lives Lost aud Many Per
sons Injured.
SicksAing Scenes ats@ihe Fire.
The Panic Is Terrible, .lany
Persons Jnmpin. From
tho Fifth and Sixth
Story Windows.
A Partial List of Those Saved.
The St Louis Holocaust.

e. 81
ST. Louis, April 1.-THE most
frightful calamity that has ever befal-
len 81. Louis took place At an carly
hour this morning involving tie des
truction ofthr Southern iioiel by fire.
and the loss Of u large number Of
lives. The exsct number cannos ylow
be given bu. it is feared some forty or
fifty pefishcd, either hy being burned
directly or first smo,herea by the
senoke, and then consumed. From
the best informatlonzst. hana It seems
the FIRE caught in tae storc-seom, il
the basement, and was FIRST sceh COM
ing through tlie gruuitd lloQr jusl
north of the eiiiee aud IN ten minutes
il HAD assembled thr elevators snl 50
tun,ia and spread itseA over ihc-6fbs
aoor und j the toof. srhIs floor was
occupied en,ieely by lhe eynplo5ees,
the largest part oi wliom were wo-
men. The FIRE spread rapidly, 6isitig.
every room and hall with Ffames and
smoke, aud HE saene was OF most
terrible description.
Frantic people ran through The
halls shrieking in the most heartrend.
ing manner in their wild and desper-
ats~eGort to escape. The smoke pas
80 dense in some halls that the gas
jets were extinguished which rendered
egress even 10 those most familiar
with the building matter Of great
difficulty. The FIRE department was
on the spot promptly aid huudreds Of
people congregatet at The scene, ready
and wiling TO render any aid necassa-
~. The density Of the smoke IN the
halls drove many guests and boarders
back into their rooms, and they rushed
to the windows rs a. means of escape
Ladders were raised as soon as posi-.
ble, and women and children with
nothing but night clothes on were
thus taken from the .huIning building
Some tainted from fright, others sanl
exhausted to the groundf from ners ou:
prostration. The ladders were gener,
ally too short to reach the fifth ane
sixth stories. but by hosting then, Oh
one story balcony on the east sid,
and = two story balcony on the nortl
side OF the building, these stories wer'
reached, and all those at the window
rescued.
The Skinner FIRE escape Sssas alse
brought promptly into scfySee, an
was the means OF saving many lives
While the work was going on som
frigntful scenes occurred. One ma
who had been occupying a windo,
on Wslnut street tie front OF ii,
hosel he became despsrase at I'll
seeming delay in eiTectiag his escsp
With nsrvous hands he tore the sheet
from his bed into strips ami tied thei
together. Fastening the improvise
nope TO the window, and disregarain
the fact that it did not reach mo-
han,twenty feet he lot himself dow
hand over hand, The men belo
who saw hiss.position turned aws
their heads to avoid witnessing Il
sickening event that was ineyisabl
Finally he reached the end nt q
shes,, and thea for the arst time
seemed to realize his positiaa. /
stopped, tsrsv his head back reve,
ing /. ghastly face, and swung slow
10 and fro, swayea hy The bres
wkiah the roaYin!g flames above crs
led. His limbs swung around c.
sAlsiyely = enough % catch up
soneshingl shsn hc. les 90, and groa
m ~ ffom handfsds = he, uhifl
T. !. i