Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1877-04-17
Aaother Horror.
Burning OF the Southern Hotel I'm st.
Louis.--Firty' lives supposed to be lost

Burning OF the Southern Hotel in St.
Louis.--Firt,' lives supposed to be lost
ST. LOUIS, April 1.-THE Southern
Hotel in this city was destroyed by fire
at two o'clock this morning. About fifty
lives were lost, as nearly as can be ascer-
tanned up to this time, The fire was very
nearly extinguished at ten o'clock. The
hotel was full of guests. All stores in
the vicinity are filled with the dead and
wounded. A large number jumped from
the fourth, fifth and sixth story windows
and were crushed to death.
Peter Blow, son of the former minister
to Brazil, was sleeping on the sixth floor,
and barely succeeded in escaping. He
thinks most of the inmates Of fifth
and sixth stories persisted.
Five women were rescued from the
sixth story on the Fourth street side by
the iremen, who placed their ladders on
the Fourth street portico, but on the 9th
er three sides Of the building the longest
ladder fell far short of reaching the win
dows.
The exact numdcr of lives lost cannot
now be given, but it is feared that some
forty or fifty persons persisted, either by
being burned directly or first smothercd
by smoke and then consumed. From the
best information, it seems that 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 assembled the cieva-
tors and rotunda, and spread itself over
the sixth floor under the roof. This door
was occupied exclusively by employees oil
the hotel, the largest part Of whom were
women.
The fire spread rapidly, filling every
room with flames and smoke, aud the scene
was Of the most horrible description
Frantic men, women aud children ran
through the halls shrieking in most
heartrending manner in their wild and dcs-
perate efforts to escape. The smoke was
so dense in some Of the halls that the gas
Jets were exlinguished, which rendered
egress even to those familiar with the
building a matter Of great difficulty.
The fire department was on the spot
promptly and hundreds of people congrc'
gated at the scene, ready and willing "a
render any aid necessary. The density OF
the smoke in the halls drove many guests
and boarders back into their rooms and
they rushed to the windows as a means OF
escape. Ladders were raised as soon as
possible, and women and children with
nothing on but night clothes were then
taken from the burning building. Some
tainted from fright and others sunk ex-
hausted to the ground from nervous pros
tration. The ladders generally were toe
short to reach 10 the fifth and sixth stories
but by resting some Of them on the one
story balcony on the east side aud The
two-s,ory balcony on the north side OF
the building, these floors wete reached
and all those at the windows rescued. \
fire escape was the means Of saving many
lives.
While this was going on some fightfu
scenes occurred One man who had been
occupying window on the Walnut street
front Of the hotel became desperate al
the seeming delay in effecting his escape
aud with nervous hands he tore the sheet,
from his bed into strips and tied them to-
gether. Fastening this improvised rope
to the window sill and disregarding the
fact that it did not reach more than TWEEN
ty feet, he let himself down hand over
hand Men below who saw his position
turned away their heads to avoid witnes
sing the sickening event that was inevi'
table. Finally 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, revealing a CHASTITY coun'
tenance, and swung slowly to and fro
swayed by the breeze which the roaring
flames above created. His limbs swung
around cOnyusively as though to catch
upon something, then he let 90, and groans
went up from hundreds as he whirled
round and round, and finally struck on
the stone tagging with a sickening thud
He was carried to a saloon across the
street and died in few moments.