The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-04-19
Burning of a st. Louis HOteI-Many
Lives Lost.

ST. LOUIS, April 1.-THE most frightful
calamity that has ever befallen st. Louis
took place at a very early hour this morning
involving the destruction of the Southern
Hotel by fire, and the loss of a large number
of lives. The exact number can not now be
given, but it is feared some forty or fifty
persisted, either by being burned directly or
first smothered by the smoke, and then con.
iumed. From the best information at hand,
st seems the fire caught in the store room 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 elevators and rotunda, and spread itself
over the sixth floor under the roof. This
floor was occupied entirely by en-
ployees of the hotel, the largest part Of whom
were women. The fire spread rapidly, filling
every room and hall with flames and smoke,
and the scene was of the most terrible de-
scription.
Frantic men, women and children ran
through the halls shrieking in a most heart
rending manner, in their wild and desperate
efforts to escape. Thu smoke was so dense
in some of the halls that the gas jets were
extinguished, which rendered egress, ever
to those most familiar with the building, a
matter of great difficulty.
The Fire Department was on the spot
promptly, and hundreds of people congre-
gated at the scene, ready and willing to rem.
der any aid necessary. The density of the
smoke in the halls drove many of the guests
and boarders back into their rooms, and
they rushed 10 the windows as a means of
escape. Ladders were raised as soon as pos
sible, and women and children, with moth
ing but their night clothes on, were
thus taken from the burning building.
Some tainted from fright, and others sank
A-lI g. AZ -,au-l f.A., .ra
prostration. The ladders generally
were too short to reach to the fifth and sixth
stories, but by hosting some of them On the
one-story balcony on the east side and the
two-story balcony on the north side of the
building these floors were reached, and all
those at the windows rescued. The Skinner
Fire Escape was also brought promptly into
service, and was the means of saving many
lives. While this work was going on some
frightful scenes occurred. One man who
had been occupying a window on Walnut
Street, in front of the hotel, became desper
ate at the seeming delay in effecting his es
cape with nervous hands he tore the sheets
from his bed into strips, and tied them to.
gether; fastening his impoverished rope to
the window sill, and disregarding the fact
that it did not reach more than twenty feet,
he let himself down hand oYer hand. Men
below who saw his position turned away
their heads to avoid witnessing the sickening
event that was inevitable. 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 face, and swung
slowly to and fro, swaved by the
breeze which the roaring flames
above created, his Ii LBS swung around con,
vuls1vely as though to catch upon some
thing. Then he let 60, and eroans went VI
from hundreds as he whirled round anC
round, and finally struck on the stone flag
erng with a sickening thud. He was carried
lIto q saloon across the street, and died il
a few minutes. Two other men jumped