National Republican., 1877-04-17
THE SOUTHERN HOTEL DIsAsrEH.

Ihs Jury Inquirs,g i.ts tAs oriei. e tAs
FSre-No Alara wss sea.dsd-HunhrsAs
Saved BY the Shrisks q WeOsa-
tBy Telegraph TO the National Rrruhl,canl
sI. LOUIS, Aprn le.-rhe jury In the South
ern hotel fire finally decided to sdmit oae re-
porter from each psper snA the Associated
Press, one representative each Of the Ere d..
partment, insurance companies, Breslin, Dur
Ing Co., proprietors Of the hots, and Rob
ert Campbell, owner Of the property. he
jury then proceeded b business
The nrst witness was Joseph Pulnr-r, .
boarder In the house. He rooned On the ffh
noor, and was swakensd 1t 80 O'Clock By Tie
shrieks Of women; jumped up and rushed into
the hall, which was full Of smoke, ASSISTED
some ladies to the parlor floor: mel George
ing the ladies on the parlor floor there Was no
danger; II was only smots, and they could 20
back to their rooms. Witness then returned
TO his room, finished HIS dressing, and lest the
house. So far as he knew, no alarm Vas
sounded In the house. He only heard
THE sHRIKKs OF woNrx,
He believed their cries saved hundreds of
lives. He had been In many hotels, but had
never seen so many appliances for the pre-
yeution Of fires As In the Southern Hotel.
There were no engines on the ground rhen he
when he reached the street.
j. Z. Russell, chief engineer. suhstantiaIly
repeated his statement already telerrAphed-
He slept on the fifth floor, and was aroused
by the smoke and screams Of vonen, and he
made his way to the engine-room As fast As
possible, and found Gre in the store,room-
Efforts had been made to subdue II by one Of
his fremen, Thomas Haley and other en-
ployees.
The attempt to put the FIRE out was con-
tinued after he arrived, but It gained On thea
them so rapidly that in eight minutes he and
save their lives; threw water In the store
room with hose attached TO pumps run By the
engine; when he left the basement he looked
up and saw the upper stories Of the hotel
were burning; there was
NO SPECIAL wATcHMAN on THE BAsERHxr
floor, but there was one on the once noor,
whose duty 1t was TO watch the whole hoase:
Captain Warmers orders to witness were to
discharge any employee caught smoking ia
the basement.
1t was twenty minutes past one BY lis watch
when he reached the engine-roon; renxined
there eight or ten minutes When be catered
the engine-room the FIRE had gained such
hesdwsy no number Of engines could have
spbdued II.
Thomas Haley, fireman, Walter NurvAy,
coal-passer, Fred Wagner, steam pipe niasr,
and one or two other employees testihed TO
having assisted In the Efforts to qaenrA tke
hre In tho store room, and corrosorsied Rus
sells testimony as to the oondition Of thi.xs.
Thomas Haley stated, In addition 70 LIS
other testimony, that about s O'Clock that
evening he saw man, . pot-uasher In the
hotel, whose name he did not know, 70 10 he
door of the store-room
WITH BURNING rArER IN HIS HAND.
He seemed to be searching for the ksy- -hols
In the door. Supposing be had night there
he did not interfere with him.
Adjourned.
Coroner Auler conducted the erAnia.iioa
OF witnesses, and he and the jurJmen express
determination to 60 10 the bottom OF tk,s
natter and bring out every fact possIsle rs-
gaiding the origin Of The fre, its nanAseaeai
by the Ore department, and the oonancf Of the
proprietors Of the hotel. Ths search for
bodies in the ruins continued to-day snA M
abated vigor, but none were found CoakaA-
cradle more property Of various deseriplioas
was discovered In q badly damaged ooldf1iOs,
and the safe ofthe hotel was nearly lnsarthed.
Ii will no doubt be taken out to-10rros.