The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-04-12
~ AAE Dh4L1 INIELLlGENCER
DISASTROUS FIRE.
Another Human Holocaust.
A MOST APPALLING CALAMITY.
Burning of the Southern Hotel,
St. Louis.
Frantic Men and Women Leap
from the Windows.
Frlghtful Spectacle in the Upper
Stories.
Tho Killed and MangIsd Victims
Most Heartrending Scenes.
Heroic Efforts of the Fire De-
partment.
The Loss as Far as Known.
The Loss as Far as Known.
Th0 List Of Insurance.


Tho List Of Insurance.
ST. Louis, April lI.-At l;25 o'clock
this morning the Southern Hotel, the
finest edifce Of the kind in the city, was
discovered to be on fire. The salvage
corps responded to the alarm before it
was sounded on the city bells. Before the
engines arrived the entire upper stories
were in flames. At . o'clock the scenes
in the vicinity Of the hotel were indie.
scribable, the excitement being Of the
most intense character. The windows in
the upper stories were crowded with
shrIeSing men and women, whom it
seemed impossible to save. A few have
been rescued by ladders placed on the
Fourth stree! portico, but on the other
three sides Of the building, bounded by
Fifth Walnut and Elm streets, the long.
est LADDER iell tG short OF reaching the
windows, Mr.. Peter Blow, a son OF the
former Minister to Brazil, was sleeping
in his room on the sixth floor, and sue.
ceeded after strenuous eXerlions in escap.
ing with his lie and broken arm. The
buildingis six stories high, and Mr.. Blow
thinks that = majority oi the inmates of
the two upper stories must perish. Two
unrecognised men were killed by Jump.
ing from the third story windows, and a
third one was badly mangled. Five wo.
men were rescued from the sixth story on
the Fourth street side by the heroic ei.
forts OF the tiremen, who, after ascending
the patent ladders, succeeded in getting a
rope to the half sutlocated creatures. The
IRE is said to have originated in the Store
room,
ST. Louis, April II The most fright.
ful calamity that has ever beiallen St.
Louis took place at very early hour
this morning, involving the destruction
Of the Southern Hotel by fire aud the
loss OF large number OF lives. The
exact number can not now be given, but
it Is feared that some 40 or 50 perished,
either by being burned directly or first
smothered by smoke and then consumed.
From the beat information at hand, it
seems that the fire caught in the store
room, in the basement, and was frat 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 employees OF the house, the
largest part of whom were women. The
FIRE spread rapidly, filling every room
and hall with flames and smoke. The
scene was OF the most terrible descrip.
ton. Frantic men, women and children
ran through the halls shrieking in the
most heart-rending manner in their wild
efforts to escape. The smoke was SC
dense in some halls that the gas jels were
eXtinguished, which rendered egress
even to those most familiar with the
building, 4 matter OF great difficulty.
The Fire Department was on the spol
promptly, and hundreds OF people con
sregated a! the sccne, ready and willing
to render any aid necessary. The densi.
ty OF thesmoke in the halls drove many
OF the guests and boarders back in the
flames, and they rushed to the window,
as means oil escape. Ladders we're raised
as soon us possible, and the women ant
children, with nothing but night clothes
on, were thus taken from the burning
building; some tainted from fright ant
others sunk exhausted to the ground
from nervous prcStration. The ladders
generally were too short TO reach to thC
9th and 9th stories, but by hoisting som,
Of them on the one story balcony on thC
east side, and the two STORY balcony OF
the north side Of the building, thesC
floors were reached, and all those at Tho
Windows were rescued. The Skinner
FIRE escape was also brought promptly
into service, and was the means OF saviul
many lives. While this work was goinl
on, some irighttul scenes occurred; on,
man who had been occupying
a window on Walnut street, in the front
OF the hotel, became desperate at til,
seeming delay in eflecliug his escape
With nervous hsnds he tore the sheet
from the bed into strips, tied them togeth
er, fastening the improvised rope to tn,
window sill, and disregarding the fac
that 1t did not reach more than 20 feet
he let himself down hand over hand
The men below who saw his pos,tio,
turned awsy their heads to avoid witness
ing the sickening event that was ipeyita
BILE. Finally he reached the end Of III,
sheet, and then for the first time h,
seemed to realize his position. H,
stopped, threw his head back, revealing
ghastIy face, and swung shortly to and fro
sWayeu py the breeze which the roaring
flames above created, his limbs swinging
conyulsively, as though to let 90 ant
catch upon something, then he let 70, ant
Sroans went up from hundreds as h,
whirled round and round and finall,
struck on the stone tagging with a sick
ening thud. lie was carried to saloor
across the street and died in few mo
ments. Two other men jumped from tn,
18th story windows, one OF whom seemed
not to be dangerously hurt, while III,
other expired in few moments. A
woman in 9th story window becam,
panic stricken and jumped out. Sht
alightcd on her feet and was carried tc
! hes 81, James Hotel still alive, Her hus