The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1877-04-17
The S{(e}us and Demld
TRI- WEEKLY EDITION..
A HUMAN HOLOCAUST.
,-!r,f -. - ~ - - -, "a -
BURNING OFTyIE so trTllER " II O7EE
IN SAINT "T0IfS.

Terrific LOSS OF Lie ana DoStfllCClOn OF
Property--Panic in the Upper Storios--
SutTocation--Fr Frantic and Fatal Leaps
from tho Fifty Men and
Women Perish in tho Flames.
The Southern Hotel in St. Louis,
ono of the largest on the continent,
WAS totally destroyed by fire just
before day on "Wednesday last.
The fire is thought to have
originated in the storo room in tho
basement, and the flames first came
through tho ground floor north Of
the office, and in ten minutes had
asccndod tho elevators" md fotunda,
and spread over the sixth story,
occupied by employees, mostly
women. The smoke was so dense
in some of the halls that gas jets
were extinguished, which, rendered
ogross, even to thoso, most familiat'
with the building, matter Of great
difficulty. The density Of the smoke
in tho halls drove many guests and
boardors back into their rooms, and
they, rushed q to tho windows rs
means of escape. Ladders were
raisod as soon Us possible, and
women and children, with nothing
but their night clothes on, were
thus taken from the burning build-
ing. Some f,,intcd from fright, and
others sank exhausted to the
ground from nervous prostration.
The ladders generally wore too short
to roach to tho fifth and sixth
stories, but by hoisting them
on tho onc~story balcony on the
north sido of tho. building, thcro
floors were reached, and MI those at
the windows rescued The Skinner
fire escape was also brought prompts
ly into service, and was tho means
of saving many lives. While this
work was goirg on some
FR1aHTFUI. SCENES
occurred. One man who had been
occupying window on tho Walnut
street front of the hotel, became
desperate at tho seeming delay in
ctfccting his escape. With nervous
hands he tore tho sheets from bis
bed into strips, and tied them
together fastening this improvised
rope to the window sill, and disre-
garding the fact that it did not reach
moro than twenty feet, he lot him
self down hand over hand. Men
below who saw his position turned
way their faces to avoid
witnessing the sickcning event that
was inevitable. Finally ho reached
tho end of the;rope, and then for
the first time he seomcd to realize
his position. He stopped, threw his
head back, revealing ghastly
face, and swung slowly to and fro,
swayod by tho brcczo which the
roaring flames above created, his
limbs swinging, around convulsively
as though to catch upon something,
then ho lot go, and groans went up
from hundreds as he whirlcd round
and round, and finally struck on the
stone tagging with sickening
thud. Ho was carried to saloon
across tho street and died in fow
moments. Two othor mon jumped
from the fourth story windows, ono
OF whom seemed not to be danger
ously hurt.
Mrs, Morgan, servant, was killed
by jumping from q window. George
Frank. Gouley, Grand Secretary of
the Grand Lodge of Frccmasons Of
Missouri, is supposed to have por>
ishcd. Six persons whose names
arc unknown were killed, either by
jumping from windows or wore suffo-
Gated by smoke and dragged out of
tho burning building.
A woman ut Sfth story window
on tho Fifth street front became pan
ic stricken, jumped out and
AL1aHTED ON HER FEET.
Sho was carried to the st. Louis
Hotel and is still alive. Her hus-
band, who had been standing by her
side. thon tore up tho bedding, lot a
loop SO made ont of the window to
this tho firemon attached rope,
which tho man hauled up, making it
fast to tho window sill, md safely
descended by it. A man named j..
j.. Wilson jumped from fourth
story window and was killed. An
drew Ensman and Mrs. Scott met
death tho samo way. Tho NOR
tality amOno the female holm Of tbo