The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-04-12
St. Louis Southern Hotel
Entirely Consumed.
Great Loss Of Life.
Frightful Scenes and Incl
dents.

| spOnueu 10 tHe dldTHl utIoTe ~ was eOunu
cd Oh the city bells. Before the engines
arrived, the entire upper stories wer'
| in flames. AT o'clock the scenes in the
vicinity of the hotel were indescrlbsble
the excitement being ofthe most intense
character. The windows in the upper
stories were crowded with shrieking mer
and women, whom it seemed impossible
to save. A few have been rescued by
ladders placed on The Fourth street por'
tico, but on the other three sides OF the
building bounded by the Fifth, Walnut
and Elm streets, the largest ladders fall
lar short of reaching the windows. Mr..
Peter Blow, son OF the former Minister
to Brazil, was sleeping In his room on the
sixth floor, and succeeded after
strenuous exertions in escaping
with his life and broken arm. The
building Is six stories high, and Mr.
Blow thinks that the majority of the in.
mates of the two upper stories must have
perished. Two men, unrecognized, were
killed by Jumping from third story
window, and third one was badly
msngled. Five women were rescued
from the sixth story, on the Fourth street
side, by the heroic efforts of the tiremen,
who, after ascending the patent ladders
succeeded in getting n rope to the halt
suffOcated creatures. The fire is said to
have originated in the store room.
The following is another account OF
the st. Louis fire: The most trightful
calamity that has ever betallen st. Louis
took place at an early hour this morning,
involving the destruction of the South
ern hotel by fire and the loss of large
NUN Der of lives. The exact number
cannot now be given, but it is claimed
that some forty or fifty perished either
by being burned directly or smothered
by the smoke and then consumed.
From the best information at hand it
seems that 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 1t
had assembled the elevators ard rotunds
and spread itself over the sixth floor and
under the roof. This floor was occupied
entirely by the employees Of the house,
the largest part OF whom were women.
The fire spread rapidly, filing 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 hail, shrieking in most
nesrt-rending manner, in their wild et-
forts to escape. The smoke WAS so dense
IN some of the halls that the gas jets
were extInguished, which rendered egress
even to those most familiar with the
building a matter Gf great difficulty.
The fire department was on the ground
promptly, and hundreds OF people con-
gregated at tho scene, ready and willing
10 render any aid necessary.
The density o! the smoke in the hal
drove many guests and boarders back in
the flames, and they rushed to windows
to escape. LauIers were raised AS soon
as possible, and women and children,
with nothing but their night clothes on
were thus taken from the burning baild-
ing. Some tainted from fright, and
others sunk exhausted TO the ground
from nervous prostrstion. The ladders
generally were too short to reach to the
fifth and sixth stories, but by hosting
some of them on the first story balcony,
on the east side, and the second story bal
cony on the north side of the building,
these floors were reached. and all those
ut the windows were rescued. The
Skinner fire escape was brought prompt.
| ly into service, and was the means OF
saving many lives. While the work WAS
golng on some frighttul scenes occurred.
Que mau. who had been occupying
window on Walnut street in front OF
the hotel, became desperate at the SEEM
ing delay in etfecting his escape. With
nervous hands he tore the sheets from
the beds into strips and tied them up.
Fastening this improvised rope TO the
window-siil, and dIsrcgardnS the fact
that it cid not reach more than twenty
feet. he let himself down hsnd-over
The men below, who saw his position,
turned away their heads to avoid witness,
ing the slckeniry event that Was lnevl-
table. Finally be reached the end OF
the sheet, and then for the first time he
seemed to realize his position. lie stopped
and threw his head back, revealing q
shostly face, swung slowly to and iro,
swsved by the breeze which the roaring
flames above created, his limbs swinging
convulslvely, rs though to let go sni
catch upon something. Ther be let go, a q
groans went up rom hundreds as he
whirled round and round and tinally
struck on the stone tagging with sick.
ening thud. he WAS carried to a saloon
scross the street and died in few mo-
ments. Two other men jumped from the
fourth story windows, one OF whom
seem ed not t. be dangerously y
hurt, while the o.heG expired
in a very few moments. A
woman in the fifth story window on
Fifth street became panic stricken and
Jumped out. she slighted on her feet
and WAS carried to the St James Hotel,
still alive. Her husband, who had been
standing by her side, then tore up the
bedding and let he strip 80 made out OF
the WINDOW, and to this the tiremen at
tached rope, which the man hauled up.
making It fast to the window sill, and
safely descended By il. A man named
J. E. Wilson jumped from the fourth
story window and was killed. Andrew
Ensman and Mrs. Scott met their
death in the same way. The
mortality among the female help of the
hotel is feared to be great AS there were
some 200 OF them, al of whom were
lodged in the upper story of the building
The panic among them was perfectly ter.
rible and number OF them jumped from
the upper windows on the Elm street or
resr side of tie house. Among those
known to have been killed in this man
ner were Bridget Mead, Mary Carey
Bridget White. Ellen Reilly and several
Others who were carried away by friends,
and whose names have not yet been
ascertained. Miss Kate Claxton, the
actress, had another narrow escape and i,
unhsrmed.
Among those known to have beer
saved are II. Hertz, Texas; Mrs A. Nc.
Coy, Altoona, Pa; Mrs. Gott Syracuse
W. B. Ciggswell and family and Z. J