The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-04-14
A SHOCKING CALAMITY.
BURNING OF 4 ST. LOUIS HOTEL


BURNING OF 4 ST. LOUIS HOTEL.
At twenty-five minutes past o'clock on
Wednesday morning the magnificent South
ern Hotel in st. Louis, was discovered
to be on fire. 1t was leased last year by
Baisbin, of New York, and was one of the
finest structures in the country.
Before the engines arrived the entire up
per stories were in flames. At , o'clock
the scenes in the immediate vicinity of the
hotel were indescribable, the excitement
being of the most intense character. The
windows in the upper stories were crowded
with shrieking men and women whom it
seemed impossible to save. \ few were
rescued by ladders placed on the Fourth
street pOrtico bat on the other three sides
of the building, bounded by Fifth, Walnut
and Elm streets, the longest ladders fell
far short of reaching the windows.
The majority of inmates of the two up
per stories Of the building must have per
ished. Two men unTecognIZe1 were killed
by jumping from the third story windows,
and a third one was badly mangled. Five
women were rescued from the sixth story
Oh Fourth street side by the heroic efforts
of the iiremen, who after ascending the
patent ladders, succeeded in getting a rope
to the half-suffocated creatures.
The exact number of lives lost cannot
now be given. but it is feared that some
forty or fifty persons persisted either by
being burned directly, or first smothered
by smoke and then consumed. The ex-
act number cannot be know n for some lays:
already twelve to fifteen bodies have been
recovered. From the best information at
hand il 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 employees of the hotel, the most Of whom
were women.
THE FLAMES SPREADING.
The fire spread rapidly, filing every room
and hall with flames and smoke. aud the
scene was of the most terrible description.
Frantic men, women and children ran
through the halls shreking in the most
heart-rending manner in their wild and
desperate efforts 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 matter of great difficulty.
The density of the smoke in the halls
drove many guests and boarders back into
their rooms, and they rushed to the win
dows as a means of escape. Ladders were
raised as soon possible. and women and
children. with nothing but their night
clothes on, were thus taken from the burn
ing building.
SOME FRIGHTFCL SCENES
occurred. One man who had been OCCUPYING
i wndow on the Walnut street front of the
hotel became desperate ut the seeming de-
lay in efccting his escape. With nerv us
hands he tore the sheets from his bed into
strips, tied them together, fastening this
improviSed rope to. the window sill, and
Designating the fact that it did not reach
more than twenty feet he let himself down
hand over hand. Men below who saw his
position turned away their faces to avoid
Witnessing the sickening event that was
inevitable Finally he reached the end of
the rope, 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 by the breeze which
the roaring flames above created. His
limbs swung around convulsivcly, as though
to catch upon something; then he let go,
and groans went up from hundred as he
whirled round and round and finally struck
upon the stone tagging with Slckenlng
thud. He was carried to a saloon across
the street and died in a few minutes Two
other men jumped from the fourth story
windows. one of whom seemed not to be
dangerously hurt, while the other expired
i'll few moments.
\ woman at fifth story on the Fifth
street front became panic stricken aud
jumped out. She alighted on her feet
and was carried TO St. James Hotel. still
alive. Her husband, who had been stand
ing by her side, tore up the bedding, and
let the strips made out of the window
To this the fireman attached a rope, which
the man hauled up, making it fast to the
window sill, and safely descended by it.
MORTALITY AMONG THE FEMALE HELP
OF the hotel is feared to be great. there
were some 200 of them all of whom were
lodged IN the upper story OF the building.
The panic among them was perfectly terri
BILE, and a number of them jumped from
the upper windows on the Elm street or
rear side Of the house. Miss Kate Clax-
ton. the actress, had another narrow es
cape, but fortunately is unInured.
At quarter past two, or about half an
lbuI diltI liit llic W G.S uISCbftlttl. lHt en-
tire roof was abaze, and the flames were
rapidly descending to the lower stories
A hal: hour later the floors and interior
walls began to fall. The roof fell in. aud
there was nothing left of one of the finest
hotels in the country, except the Walnut
street front and parts of the Fourth and
Fifth street faces. The loss on the build
ing and contents will he from $50, 900 to
81. 900, coo.
The fire engines are still playing on the
fire. \ force has been organized to
SEARCH FOR DEAD BODIES,
and several bodies have already been taken
from the RUNS in more or less burned
condition, but have not yet been identified.
There are also several dead bodies at the
mOrgue awaiting identification.
KATE CLANToN' 5 ESCAPE.
A dispatch from st. Louis says: The
report that Kate ClIxton jumped from a
window was erroneous. She had sufficient
presence Of mind TO wrap her face and head
with wetted towels, and walked and rolled
down stairs. Except having a few bruises,
she is safe
Miss Claxton telegraphs that she lost
every thing. Her engagement began at
st. Louis on Monday evening in the " Two
Orphans"
sE- Hamburgs, Hamburgs, cheap. at