The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-04-18
Particulars of the Appalling Ca
lamity Which Fell Upon the
Sleeping Guests.
Terrible Scenes After the Dread
Alarm---Individual Accounts Of
the Awful Disaster.
Gleanings from the Ruins-The Latest News
Regarding the HorrOr-The List of the
Lost and Losses.

Compiled from st. Louis papers OF yesterday
When the first Globe-Democrat reporter ar
rived upon the scene. which was within few
Al that could be Distinguished was a Iurid
light over the hotel which seemed TO proceed
from abort the center Of the building. People
the nre carts were rumbfing in from ali
directions, but apparently the occupants
Of the hotel were wrapped In slumDer.
unknown to them. But the fire was making
its way rapidly through the upper portion
Of the immense building, creeping In all direc-
tons and filling the Railways with smoke
The noise from those in the streets and from
those who had made their way into the build I
ing to be of service in case OF need, had the Ell
feet OF startling into a knowledge Of the dam
ger those on the lower floors, and many OF
them made their escape without incurring
danger of any sort, though several took the
chances of severe cold by leaving behind them
their clothing and appearing upon the street
sa's everything necessary In the way OF cover
ering. By this time the dense, black ,sufocating
smoke was oozing from under the cornice
ut the roof, on the Fourth, Fifth and Walnut
the DESTROYING element. The smoke In the
halls together with the strong draft that had
been ongendered. extinguished the lights and
left the upper part OF the building in utter
darkness. The occupants of the fourth fifth
and sixth floors had been awakened gener-
ally, by some few hold spirits who had gone
through the halls kicking In the doors and
ArOusing the sleepers, at serious risk TO them
selves. But sudden fear has a paralyzing ef-
feet upon some, and when the danger was
realized not all were able to flee from IL, and
when sufficiently recovered TO act,e greSs by the
ord nary routes was cut of. Many did not COM
me- Inc nd II s 700 10 eax scor
were imprisoned by the fire in these three up
per floors without means of escape save by the
windows. How many of these were taken
out by the firemen, and how many were left,
perfOrce, to perishf The death list has not yet
been reached, nor will it ever be complete.
hot
the fire had cut Off retreat by the Railways
fairly beggars description. From the windows
of the three upper floors came frantic cries for
succ0r from poor creatures already despairtng
of help. The fire was rapidly advancing upon
those In the sixth story, and making il
necessary for immediate action upon the part
Of those below IL assistance was to be render
cd. Several had presence of mind enough TO
tie their bed clothing together and lower
themselves so the floor below, and from thence
10 the story below that, thus succeeding in es-
Gaping. Others. frantic with fear, threw them
selves from the windows and were dashed 20
lower Il emselves by hastily constructed ropes
lost their holds, and falling TO the pavements
we're killed: The . number thus Us far known to
have persisted In this way Is IL.
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE
Is shrouded in mystery further than that it
began in what was known as the store room.
This apartment was in the cellar, directly
nnaer tne 2inSe, apout 81 ieet rom tne " Al
laneouS collection of pplies. A few minutes
past O'Clock the fire annunciatOr In the Office
gave the alarm to the clerk en- duty, Mr.. q. W.
Fnrd Jr. The annunciator is self acting aud
operates through atmospheric influences.
Mr.. Ford at once dispatched word to Mr.. Shep-
hastily I'd dressed Rimse sf' and made his way
20 the Office. When he reached there the
names had spread from the store room
70 the elevator opening, and had mounted 10
the roof. The elevator opening was the trap
that destroyed the Southern, for up 1t the
names made a hue, through which they spread
TO all quarters in less time than is required to
tell the story. Could the fire have been con-
nned to the lower floors, it might readily have
been extinguished. Taking In the situation
nj q glance, Mr.. Shepherd turned on an alarm
through the district telegraph box, in the Of
nee, at :2S o'clock, and seven minutes later
Readily discerning that the condition Of af-
fairs was most critical, and that there was
every prospect of general destruction, the
valuable papers were placed in the safe and
the look turned upon them. With the register
under his arm. Mr.. Shepherd waited in the
ONCE until driven out by the progress of the
IRE.
The flames, after making their way upward
through the elevator opening, and spreading
In all directions, began descending, burning
out floor after floor, until the interior of the
immense structure, covert ng almost an entire
in the cellar. The walls, with the exception
Of a section on Fourth street, the greater por-
ton Of the Elm street front, aud some of the
interior walls, remain standing. The Elm
street wall, In falling, crushed In an adjacent
restaurant and oyster depot, belonging to Mr..
Tony rauSb, Wnllt a size WAL In tOODl1ng
over broke In the roof of the Monkeys sa,
loon on Fifth street.
AT THE MoRGUH
When a terrified man or woman came to a
window and stood for a few awful moments
Of death, and " hen the awful leap was made
and the form lay upon the cold pitiless stones
guivering, bleeding. ready hands would raise
the unfortunate to a stretcher and the grim
march would he made to the morgue. Six
bodies were taken TO the dead house. A Globe
nornns TRs 0caed at ne souh
west cornor OF the -Four Courts square.
Five hundred people crowded about the
OF them were women. Some of them
had children at the breast. There were
shawls on their heads. SILK dresses jostled
calico rags Old women crowded misses of Ia.
Small boys ran about and through the crowd
brawny policeman stood before the closed
door, and kept the crowd at bay. The reporter
started through the crowd; 1t was a struggle,
would have been abandoned, as the women
stood to their positions with logged deter
mination and resistance to dlslodgment.
the crowd. Their Thousand eyes were glued,
AS If by some fascination. TO the thick door
s " the Pas Rs bsy a6 have
wsntf" asked he for the hundredth time. ave
want TO get in"
GIT Is just CURIOSITY
said ne to the reporter. eThey know there are
Du SIX DOulc5 IN tffcros anu nave rtd0 tuetf
names out dozen times. But, no: they want
20 go In and see the bodies themselves" The
reporter passed In. where are the deadf
"ln there" said the superintendent, motion
ing with his hand to a small room to the left
The reporter went in alone. They lay upon
the stone In the dimly lighted cell In ghastiy
row.
The body Of an old man lay nearest the wall
The head was large, and the literal split In the
skull, extending from the right eye diagnnally
over the top Of the head, showing through the
borrfcle assure the clotfed and corgeaiec