The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-04-19

TERRIBLE HOLOCAUST.
Details of Fearful Conhagration.
ST. LOUIS, April II.
The Southern Hotel was burned at 2
o'clock this morning. Appalling loss OF
life, which was at first supposed to be
200, but is now reduced to 30. Many
were killed in jumping from the third,
fourth and fifth story windows. Kate
Claxton, the actress, who so narrowly
escaped from the Brooklyn horror, broke
both legs jumping from the third story.
The fire originated in the upper stories.
The windows in the upper stories we're
crowded with shrieking men and women,
whom il seemed impossible to save. A
few were rescued by ladders placed on
the Fourth street portico, but 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. Mr.. Peter
Blow, son of the former Minister to
Brazil, was sleeping in his room on the
sixth fcor, and succeeded, after strenu-
GUS exertions, in escaping with his life
and broken arm. The building was
ak stories in height, and Mr.. Blow thinks
that the majority of inmates of the two
upper stories of the building must have
perished. Two men unrecognized were
killed By jumping from the third story
windows, and a third one was badly
mangled. Five women were rescued
from the sixth story on the Fourth street
side by the heroic efforts of firemen, who,
after ascending the patent ladders, sue
ceeded in getting rope to the half suf-
focated creatures. The fire originated in
the store rooms.
It is supposed from forty to fifty were
burned to death directly, or first suffoca-
ted. The fire originated in the store
room in the basement. 1t first came
through che ground floor, north of the
Office, had assembled the elevators and
rotunda and spread over the sixth story,
occupied by employees, mostly women.
The smoke was so dense in some of the
halls that the gas jets were extinguished,
which rendered egrees, even to those
most familiar with the building, a mat
ter of graat difficulty. The density of
the smoke in the halls drove many
guests and boarders back in their rooms,
and they rushed to windows as q means
of escape. Ladders were raised as soon
as possible, and the women and chill
dren, with nothing but their night
clothes OF, were thus taken from the
burning building. Some tainted from
fright, anG others sank exhausted to the
ground from nervous prostration. The
ladders generally were too short to reach
to the ffsh and sixth stories, but by
hoisting some of them on the one.story
balcony on the east side and the two
story balcony on the north side of the
building, these floors were reached, and
all those at the windows were rescued.
The Skinner fire escape was also brought
promptly into service, and was the
means of saving many lives. While
work was going on, some frightful scenes
occurred. One man, who had been oc.
cupying window on Walnut street, in
front of the hotel, becoming desperate
at seeing the delay in effectlng his es-
cape, with nervous hands he tore sheets
from his bad into strips, tied them to-
gether, fastening this improvised rope to
the window sill, and disregarding the
fact that iS did not reach more than
twenty feet, he let himself down hand
over hand. Those 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
ghastly face, and swung slowly to and
fro, swayed by the breeze which the
roaring flames above created. His limbs
swung around convulsively, as though to
catch upon something; then he let go,
and groans went up from hundreds as he
whirled round and round and finally
struck on the stone tagging with sick
ening thud. He was carried to saloon
across the street and died in few min
utes. Two ether men jumped from the
fourth story window-one of whom
seemed not to be dangerously hurt:
LATER.-The fire engines are still play
ing on the fire. A force has been organ
lied to search for the dead bodies, and
several bodies have already been taken
from the ruins in more or less burned
condition hut have not vet been identi-
fed. Also, several dead bodies are at
the morgue awaiting Identification. Mrs.
Moran, servant, was killed while jump
ing from a window. George Frank
Gouldy, Grand Secretary of the Grand
Lodge of Free Masons of Missouri, is
supposed to hssye perished. Six persons,
whose names are unknown, were killed,
either by jumping from the windows or
were sufocated by smoke, and dragged
out of the burning building. It is diff
cult to procure the names of the dead,
but is hoped complete, or nearly COM
plete, list will be obtained this afternoon.
Sidmore Hayden, superintendent of the
American Express stables, is among the
killed; also Henry Hazen, deputy audit
or of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Com
pany. An Englishman named Adams,
said to be a commissioner feducation, was
identified at the Enorgue.
A woman at o fifth story window on
Fifth street fronG became panic stricken,
jumped out, alighted on her feet, was
carried to st. James Hotel, and is still
alive. Her husband, who had been
standing by her side, then descended by
rope made Of bedding. A man named
J. E. Wilson jumped from fourth story
window and was killed. Andrew Ems
man and Mrs. Scott met their deaths
the same way. The mortality among the
female help of the hotel was great.
There were 200 of them, all of whom
were lodged in Che upper story OF the
building. The panic among them was
perfectly terrible. A number jumped
IL Am an IN OF on