St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-01-19

1t might have caught in some of the
shops in the basement that back up tO
the bottom of the elevator, but on the
bottom floor of the hotel part there
was nothing that could possibly burn
that way and that could have been
smouldering throughout the night
This is shown by the fact that so many
were around until such short time
before the actual blaze occurred. | do
not know that the fire was incendiary
but there is a very queer look to it,"
HOW ONE OF THE GUESTS ESCAPED.
The most remarkable story told by
any of the rescued is that of j. w.
Maxwell of Chicago. He was in a
room on the third floor, over the office,
aud after seeing that the halls were
filled with smoke, closed the transOm
over the door and locked the door.
Bursting ont one of the windows, he
determined, on second thought, to risk
the hallway rather than fall from such
a height. Turning back he attempted
to get into the hall. The key would
not turn in the lock. He returned to
the window, laid down near it to get
fresh air and knotted the bedclothes
into rope, by means of which he low
cred himself to the roof of the inner
court. He was clad only in his under
shirt. The roof was partly made of
glass, and was nearly covered with
snow. There was another man there
before him, who was wandering about
in dazed manner, with no clothing on
but a pair of drawers, which he al
lowed to fall around his feet. He was
in danger of falling through the glass
when Maxwell seized him and endeav-
Ored to encourage him. 1t was of no
avail, however, as the poor fellow had
been utterly deprived of reason. Max
well tried to burst into room, but
found the door locked. In another
trial he was more fortunate The door
was slightly ajar, but the smoke and
| fire in the Railways were sitting hot
and it seemed useless to take the risk
of escape by means thereof. Neverthe-
| less, he tried and succeeded.
FRUITLESS EFFORTS AT RESCUE.
Detective Riemer, one of the first
officers to arrive on the spot, says
eve held canvas, but what good was
1T for people falling from such height !!
The poor girls came down 'thud, thud,
and as each one would fall we would
try to catch her, only to have the cor
ners OF the canvas pulled from our
hands. At one time the back alley
was mass of gore, and seven girls
were piled there dead, while number
were grOaning in the agOnies of death.
Our men report that they could hear
the cries of the dying as far off as
Fourth and Chestnut streets. One
poor fellow crawled down from win
dow to window for II distance of three
stories and then gave out, fell and was
killed. His hands were torn in shreds.
SLAUGHTER OF THE SERVANT GIRLS.
The windows of the bedrooms of
the waiter-girls who threw themselves
from the fifth story of the hotel opened
on an alley in the rear. There was
one fire-escape, but the girls were too
terrified to think of it. Clothed only
in night dresses they appeared at the
| windows. One of them, wilder than
the others, before the flames approach
ed her, leaped out into the blank space,
and, turning over and over in the air,
fell "A mass of mangled flesh upon the
stones beneath. Three of her compan-
ions followed her, striking within IL
few feet of each other. All of them
were killed and shOckingly mutilated.
The rescuing party attempted to stem
the tide of the slaughter by holding
blankets beneath, but the girls were
hurled down with such terrible force
that the cloth was wrenched from the
hands of the strong men, and the poor
creatures were dashed to death upon
the pavement. Some of the i'll l-fated
ones probably thinking that they could
in some manner scramble down the
side of the building, swung themselves
out of the windows only to drop in
stantly to the stOne-paved street. AT
one time nine of these bleeding corpses
some blackened and shrivelled by the
flames and all devoid of clothing, laid
one upon the other in the alley. II
was such sight as no one in the city
ever witnessed before.
Similar scenes were enacted at the
upper windows fronting on Main
street. Six persons hanging from the
sills on the fifth story lost their grip
one by one and whirled downward.
ESCAPE OF TOM THUMB AND WIFE.
Tom Thumb and wife were rescued
from the hotel by Police Officer O'Bri
en-, who took one Of the little people
under each arm and carried them down
stairs and across the street to the
+, American Express Office. They wert
in their night clothes and Mrs. Thuml
suffered much from the cold atmOs
} phere. The general, upon being PLACED
in the express office, began mOurninl
the loss of valuable diamonds and 9th.
er jewelry belonging to himself anC
/. | la l., 81, Il
| and replied reprOvingly, "What if W,
these people there pointing to tn,
mangled forms of twenty dead and dy
: ing men and women lying upon the
: floor. The little woman then bravelS
began relieving the sufferings of thos,
, around her by supplying them will
I water. She displayed many acts o
/ sympathetic kindness.
5 In the evening, at the PlankintOl
t house, reporter met the general il
2 the rotunda, who said:
eyes, the policeman entered Ou
Z room, but he did not carry off one O
e us under each arm. | went down til,
= ladder alone, sir. Yes, | think the,
D carried my wife down, but | got dowl
I first. My bOdy-servant, the cOlOre'
< boy, Charles Kelsey, was completed.
] burned up, and then, my manager
y wife, Mrs. Blocker, jumped from
e second-story window and fracture'
2 both her legs. This is the first expert
= ence of the kind Pve had, and | don
I want any more"
i A Blind Cats Sagacity.
' III. C. HOvey in Scientific Americana