The Brookhaven leader., 1886-04-08
A ST. LOUIS HORRO r.
Fire and Loss of Life in the Plant
ers' House.
The Victims, -Four In Number, Part OF the
Female Heip-An Exciting Time
Among the Guests-Damage to
the Building Light.

ST. LOUIS, April 3.-At 80 this morning
Rosa Sloane and Kate DoOley, scrub girls
IF the Planters House, discovered flames
ssuing from the rear of the house near the
aundry. without losing any time the
Urls. with great presence of mind, notified
Nr. James O'Connell, the night clerk, who
'urned in an alarm. In the meantime
Nike, the watchman, and Frank, call
5oy, ran through the building alarming
the guests and at the same time allaying
Ill apprehension by their cool and self
,ossessed behavior. Many fingered in
heir rooms after the call. but the fumes OF
nrning wood penetrated the house and
oon convinced the lodgers that personal
afety required Immediate action.
Contrary to all precedent there was lit
le confusion. and the guests found their
vay to the main exit, and, with admirable
.ourage. placidly awaited the result.
some of the faint hearted ladies and gen.
lempn rushed 70 the stair-cases and tum-
lad down with dsordered costumes bun
|lpd in their arm.
The fire department was PROMPTLY on the
round. and line of hose was taken up
he main staircase to the fourth floor,
There a powerful stream was PLAYED across
he arcade With tellinr effect. Another line
vas carried into tn alley Oft Pine street un-
Ter the sforeh0use and taken directly into
he laundry. where the flames were blazing
fercely in the rafters overhead. The fire
had secured good lOdPmeut. but with sew
,ral well directed streams it was soon
overcome. and the RahcockS brought into
rlav to extip euish the smouldering en-
,ers. At the Grst symptoms Of danger the
1u~sas who were attending Governor
Phelps. were informed of the real situa-
ION anl notified that there was no i'm
minent danger. The long-sufferin0 patient
accented the situation calmly. and instead
f growing nevous, as was Anticipated. he
"hose to ahi,le the situation and trust in his
atteninnte. The Governors room is on
he main floor at the Chestnut street side,
" nearly block away from the fire.
The eres test dan ~er that develoned. after
he fire had gained headwav, was from the
raar- stricken women and some men. In
many in stances thev had hung around the
bells afraid TO venture awav. for fear of
meeting the flames. and all the time being
.uLiantpi u greater danger from sufOca-
Jon. On the lower halls nnd in the ro-
unda and on the streets the scenes were
niteous. II was early reported that many
ueonle were in the building who could not
fe accounted for and that they were evil
len'lv lost hut this giving wav 70 a feel
ing tn At all bad been saved. the fears Of
hose already ont Of DANGER 'lcssened. but
hey had no. been taken away when 10 was
llScOVPTPTi
'oss Of life The scenes thpn b6came a@ain
If the widest character. and while some
Of the people hun~ around l-eathlass to
see how manv had been lost. others cried
0ut DitAouslv for friends who had been
spparated from III m for the moment The
,hHmharmaids and servants we're particu-
larlv panic stricken. The'missing people
we're all from their number. and II was
heart -reniin1 p thav called out piteously
FOR their friends to answer.
In room 2tG Law Mary Coouav chamber-
maid on the fourth floor who had evil
1entlv made frantic efforts to escape by
~ushinr THROUGH the hallwnvs and down
he stairs She was found living on her
face in the halwav on the third floor. and
'arried into No. 2iG where every effort
eras made to reSuSctGte her. without re-
nit. Her ace was hepriued with smoke,
md on either side of her neck the skin and
iesh WIS torn. as though in the agony
VI sufforatiOn she had tried to tear
he choking sensation from her
leck Her right arm was lruised
md torn, and there was wound on her
aft ankle, hut none had enoupht to war
ant any theory other than that of suffo-
alton. The victim was about twenty five
Years of age dark hair and ewes. and had
Heen a faithful emplOye of the Planters
House for manv wears.
Scarcely had the discovery OF the first
odY been announced when two more uu-
'ortunateS were found locked in each 9TH
rs arms, suffocated. One proved to be
Kitty Cassidy. aged seventeen years. an
'mplove in the linen department: the 9TH
II was Mary Coo@an. twenty-five years
rf age. who was also employed in the lin
N department as an ir0ner. She had heen
n the employ of the Planters about two
weeks. having come there from the South
rn Hotel. Kitty Cassidy was an orphan,
nd had a sister living in the city, but 10
other known relatives.
ID I. -. l. L., Io,-
mate, who presented a horrible anpear-
an"e. Her face was hackened and features
i"awn as though she had died in the great
ASt agonv. Her bands were clenched and
he position her BODY had assumed was
,lanlv indicative of the terror preceding
he agony of a death by fire and suffoca-
The next body found was that of Maggie
HeardOn. aged forty wears. an emDlOve OF
he linen depa tlnent in the capacity of
roner. She bore no mark uDon her face or
,olv, but was hegrimed with smoke and
lirt. She died from sufforation. Maggie
feariOn was a steady, Industrious wOm-
n the support of AN aged mother and an
invalid sister. Her body was placed in the
timing room. alongside the two victims
cferred to above.
The large crowd which soon gath cred on
he deeply -incrusted sidewalks and streets
vas busted in caring for the half clad
nests of the hotel, as they emerged from
he main entrance. and out of the Chestnut
street entrance. Manv of the ladies and
-mploves of the hotel rushed out of the
uilding with only a skirt thrown around
hem. and their stockings hastily pulled
N. their shoes aud the remainder of their
'IotheS gathered hastily in their arms. All
rf the hacks on the street had been called
q the scene the moment the fire broke out,
nady to convey the guests to other hotels.
The burned portion of the building is
0cated in the rear. on the alley running
rom Pine to Chestnut. tits supposed that
he fire originated in either the laundry or
he kitchen. located on the first floor. and
about the center of the building. This
art of the hotel, besides the kitchen and
aundrv. is used for the sleeping apart
nents of the help, who occupied small.
lose rooms situated on the second anS
bird floors.
II appears that wherever the flames start
d they at once started upward and ragged
more furiously in the second story than
anywhere else. The rooms here are badly
Hurned. as well as on the third floor, and
Il one place the flames have eaten big
hole from the first floor to the roof. Ii is
not known what the fire originated from.
- s----
A New Colorado Railroad.
FORT KEOGH, Mont, April 2.-Mon
tana is booming with new railroad
chemes this year. Articles of incor-
,oration were filed Wednesday with Re-
order Lee at Billings, Clark's Fork and
"ook City Railroad Company. The capi-
nj stock is placed at 81, 100000 in Sl0,-
lO0 shares ut 500 each. Tie new road
Aill open up the Clark Fork mining dis
rct, and also give northern outlet to
he new oil fields in Southern Montana
md North Wyoming. George " Simms,
Il New York, and Henry Kelly, OF Phlla.
!elnAla. are among the iaeorporator.