Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-04-04
A HOTEL HORROR.
The Great Planters HSuss at st.
Louis Burns.
Four Servants SmOthsredto Deatn
In Upper Stories
Terrible Scenes Amid ths Flames
and Smoke. :
The Guests Lives Saved But the
Losses Great.

ing, hre wHS dlscoVered IN Ine feH POA'iOn
ofthe Planters House, corner Forth and
Pine streets. An alarm Was turned in at
1852, a second alarm at 3:57, ard still a
third alarm at lO:5 q. m. Upon RriVal OF
the :ire apparatus, it was found hat the
laundry room, as well as the drying room
of the hotel, were in flames and burning
fercely. The watchman and night
clerk rushed hither and thither, swaken'
ing the guests (l34 in numbel) and
calling out at the top Of their voices,
Fire! Fire. The greatest excitement
prevailed, and for q time q panic vas ex-
pected, but as some of tie guest reached
the ground floor and found 10 immediate
danger in thai portion Of the building, the
excitement grew lees end some Of the
guests returned to their rooms to pocure
such yalusbles as had been left there il their
hurry to escape. Several trunks were
thrown from the third and fourth floors,
only to be dashed to pieces. One lacy sP-
peared at the third story window and throw
ing out her grip, reached for one cf the
rungs of the FIRE escape and landed in short
order on the pavement.
Senator D. II. Armstrong, who ia reg
ulsr guett of the hotel, was awakened BY
the wa, ,chwsu and landed in the ofiee of
the hotel, little confused on account Of
dense smoke, but not in the least excited.
The 6remen worked vigorously, aud after
The streams had been directed in the To-
cation Of the FIRE, great clouds Of sparks Is
sued forth, only to be quickly reduced to
embers upon falling on the thickly showed
roofs. At about $40 the last spark was
sxtiuguished, and but for the oomplee
irenching the main portion OF the no
suffered lt:le.
SHOCKING.
Affsr the guest' had been srtuHo, and
all was thought TO De ta'e, the fremsr, in
making their rounds through the building,
made three horrible discoveries. Ga the
fourth floor, in the north hall, they came
ACROSS three bodies, stumbling over them,
as they made their way fhrnnrh tho SnnI"
The frst tEo reeched were conveyed to tie
lining room aoor, where DR.. c. F. r.
1oiues was called, aud made every
.ffort to resuscitste the bodies, but
/ was q hopeful task to begin on,
md alter working with the aid Of sew
.ral Of the fremen for almost half an hour,
,e pronounced them dead. This over, the
,odies-clsd merely in their night clothes,
heir faces blsckened by the smoke and the
kin on their hands and arms peeled Of q:
places showing where they had ran against
obstacles iI their efforts TO escape--Tere
aid out on the dining room floor ond an
attempt to discover who they were was
begun. As all the guests had been &C.
counted for, it was pretty certain that they
we're servants. Accordingly those Of the
servant girls who we're in the room were
called upon, most of whom merely sp
near enough to gaze in awe at
he bodies and turn away. Only one or
Two could be induced TO 60 near enough
10 recognize through the covering Of smoke
Who they were, when one was identified as
Kate Cassidy and the other as Mary Burk.
Tzo MORE.
Up in room 246 another pitable scene
was witnessed. Eers the third unfortun-
ale, who proved to Mary Cooney, another
smploye, in the linen department., bad
been taken, upon being picked up, in the
hall. She Was found lying with her head
near the west door at the extreme end OF
the hslL On her being conveyed to the
room there was Just the slightest indication
that life was not extinct, bat after an
hours hard work by the physician and
fireman, life Vss pronounced extinct. On
The right hand Of this victim, d
strip Of akin was peeled Of, ss
was the skin on her neck. Shortly after
ward the body of still another girl, named
Maggie Reardon, was found, who had died
from suGoostiaa, making four deaths in
all. The giris were ali employees of the
house, and ere none over 20 years OF age.
Katie Cassidy has been employed almost
gear and was general favorite. TIE pa
troll was sent for, and the bodies taken 70
the morgue.
One of the male employs OF the hotel
made bis escape with great difficulty, and
only after suffering terribly from the smoke
When he reached the sidewalk the blood
flowed from his ears aud mouth. he was
asked his name, but instead Of replying
pointed to the burning building in dAzed
manner, murmuripg Thank God I'm
outl'
PREVIOUS EIREs.
The Planter House hiss been on ere
several times " thin the last score OF years,
but with two exceptions the work Of sIiin-
gushing the blsze was socn oEer and the
dsmsgS incurrtl comparatively triiing,
Three years age the hotel had o narrow Is
ana Il vss about the same houS in the
morning that tns aF5 IN; ;1-rartad ;-T todsYbsoEe
out. ana in about the same plsce-in the
kitchen wing, facing On Q narrow slley IN
the rear. The department did good work
at that FIRE, and saved the entire building
only three rooms being burned out, never
rhsiess three lives we're lost ofeuployes
Who had been Sleeping in tie top story OF
the wing on fire.
The Loss.
The loss BY FIRE and water Will probably
not exceed $4,000. Among the late arm
vals at the hotels were: J. J. MAILER, Chi
caqo; n. N. Roberts. Chicago; W. A.
Griffith, Providence, r. L: C. B. Winn,
Buffalo; c. W. Fuller, New York G. {.
Thurstop, New York; J L. Prenriss, De,
truis; W. r. Faxop, Cincinnati; z. o.
Norman, New York; W F. Chester, NeE
York; J. r. hopkins, IndisnspoIis; E J.
Snow, Ney York, and E. W. sone.s, New
York.
THK WoSpER Is TsET ANY EscAPED.
Inspection Of the servants quarters q
the Plsnters' Hotel reveals the fact thAi
the suffccatiou Of the four girls this morn
ing was the direct result OF their beinl
located directly over the laundry, where th'
ire orisinS;ed. Their quarters being tvt
roxs Of very small rooms en- the fourtl
a.. ,.i,k a hEU opfv fnnr fat WIDE and 4