The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-04-10
A ST. LOUIS HORROR.
Fire and Loss of Life in the Plant
ers' House.
The Victims, Four In Number, Tart OF the
Female Help-An Exciting Time
Among the Guests-Damage to
the Building Light.

ST. LOUIS, April AT $3.50 this morning
Rosa Sloane and Kate Dooley, scrub girls
of the Planters House, discovered flames
issuing from the rear of the house near the
laundry. Without losing any time the
girls, with great presence of mind, notified
Mr.. James OConnell, the night clerk who
turned in an alarm. In the meantime
Mike, the Waterman, and Frank, call
boy, ran through the building alarming
the guests and at the same time allaying
all apprehension by their cool and self
possessed behavior. Many fingered in
their rooms after the call, but the fumes of
burning wood penetrated the house and
soon convinced the dodgers that personal
safety required immediate action.
Contrary to all precedent there was lit
tie confusion, and the guests found their
way to the main exit, and, with admirable
courage, placidly awaited the result.
Some of the faint-hearted ladies and gem
tlemen rushed to the stair-cases and tum-
bled down with disordered costumes bun
died in their arms.
ground, and a line Of hose was taken up
the main staircase TO the fourth floor,
where powerful stream was played across
the arcade with telling effect. Another line
was carried into the alley off Pine streetun.
der the storehouse and taken directly into
the laundry. where the flames we're blazing
fiercely in the rafters overhead. The fire
had secured good Judgment, but with sew
eral well directed streams 1t was soon
~ tl,a Dnl, b,.nr tnAO
play to extinguish the smouldering en-
bers. At the first symptoms of danger the
nurses who were attending Governor
Phelps, were informed of the real situa-
tion and notified that there was no inn
minent danger. The long ufferng patient
accepted the situation calmly, and instead
Of growing nevous. as was anticipated, he
chose to abide the situation and trust in his
attendants. The Governors room is on
the main floor at the Chestnut street side,
or nearly block away from the fire.
The greatest danger that developed, after
the fire had gained Roadway, was from the
fear stricken women and some men. In
many instances they had hung around the
halls. afraid to venture awav, for fear of
meeting the flames and all the time being
subjected to greater danger from suffoca-
ton. On the lower halls and In the ro-
tunda and on the streets the scenes were
people were in the building who could not
be accounted for and that they were evil
IDENTIFY lost, but this giving way to feel
ing that all had been saved. the fears of
those already out Of danger lessened, but
they had not been taken away when il was
discovered that there had actually been
loss of life The scenes then became again
of the widest character, and while some
of the people hung around breathless to
hNx., haI laaY 1ngt al I'll
out pteously for friends who had been
separated from them for the moment. The
| chambermaids and servants were particu-
! larly panic stricken. The missing people,
were all from their number, and it was
heart-rending as they called out piteously
for their friends to answer. .fr.
In room DAG lay Mary Cooney, chamber
maid on the fourth floor, who had evil
IDENTITY made frantic efforts to escape by
rushing through the Railways and down
the stairs. She was found lying on her
face in the hallway on the third floor and
| carried into No. 246, where every effort
was made TO resusctate her. without re-
suit Her face was begrined with smoke,
and on either side of her neck the skin and
! flesh was torn, as thou"h in the agony
of suffocation she had tried to tear
the choking sensation from her
neck. Her right arm was bruised
/
left ankle. but none bad enought to war;
rant any theory other than that of sufro-
cation. The victim was about twenty five
years of are, dark hair and eyes, and had
been faithful employee of the Planters
House for many years
Scarcely had the discovery of the first
body been announced when two more I'M
fortunates were found locked in each 9TH
er's arms, suffocated. One proved to be
| "
employee in the linen department; the 9th
er was Mary Coogan, twenty five years
Of age. who was also employed in the lin :
en- department as an ironer. She had been
in the employ of the Planters about two
weeks, having come there from the South
ern Hotel. Kitty Cassidy was an orphan
and had sister living in the city, but nc
other known relatives.
BY her side lay Mary Coogan. her room.
mate, who presented q horrible appear.
ance. Her face was blackened and features
drawn MS though she had died in the great,
est agony. Her hands were cleuched, anC
the position her body had assumed wa!
plainly indicative of the terror preceding
the agony Of death by fire and suffoca
ton.
The next body found was that of Maggie
Reardon, aged forty years, an employee O
the linen department in the CAPACITY o
|
body, but was begrimed with smoke anC
dirt. She died from suffocation. Maggi
Reardon was a steady, industrious WON
an, the support Of an aged mother and al
invalid sister. Her body was placed in til
dining-room. alongside the two victim
referred to above.
The large crowd which soon gathered O.
the deeply incrusted sidewalks and street
was busted in caring for the half ella
guests of the hotel, as they emerged fror
the main entrance. and out of the Chestnu
street entrance. Many of the ladies an
employees Of the hotel rushed out of th
building with only skirt thrown aroun
them. and their stockings hastily pulle
on, their shoes and the remainder of the
clothes gathered hastily in their arms. A
of the hacks on the street had been Gale
to the scene the moment the fire broke on
ready to convey the guests to other hotel
The burned portion of the building
located in the rear, on the alley runnin
from Pine to Chestnut. tits supposed thu
the fire originated in either the laundry
the kitchen, located on the first floor, an
in about the center of the building. Tn
part of the hotel, besides the kitchen an
laundry, is used for the sleeping apar
ments Of the help, who occupied smal
close rooms situated on the second an
third floors.
Itappears that wherever the flames star
ed they at once started upward and rage