Morris tribune., 1886-04-07
PANIC AT AN HOTEL FIRE.
A SCENE OF HORROR AT THE PLANT
ERs' HOUSE, ST. LOUIS.
-Four Servant Girls Suffocated While Try
ing to Escape-Blackenea by Fire and
Smoke - Wild Confusion Among the
Guests-Scenes and Incidents.

-Four Servant Girls Suffocated While Try
ing to Escape-Blackenea by Fire and
Smoke - Wild Confusion Among the
Guests-Scenes and Incidents.
ST. LOUIS, April 5.-At O'Clock Saturday
morning, when the scrub girls came down
to work at the Planters, the Oldest hotel in
the city, Rose Sloan and Kitty Daley dis
covered that the drying room of the laundry
was on fire, They ran with the terrible
news to James O'Connell the night clerk,
who quickly turned in an alarm and wdile
doing so sent the only bell-boy in the Office
through tho house to rouse the guests. dis
loud knocks on the doors and loud cries of
fire, soon reused the sleepers, and their cries
added to the confusion until it became
general The startling summons brought
the half-awakenei guests into the halls in
their night clothes, where the rapidly thick
ening smoke and strong smell of burning
pine so thoroughly alarmed them that most
of them rushed for the elevator anu stair
ways without waiting to further lothe
themselves The lower halls and the Office
were soon filed with the frightened crowd.
Finding themselves safe, with a good
prospect OF reScuing at least part OF their
effects the still shivering guests began to be
anxious for the hotel servants, who were in
the upper rooms over the rear portion of the
house, where they had been the last to be
alarmed, and whore the danger was most
imminent, as the fire was Immediately be-
meath them The flames had by this time
gained alarming Roadway. But the firemen
had got to work although they hal pro-
duced but little effect Some of those who
had successfully reached the lower floors had
al fria for xyhn
safety they were extremely anxious From
the upper stories could be heard the screams
OF the frightened servants, who were rum
ming wildly through the corridors, not
knowing which way to turn, while every
moment added to their almost certain suffo-
cation. Hemmed in on every side, and with
the smoke pouring up through every avenue
of escape, they became mad and ,perate.
The trenen got to work promptly and
soon had the flames under control, while
the saved guests and the assembled crowd
outside began to make eager and we'll
directed efforts to rescue those still in danger.
In a very short time all except four were
gotten out in safety.
Mary Cooney, a chambermaid, was dis
covered in room PIG, on the fourth floor.
She was lying on her face, partially sutfo-
Gated Efforts were made to resuscitate
her, but without success. She was already
dead. She had torn the skin from her neck
in mad effort to relieve the choking that
took her life away. She was 70 years old
and had been faithful employee of the
house for several years She lost her life
endeavoring to aid other servants to escape
from the burning building.
Kitty Cassidy and Mary Coogan, cham
bsrmaids, were discovered locked in death
Sv,a I, o&I, Fox
the body Of Mary Cooney. They evidently
had made frantic efforts to escape through
the hallway. They were II and % years
old respectively.
Maggie Keardon, 10 years old, employed
In the linen department, was the other vic
tim. She was also discovered in the hall,
with face begrimmed with SCOT and smoke
and quite dead The bodies were removed
to the street, where the saddest scene of all
was witnessed. The saved employees e8hib-
tied the widest grief. One girl became IN
controllably dslirious over the body of poor
Kitty Cassidy, who, it appears, was her
confdante and bosom friend.
During the fire the guests flung clothes,
valises, trunks, etc, out OF the windows.
One lady, who had privately furnished her
rooms, threw out valuable mirrors, bric-a-
brac, and other delicate articles in wild ex.
element. She afterward had difficulty In
saving her life. There were about $50
guests in the house, which, with the en-
ployes, would maze the number in danger
nearly 200
At about $40 the last spark was extin-
guished, and but for complete drenching
the main portion Of the hotel suffered little
Three Years ago the hotel had narrow
escape. 1t was about the same hour in the
morning The department did good WORK
at that fire and saved the entire building,
only three rooms being burned out, but
nevertheless three lives were lost-the lives
of three employees sleeping in the top story
of the wing Oh fire.