Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-04-05
Four Servants Smothered to Death
In Upper Stories.
Terrible Scenes Amid the Flames
and Smoke.
The Guests Lives Saved But the
Losses Great.


q third alarm at 1875 a. m. Upon arrival of
g the FIRE apparatus, 1t was found that the
, laundry room, as well as the drying room
of the hotel, were in flames and burning
: fercely. The Waterman and night
. clerk rushed hither and .thither, awaken.
ing the guests (l34 in number) and
calling out at the top Of their voices,
Fire! Fire. The greatest excitement
: prevailed, and for q time panic was ex-
pected, but as some of the guest reached
the ground Hoor and found no immediate
danger in that portion Of the building, the
excitement grew lees and some of the
, guests returned to their rooms to procure
such valuables as had been left there in their
, hurry to escape. Several trunks were
} thrown from the third and iolrth floors,
only to be dsshed to pieces. Ons lady ap-
peared at the third story window and throw.
ing out her grip, reached for one of the
rupgs of the fire escape and landed in short
order on the pavement.
Senator D. II. Armstrong, who 10 reg
ular guest of the hotel, was awakened by
the wa chwan and landed in the office of
the hotel q little confused on account Of
dense smoke, but not in the least excited
Tue fremen worked vigorously, and 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
extipguished, and but for the complete
drenchipg the main portion Of the hote
suffered little.
SHOCKING.
After the guests had been aroused, and
all was thought 10 be safe, the fire men, in
making their rounds through the building, |
made three horrible discoveries. On the
fourth floor, in the north hall, they came
across three bodies stumbling over them
as they made their way through the smoke
The frat two reached were conveyed to the
dining room floor, where Dr. c. F. Re
noines was called, aud made every
effort to rfsuscitate the bodies, but
it was a hopeful task to begin on,
and after working with the aid Of sev.
ersl OF the 6remen for almost half an hour,
he pronounced them dead. This over, the
bodies-csd merely in their night clothes,
their faces blsckened by the smoke and the
skin on their hands and arms peeled of at
places showing where they had ran against
obstacles in their efforts to escspe--were
laid ont on the dining room floor and an
attempt to discover who they we're was
begun. As all the guests had been &C.
counted for, it was pretty certain that they
were servants. Accordingly those OF the
servant girls who were in the room were
called upon, most Of whom merely sp.
preached near enough to gsze 10 awe at
the bodies and turn away. Only one or
two could be induced 10 60 near enough
to recognize through the covering Of smoke
who they were, when one WAS identified as
Kate Cassidy and the other as Mary Burk,
Two MORE.
Up in room 2l6 another pitable scene
was witnessed. Here the third unfortun-
ale, who proved to Mary Cooney, another
employe, in the linen department. had
been taken, upon being picked up, in the
boil. She was found lying with her head
near the west door at The extreme end Of
the hall. On her being conveyed to the
room there was just the slightest indication
that life was not extinct, but after an
hour's hard work BY the physician and
fireman, life was pronounced extinct. On
the right hand Of this victim,
strip Of skin was peeled Of as
was the skin on her neck. Shortly after
ward the body Of still another girl named
Maggie Resrdon, was found, who had died
from suaocstiOn making four deaths in
al The girls were all employees Of the
house, and we're none over 20 years Of age |
Katie Cassidy has been employed almost q
year and was general fsVorite. The pa
troll was sent for, and the bodies taken to
the morgus
One OF the male employs oil the hotel
made his 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, marmuripg, "TbsuE God I'm
QUIT
PREVIOUS FIRES.
The Planters House has been on FIRE
several times within The last score Of years,
but with two exceptions the work Of extin-
gushing the blaze was soon over and the
} damage incurreS comparatively triGiug.
Three years ago the hoel bad narrow Is
cape. 1t was about The same hour in the
, morning that the Gre reported 10 day broke
, out. and in about the same p!sce-in the
| kitchen wing, fscicg on agrrog siioy in
J the rear The depsSlasnt did good work
Ct that Gre, sad saved the entire building,
, only three rooms hsiD9 hUrutd out, never.
3 theless three lives we're lost Of employees
/ who bad been sleeping 10 the top story Of
: the wing on FIRE.
TEH loea.
The loss by FIRE and water Will probably
! not exceed $4,000 Among the late srri.
|, walls st the botel- were: MAILER. Chi
cago; NJ. NJ Roberts, Chicago; W. A.
t Griffith, Providence, K l: c B Vim.
t Buffalo; c. W Fuller, New York; G Z.
e Tburstor, New York; l.. Prenliau De
A troit; ". p. FsEop, Cincinnati; r. o.
Norman, New York; W. F. Chester, New
: York; J. F. HOPKINS Indianapolis; + J
I Snow, New York, snd Z W. Somers. New
York.
THE WONDER IS THAT Any EECAPED.
Inspection Of the servants quarters at
;. the Planters Hotel reveals the fact that
q the suffccstiou OF the four girls this morn
: ing was the direc. result OF their being
> located directly over the laundry, where the
= fire originated. Their quarters being two
j rows Of very small rooms on the fourth
floor, with hall only four fee. wide and 8
passsgeRsy to 9 circular stairway scarcely
vide enough for two persons shreaat, and
e the landing beiag in Q recess with about
d FIVE fee. square, which continues into q
~ Il Il Al