The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-04-30
GREAT HOTEL BURNED.
The Historic ST. Charles, at New
Orleans, Wiped Out.
Five PEOPLE LOSE THEIR LIVES.

OF These One Man Jumped from Fourth
story window to the strsst-The Hotel
was One Of tho Largest and Hand
soonest In the Country.
NEW oRtEANs, April so.--A few minutes
before II o'clock Saturday night fire broke
out IN the kitchen Of the st. Charles hotel.
A large audience was leaving the %.
Charles tbeater at the time, and in q few
minutes the widest excitement prevailed
In the street. Guests and employees Of the
hotel were seen dashipg out Of the burn
ing building half clad with such personal
effects al Could be snatched Up In their
hurried exit from their sleeping rooms
and IL soop became ascertained that the
whole interior Of the court was ablaze
AZ nearly 40 can be ascertained five lives
were sacrificed. One man 1eaped from the
fourth story and was almost instantly
killed, while four men and one woman
were seen to leap from the iron staircase
leading from the rear of the building and
were lost to view In the court which looked
to be almost solid mass of flames. One
man made bis escape into the street, but
nothing was seen of the others. 1t is also
reported that child Is missing, but this
lacks confirmation. .,.. .-
| About 9 a. m. q portion OF the wall on
Grnvier street, as well as a section on
Common street, fell in and q small por-
ton on the Gravier side fell outward,
wrecking about fifty telegraph wires. By
a. m. the last OF the interior of the build
I ing had tumblea in, leaving only the st,
Charles street walls intact. On Gravier
street the flames were eating their way
Into three buildings which interviewed be
tween the great wall of the hotel and the
old Union bank at the corner. These
buildings on Gravier street were occupied
by number OF firms engaged in the in
surance and machinery agency business
Fortunately for the interest OF these firms
most of their representatives or theii
clerks appeared upon the scene and saved
the valuable books ARA papers. /.
i No fire that has ever been known II
/, New Orleans was accompanied by
greater shower Of sparks, which were car
, ried by the wind distance of three O.
= four blocks. ... .4....
The loss on the St. Charles is estimated
at from ssoo,o to 100000. Besides tn
t St, Charles hotel there are other losses.
: The man who was killed by leapini
from the building was John Riley, a baker
The first st. Charles hotel was built il
1885, the work of construction having bee,
= commenced In 1885. The cost of the build
> ing was s8oe,o and the ground cost 500
/. 600. The dining room was one of tn
:. highest finished apartments in America
the ceiling being composed Of three beat
tiful elliptic domes for chandeliers. Th
d ceilings aud walls were handsomely fires
!. coed by Canova, nephew Of the gres
/ Italian sculptor, and the building COZ
eAHk
= building was destroyed by fire in 1851. III
building of the new hotel was at one
n commenced and the building then con
}. pleted was the one Just destroyed At Il
% time 1t attracted attention throughout IL
: world because of the fact that it was tt
= finest hotel In the world, and the fir
q great hotel Of the United States. The ne
- building was of the same style and arch
Fl lecture as the old one, with the exceptio
y. of the cupola.
to- From 1881 the building has been close
associated with the history of this sta
H. and city. In parlor up" Jefferson Dav
t. and the leading southern politicians m
and agreed upon the course to be pursue
II at the Charleston convention in 1860, ar
- since then the fate of hundreds of asI
81 rants for public honors were sealed in d
historic precincts. Since the war the
n Charles has been the central point of We
" stormy politics in Louisiana.
Mr.. Hildreth, one Of the proprietors
3l5 the commencement Of the war, was q r,
alive of General Buffers wife, who
"a maiden name was Hildreth. When BIZ
=. Ter took charge Of the city, In 1se2, N
lfildreth refused to receive Butler 10 I
I'd 1..eI 80 ,;o, w.. norrowly ,rayan+
rs ho'ei' ANU iioo Nc 80 Wy "a
d. in consequences. Inc doors were tnroN
open to returning ex-Confederates at t
close of the war, and there they were W
,P- coined with and without price.