Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1900-11-14
-FOUR DIE IN FLAMES
Three.Story Frame Hotel at Pop.
lar Bluff, Mo-, Is De-
stroyed.
DISASTER OFF NOVA SCOTIA
Steamer City of Monticello Wrecke
and Thiriy-Two Persons Drowned
Bodies Swept Ashore.

Poplar BluYf, Mo-, Nov. PA fire,
accompanied with terrible fatality,
occurred here early in the morning, re-
sulting in the total destruction of the
Clifford House, a large three-story
frame building. The list of known
dead is as follows: Heck Clark, Doni-
phan, Mo-; Rebecca Owens, Poplar
Bluff; Shelby de Hart, Poplar Bluff;
Curley Berry, Poplar Bluff. Fatally
injured Hargrove, Poplar, Bluff;
Winslow Stowe, Tennessee. Missing
Eugene Dalton, Hot Springs, Ark.
The following were badly burned or
injured in jumping from windows: L.
A. Smith, Poplar Bluff, terribly burned
about the face and hands; Barney Per-
maud, De Soto, Mo-. hands and face
burned; Charles Stradley, Poplar Bluff,
Shelby, Poplar Bluff, back injured,
burned and bruised; Pink Berry FL
mer Freshear, James Upchurch, all
Poplar Bluff. severely burned. An
unknown woman is also thought to be
fatally injured and about a dozen more
were slightly burned, or received
UiuiSco III tis iuS " SSCdpS AiVAh ehS
building.
Was Mass of Flames.
The fire originated about 1870
o'clock in the morning in the rear of
the hotel and in a few minutes the
mammoth building, which was entire
ly of wood, was mass of flames.
There were in the neighbOrho0d of
forty-five guests in the building and
the porter, the only person awake in
the hotel. was unable to give an alarm,
the smoke and flames driving him
back The fire department was on
hand early but they were unable to
render any assistance to the inmates
The guests on the second and third
floors were caught like rats i'll trap,
the fire preventing their escape by the
stairs aud they leaped from the second
and third story windows. One of
these, Heck Clark. jumped and broke
his back; I1tta Hargrave leap2d from
n third-story window and suffered
broken limbs and internal injuries
which will cause her death. Others
were also internally injured.
Forced His Wife TO Jump.
+, One guest, Benjamin Shelby. forced
his wife To leap from Il second-story
window and thereby saved her life.
but lost everything they possessed
Mr.. Shelby tried to escape by the stair
way but the smoke and flames drove
him back. lie asserts that he saw ten
or fifteen persons in the hallway over
come by smoke. If this is the case.
a dozen or more bodies may be found
in the ruins. Many of the guests
had hair breadth escapes and ran from
the doomed building clad only in their
night clothes. losing everything they
possessed in the world. Their hair
and eyebrows were singed by the
flames. Numerous feats of heroism
are recorded and if some OF the male
guests had not aided the weaker sex,
the death list would he larger AS
vet. 1t is impossible to tell just how
many lives were lost.
Every Room Occupied
Quite a number of the guests were
not registered and their names are UNI
known Every room in the house,
forty-five in number. was occupied.
Men are now at work on the ruins, but
it will probably be several days be-
fore the complete list of deaths will
he obtainable. The Clifford House
was one of the oldest hotels in south
east Missouri, and it has been consid-
cred as Il death7trap for number OF
Years. w T. Norrid was the pro-
prietor He and his wife escaped but
lost everything.