Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-11-15


giving the startled porter no time TO
awaken the sleeping inmates.
The shrieks of the guests who were
awakened by the smell of smoke aud
the heat of the flames alarmed other
inmates. and a wild scramble for safe
ty was begun.
Those in the front part of the build
ing made their escape by mea of the
porch, which extends t. the top of the
building. Some jumped and others
slipped down the posts.
Those who occupied rooms in the
center and rear parts of the building
we're placed in the greatest peril, the
interior of the building being so con
structed as to cut off their escape by
means of the stairway.
Their only means of escape was to
jump from the second and third story
windows. Those who leaped out of
slight bruises, but the occupants of
rooms in the third story were not so
fortunate.
Heck Clark. one of the latter. in
jumping broke his back, and died
shortly after being carried to an ad-
joining house.
The woman Eta HargroYe also
leaped from a window in the upper
story. One of her legs was broken
and she was hurt internally. She is
still alive, but the doctors have no
hope for her.
The inmates of the house were ter
ror. stricken, and many had hairbreadth
escapes.
There was no time to dress, and men
and women ran from the burning build
ing in their night dresses. Some
threw their. clothes out of the window
before they leaped and dressed them
selves after they had reached a place
of safety.
Some lost money, j~ewelry and all
their clothes. Others were more lucky
and secured enough wearing apparel
to hide their nakedness.
J. 7. Norrid, the proprietor, and his
wife, who occupied DON in the front
part of the house, escaped in safety,
and saved some of their personal pos
sessions.
Benjamin Shelby and wife were
SlO0pIu& db bu0 uOtCIs duQ W.T. ou0lOy
saved his wife's life by forcing her to
jump put of the second-story window
before him. He states that he saw ten
or more people in the hallway over
come by smoke.
Those who escaped relate horrifying
stories. The smoke and flames were
famed into the faces of the people who
were trying to escape and drove them
into a frenzy.
Edward Mathews. a boarder at the
house, lost $500, his watch, jewelry
and clothes. He says he stumbled
over half a dozen people in the hall
way who had been sufocated.
There is a strong belief that when
the ruins are cleared away eight or
ten more bodies will be found. There
were forty-fve rooms in the house,
and all of them were occupied.
Some of the guests were registered
and some were not; therefore, it is
impossible to tell how many people
met death in the fire.
The work of clearing away the ruins
will be pushed rapidly tomorrow to
ascertain if there were a more lives
lost than those reported.
The house is a total loss, and, with
the property of the proprietor and
guests, will reach a large amount.
Many heroic deeds we're performed.
An Iron Mountain brakeman, manned
Buinn, personally saYed six persons.
One of the most h~eartrending scenes
was the body of a young woman hang
ing h~elplessly out of a window in the
third story. while the flames were al
ing all about her. Many of the spec
tators turned their heads away in hor-
ror.
People escaped from the building
with hair and mustaches burned off.
Some nearly had their eyesight de-
stroyed. The shrieks and lamenta-
tions OF the imprisoned victims were
agonizing.
Little has been done to-day toward
clearing away the ruins. owing to the
intense heat that prevails. Tomorrow
a Systematic search of the ruins will
be inaugurated which is expected to
result In finding at least five or six
more bodies.