The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-02-14
ELEVEN LOST IN
ST. LOUIS FIRE
Lodging House'in the Missouri
Metropolis Proves a Regu-
lar Fire Trap.
Many MORE ARE INJURED
Exact Number Of Inmates Is Not
knoWn-Many Escaped Without
Clothing, Suffering
Greatly.

~ ot5l CT
2'oo and 2702 Olive street, occupied by
men exclusively. caused the death Of
eleven peTsons-ter men and one wo-
mainland dangerously injured eight
others.
Ten or more who had narrow es-
capes from death in the fire were
more or less injured by being frost
bitten.
1t is estimated that there were be-
tween thlrty-hre or forty persons in
the building, and it is believed all
have been u for.
The financial loss is nominal. 1t is
thought that $1,000 will cover the
damage to the, building and contents,
winch We're totally destroyed. The
dead:
MORRIS VAIL, senior member of
YAH, Clark & Coren. manufacturers
of fine cut glass; burned to q crisp.
TOBE DAVIS, suffocated.
JOHN c. LUEDlGRS. father of Dep
'uty City Marshal Leo Lueders, skull
fractured in jumping from third story
window.
GEORGE THOMPSON, a switchman.
burned to death.
SARAH HARRIS, colored, chamber
maid, burned.
B. E. WOODLEY, employe Hamilton
Shoe company, burned.
j. "A. MMULLEN, carpenter, burned.
s. I. COREY, telegraph operator.
VANCE MARLIN, OF Indianapolis,
civil engineer, burned.
A. j. ALLEN, of Sedalia, Mo-, stone
mason, burned.
man, who died at city
hospital from burns.
The injured:
Harry Kline of Marion, H., Medical
student, hands badly burned and ankles
Sprained.
Walter Johnson, e1nploye Hamilton
Brown Shoe company, ham burned,
both legs broken and injured internally.
Henry Robinson, colored, night por-
ter, badly burned.
George Lane of Rich Hill, Mo-. med
ical student, ankle sprained in jumping
from second story window.
- Sturgeon OF Nashville, ILL.,, dem
tai student, ankle sprained in jumping
from second story window.
]: j. Lally, manager Empire hotel,
back sprained While escaping from
building.
Con Ryan, burned about face.
About ten or twelve Others were less
seriously injured, being bruised, burned
or suffering from exposure.
h fire started about $50 a. m.,
hen but few persons were abroad, and
gained considerable Roadway before it
was discovered. There was consider
able delay in turning in an alarm, and
HlSi1 llS CtiSilieS llilGlS IedCleu IIle
scene the whole front of the building
was in flames and the interior was a
Seeth1ng furnace. BY that tinle all
who escaped death had left the build
ing by jumping from the windows or
climbing down ropes made of bed cloth
Ing. A few escaped from the ground
floor through the front door. Some of
the escapes were very narrow.
Almost everybody who got out suf-
fered some injury or was frostbitten.
The guests barely had time to get out
when aroused, the flames had spread so
rapidly. Some saved their clothing,
which they carried in their hands, but
others were not so fortunate, lost
everything. After some delay nearby
houses We're opened to the unfortunates
and they were given shelter from the
biting Geld weather. It was one of the
coolest nights of the winter, the ground
being covered with ice and snow, and
everyone suffered from exposure. Tn
suffering ones We're put under the care
of physicians. Harry Kline, Walter
johnson, Henry Robinson and an un-
known man, who died later, were taken
to the city hospital. Robinson, recov-
cred enough to be taken home. The
others named will be laid up for some
time. '
After a short search the fremen got
the flames under control, and, assisted
by the police, made a search of the
ruins. The first body found was that
of John C.. Lueders, who was killed by
jumping from the third story. His
head was crushed in. The body of Lue-
ders and those of the the others found
later, were taken to the modgue where
friends or relatives later identified
them.
Sarah Harris was found on the first
floor. Eer body had been burned. The
remains of the other victims were
found in their rooms, where they We're
suffocated orburned.
J.SJ. Lally, who managed the house
for his brother-in-law, J. w, Gillian
had rooms on the first floor. He stated
there were four rooms on the first
floor, nine on the second and sever OH
the third. If all the guests occupied
their rooms, thirty-six persons, includ-
ing the colored porter and chamber
maid, were In the building when it
burned. Lally said he had no means
OF knowing just how many persons
were in the house at the time the fire
broke cut. ~
Some of them were in the habit of
staying out late, and 1t is possible all
were not there He was awakened
by harrington Ryan, one Of the room
ers, crying Fire" Lally said he
grabbed his clothing and none and
hurried into the hall, which was
ablaze, and without stopping to dress
stepped out through the front door.
Both stairways were on fire n he
barely had time to get out, being
scorched and spraiping his back.
Lane, RYAN and a man named Mes
lev escapedt the same way. The only way
for h others who got out alive was
through the windows, the burning
stairways cutting off their escape that
way Some jumped; and sustained In
iuries more or less serious. while oth-
ers who took time to improyise ropes