Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-02-15
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 10 Not
known-Meny Escaped Without
Clothing, Suffering
Greatly.

st. Louis. Feb. 1l.-An early morning
fire, which destroyed the Empire hotel,
q large three-story lodging hous ct
200 and 2702 Olive street, occupied by
men exclusively, caused the death OF
clever ~persons-ten men and one wo-
man-and 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.
II Is estimated that there were be-
tween thirty-five or forty persons In
the building, and IL Is believed all
have been accounted for.
The financial loss is nominal. II is
thought that $50, COO will cover the
damage to the building and contents.
which were totally destroyed. The
dead:
NORRIS YALL, senior member OF
YalI. Clark & Cowen, manufacturers
OF fine cut glass; burned to a crisp.
TOBE DAVIS, suffocated.
JOHN &. LUEDERS, father Of Dep
uty City Marshal Leo Lueders. skull
fractured In jumping from third story
window.
GEORGE THOMPSON. a %switchman.
burned to death.
oAitAE iiAftftlo, ColoTeu, CHdIlpsI-
maid, burned.
b. e. WooDLEY, employe Hamilton
Shoe company, burned.
j. A. M'MULLEN, carpenter, burned.
S. Il. COREY, telegraph operator.
VANCE MARLIN, OF Indianapolis,
civil engineer. burned.
A. J. ALLEN, Of Sedalia, Mo-, stone
mason, burned.
Unknown man. who died at city
hospital from burns.
The injured:
Harry Kline OF Marion, ILL.,, Medical
student, hands badly burned and ankles
s%prained.
Walter Johnson, employe Hamilton
Brown Shoe company, hand burned,
both legs broken and injured internally.
Henry Robinson, colored, n'gat por-
ter, badly burned. :
George Lane OF Rich Hill, Mo-, med
zeal student, ankle s%prained In jumping
from second story window.
- Sturgeon OF Nashville, H., len
tai student, ankle sprained In jumping
from second story window.
j. 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.
The fire started about $3.50 a. m.
when but few persons were abroad, and
gained considerable Roadway before II
was discovered. There was consider
able delay In turning in an alarm, and
when the engines finally reached the
scene the whole front OF the building
was In flames and the interior was a
seething furnace BY that time 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, and lost
everything. After some delay nearby
houses were opened to the unfortunates
and they were given shelter from the
biting COLI weather. 1t was one OF the
coolest nights OF the winter, the ground
being covered with ice and snow, and
suffered from exposure. The
suffering ones were put under the care
Of physicians. Harry Kline, Walter
Johnson. Henry Robinson n an I'M
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
After n short search the bremen got
the flames under control, and, assisted
by the police, made q search OF the
The first body found was that
of John G. Lueders, who was killed by
jumping from the third story. His
head was crushed In. The body of Lue-
and those of the the Others found
were taken to the modgue where
or relatives later. identified
them.
Sarah Harris was found on the first
floor. Her body had been burned. The
OF the other victims were
in their rooms, where they were
.suffocated orburned.
J. j. Lally, who managed the house
his brother-in-law j. w. Gillian,
had rooms on the first floor. He stated
there were four rooms on the first
noor. nine on the second and sever on
the third. If all the guests occupied
heir rooms, thirty-six persons, includ-
the colored porter n chamber
maid, were in the building when II
Lally Ssid he had no means
Of knowing just how many persons
were In the house at the time the fire
broke out.
Some OF them were In the habit OF
out late, and II is possible all
we're not there. He was awakened
by hearing Con Ryan, n of the room
ers. crying Fire" Lally said he
grabbed his clothing and money II
hurried into the hall, which was
ablaze, and without stopping TO dress
out through the front door.
Both stairways were on fire n he
barely had time 10 get out. being
and s%praining his back.
Lane, RYAN and a man named Mes
ey ESCAPED the same way. The only way
for the others who got out alive was
through the windows, the burning
,tairways cutting off their escape that
way. Some jumped, and sustained in
iuries more or less serious, while 9TH
srs who took time to improvise ropes
rom their b~edclothing got down safely.
Most of the guests have been
accounted for in the list OF dead, injured
escaped. Among those u~naccounted
Tor Is A. Goldberg, an unknown stranger,
who came in late and went TO bed without
,egistering. two students. whose names
ire not known, and f. r. Contrand. 1t Is
lot believed there are any more bodies In
he ruins. which have been carefully
For that reason II Is thought
hose named will turn M.
Nobody seems 10 know just nov or
where the fire started. IL Is believed that
[ started on the first floor or I'm the cell
ar, where there is n steam heating plant.
X. a. Woolsey, a medical student, whose
is In Galesburg, H.. had a room