The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1902-02-15
HORROR in ST. LOUIS.
The Empire Hotel Burns In the Mid
die of the Night.
Ten Men and One Woman Lose Theiz
Lives-several other Persons Are
Injured - Many Narrow Es-
capes Reported.

st. Louis, Feb. 10.--An early morn
ing fire, which destroyed the Empire
hotel, large three-story lodging
house at 270O and 2702 Olive street,
caused the death of IL persons. ten
men and one woman, and dangerous
ly injured eight others. Ten or more
who had narrow escapes from death
in the fire were more or less injured
by being frost bitten. 1t is estimated
that there were between 35 and 40
persons in the building Saturday
night, and it is believed all have been
accounted for. The financial loss is
nominal. 1t is thought that $4,000
will cover the damage to building and
contents, which were totally de-
stroyed.
The Victims.
The dead are:
Morris Yall. senior member firm Yall.
| Clark & Cowen, manufacturers Of fine
cut glass; formerly Of Chicago; burned to
| a crisp.
lobe Davis. man about town, suffocated.
John c. Lueders. father of Deputy City
Marshal Leo Lueders. skull fractured in
jumping from third-story window
George Thompson, switchman Terminal
| yards, burned to death.
| Sarah Harris. colored chambermaid.
| burned.
B. F. woodley, employe Hamilton Brown
| Shoe company, burned.
| ]. A. McMullen, carpenter burned
S. T. Corey. telegraph operator. Mer-
| chants Terminal association.
Vance Marlin. hosting engineer. Green
| field. o., burned.
| A. j. Allen. Sedalia. Mo-. stonemason.
| burned.
ITnkpou,r mon ,,ho ato5 % ot,,. ho.at,,i
| from burns.
Five men are missing
The injured: Harry Cline, medical stu
| dent, Of Marion, ILL.,, hands badly burned
| and ankle sprained; Walter Johnson. en-
| ploye Hamilton Brown Shoe company
hands burned. both legs broken, and in
| 1uyed internally; Henry Robinson (colored),
| night porter. badly burned; George Lane,
medical student. of Rich Hill, Mo-. ankle
| sprained In jumping from second-story
window; - Sturgeon, dental student. back
| sprained In jumping from secord-story win
| dow: Harry Thompson, medical student,
Nashville. ILL.,, ankle sprained in jumping
| from second-story window; J. j. Lally,
| manager Empire hotel, back badly sprained
while escaping from building: Con Ryan.
burned about face. About ten or twelve
| others less seriously injured being bruised,
burned or suffering from exposure.
Soon n Settling Furnace.
The fire started about $3.50 a. m,
when but few persons were abroad,
and gained considerable Roadway be-
fore it was discovered and the alarm
given. There was considerable 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 seeth-
ing furnace. By that time all who
escaped death had gotten out of the
building by jumping from the win
dows and climbing down ropes made
of bed clothes. A few escaped from the
ground floor through the front door.
Some of the escapes were very mar
row. Almost everybody who got out
suffered some injury or was frost
bitten. 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, losing everything. After
some delay nearby houses were
opened to the unfortunates, and they
were given shelter from the biting
cold weather. 1t was one of the cold
est nights of the winter, the ground
being covered with ice and snow, and
everyone suffered from exposure. The
suffering ones were put under the
care of physicians.
Bodies Found.
After a short fight the firemen got
the flames under control and, assist
ed 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 Lueders and those of
the others found later were taken
to the morgue. where friends and
relatives later identified them. Sarah
Harris was found on the first floor.
| Narrow Escapes.
| r. A. Woolsey, a medical student,
whose home is in Galesburg, Ill, had
a room on the second floor. Finding
the regular exits cut off, he slid to
the ground safely with the aid of
two sheets tied together. Harry
Cline, of Marion, ILL.,, who is stu
dent in the medical department of
Washington university, had narrow
escape from death. He roomed on
the second floor with Harry Thomp-
son, of Nashville, ILL.,, student at
the same college. Cline was aroused
| by cries of fire. He awakened Thomp-
son, and together they attempted to
escape through the hall. They found
the stairway on fire and the hall
filed with smoke and flames, which
drove them to the window in their
room. Thompson jumped first and
hurt his ankle, but before Cline could
| get out the flames burned him ter
ribly about the hands, with which he
shielded his face. He is now ut the
hospital suffering from his burns and