The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1914-03-13
MORE THAN A SCORE
PERISH In FLAMES
THIRTY LOST IN FIRE WHICH DE-
STROYS ST. LOUIS CLUB.
Seven Found Dead and Many Missing.
Cause OF Disaster MyStery-Man-
ayers Wife Saves Many.

ayers Wife Saves Many.
s.. Louis, March 9-That from so
to 81 guests of the Missouri Athletic
club perished in the flames that de-
stroved the building is the belief OF
officers of the club tonight.
Seven bodies have been recovered,
and from % to % occupants of the
structure acc still unaccountcd for.
At sundown tonight firemen continued
the search for bodies in the shoulder
ing ruins under the glare of search
lights.
Though a committee early today
opened headquarters at the Press club
and asked all who were guests OF
the Missouri Athletic club last night
10 report, 80 to 81 did not register
and hourly the feeling grew that all
these were lost.
Hope was given by Fire Chief
,SwingIey late todaE that the water
could be pumped cut Of the ruins to-
night and that search for bodies
might then be resumed.
Seventeen in Hospitals.
While the search continued today,
II persons injured in The fire were
under treatment at public and private
hospitals.
There was much difficulty in iden-
tifying recovered bodies of the dead
and some were identified III Ter TWO
or three different names.
The blaze was the most serious as
to fatalities of any fire in the citys
history. 1t completely wrecked the
seven-story building occupied Jointly
by the Missouri Athletic club and the
Boatmen's bank caused properly
loss estimated at $4,000 ard forced
the abandonment of the inter-col-
Iegiate track meet to have been held
in ST. Louis under the auspices Of the
club Saturday night.
The cause of the FIRE was a mys-
terry tonight. Reports that the blaze
was accompanied by terrific ex-
plosion indicating that the fire was
due to efforts of bank robbers to
dynamite the Boatmen's bank were
unconfrmed. Reports of explosions
were denied by tle night Waterman
Of the bank
Money in Bank.
In the vaults of the Boatmens
bank, which occupied part Of the first
floor, was more than s1,300,O00 in
currency. The vaults were unharmed,
the bank officials reported The bank
opened today in temporary quarters a
few blocks away.
The number of guests who had
rooms in the club house either perma-
nGntty or for the night, was about
100. Many escaped, some checked
out before tae fire, others it is
thought, were rot there wnen the
flames broke out; some were injured
in leaving the club house and the
rest are listed among the dead or
unaccounted fo".
The fire was discovered by a NO.
man who was waiting in the club
lobby for her escart, who saw the
reflection of the flames in the pla e
glass windows across the street
Thirty-eight guests on the fifth floor
were awakened by Mr.. and Mrs Rob-
ert Magill who refused to leave until
they had given the alarm to all within
reach Mr.. Oagill was house mana
ger of the club Mrs. Magill was bad
ly burned.
Slide Down Rope.
Thirteen men escaped from the
fifth floor by sliding down rope made
of two sheets. Their adventure was
related by Lewis Gaylord, an adver-
tising man of New York. GAYLORD
5 was in room on the west side of the
fifth floor. When he took the room he
examined the fire escapes and noticed
that the roof Of the building occu-
pied by seed company was only Is
feet below his window
Awakened by screams Gaylord DON
ned bath robe, ran into the smoke
filed corridor and rushed to the stair
way. The carpet was ablaze and
flames roared in the elevator shaft.