The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-03-09
90 BELIEVED TO HAVE DIED IN
 ST. LOUIS FIRE
Six Bodies Recovered, "A Men Missing. About 30
 Injured
MORE THAN $l, 300, 900
 BURIED AMONG RUINS
Guests of Missouri Athletic Club Victims of Early
 Morning Blaze

Morning Blaze St. Louis. March '9-Six men were killed, A are unaccounted for and about 30 were injured in a. fire that destroyed the seven story building of the Missouri Athletic Club today.
 The dead whose bodies have been
 0. F. KESSLER, general manager of Lud1ow-Sayler Wire Co. St. Louis, killed in Jumping from sixth floor. k JOHN MARTIN RICKEY, of St. Paul. found burned to death on the third floor.
 JAMES RILEY, a guest at. thesclub.
 The property loss was more than $350,0o0. The fire, which broke out about 2 o'clock this morning, was still burning at noon and Fire Chief Swingley said. it would be unsafe to. send anyone into the ruins to search for the missing until tonight or to- morrow.
 s BANK VAULT BURIED.
 The building was owned by the Boatmen's Bank which occupied part of the first floor. In the vaults of the burned building, bank officials said, were $1,349, ,0004in currency and $27,-. 900 in coin.
 Uncertainty as to the number of men in the building when the fire broke out made it difficult to deter mine the exact number of missing. Jack Reisinger, night clerk at the club, said 45 members had rooms at the club and that the registration of guests brought the total number for the night up to 75. Some of the. reg, uIar guests, may not have been in their rooms when the fire broke out.
 The fire was believed to have started on the third floor on which the dining room was located. On q 7<1f11- r The two other known dead jumped from a sixth story window.
 More than al dozen Jumped several stories to the roofs of adjoining build irgs and suffered broken legs and less serious injuries. Those who escaped unhurt ran about the streets in bath robes or night clothes. apparently frenzied, until they were forcisbly car 'ried into neighboring hotels.
 Heroisn bordered on the super human was exhibited both by the fre- men and guests at the club. The fire men time and again dodged one fall ing wall only to find themselves un- der another totterdng mass of granite and brick.
 RESCUED BY FIREMAN.
 Theodore Levy. of Louisville. Ky, chung to a window sill until both his hands were scorched almost black. Just as he was about to let go, a fire man grasped him about the waist and carried him down a ladder. At the City Hospital Levy later said two of the men who had been killed Jumped from the window to which he had c1ung.
 Robert C. Magi1l, manager of the club, and his wife were reused by the smoke. They discovered the fire in the dining room on the third floor, and before seeking their own safety they rushed up and down the halls Knocking on doors and waking guests. Both were severely burned about the face. hands and feet
 Among those who escaped was Wall ter E,irsch, financial agent of the St. Louis Federal League baseball club. Mordecai Brown, manager of the team, arrived here from New York until a few hours before the fire was discovered.
 A telephone operator, a young boy, remained at his post on the ground floor even after the firemen began pouring water into the building cape to him.
 At o'clock this morning. four hours after the fire was discovered, the blaze was believed to be under control. Half an hour later, however, boilers in the basement began to ex-
 
 under orders of their chief, withdrew from the street immediately in front of the building.
 BEDDING SAVED THIRTEEN.
 Thirteen men escaped from the fifth floor of the building by sliding down a rope made of two sheets. The story of the escape was told by Lewis Gay lord, of New York. Gaylord was in a. room oX the west side of the fifth floor. He was awakened by screams Throwing on 8 bathrobe he ran into the corridor which then was filled with smoke and rushed to the stair way The carpet on the stairs was abIaze and the elevator shaft was a furnace from top to bottom.
 He then started for a window open ing on the roof of seed store. In the corridor he heard som cry: s.I am blind. Don't leave me here to diep Gaylord rnadefout in the smoke a man groping his way along the wall Gaylord led him to a room occupied by Henry Baker.
 In Bakers room Gaylord and the unidentified blind man were joined by nine others. A young man took command of the situation and tying two sheets together fastened one end the rope hand over hand and all were store.
 Although Abe Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation 51 years ago, the ball players still seem to be held in involuntary servitude.
 The politicians of all parties deny