Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1914-03-13
FORCE IDLE MEN OUT BIG FIRE IN ST.LQU
MISSOURI ATHLETIC CLUB BUILD
ING CONSUMED BY FIRE EARLY
MONDAY MORNING.
MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE Persisted
Whole Block Soon a Settling Mass Of
Fire-Escape mpossibIe-Seversi
Jumped to Streets Being Killed
Fire Department, Helpless.


St. Louis.-More than 100 people
are believed to have persisted in fire
discovered bursting Monday morning
from the windows of the lower four
stories of the Missouri Athletic club at
Fourth and Washington avenues. The
blaze threatened to destroy the build
ing occupied by the club and the Boat
Mems bank.
The fire drove scores of roomers at
the club into the street In their night
clothes
At $3.50 o'clock every fireman In the
city was on the scene. but the blaze
spread in all directions and was far
beyond the control of the firemen. The
entire block bounded by Forrth street
Broadway, Washington avenue and Lu-
cas- avenue seemed doomed
OF 1876 roomers at the club not more
than 20 were accounted for an hour
after the alarm was given. The re-
naming men are believed to have been
trapped on the floors above the fourth.
The entire building was soon a
seething mass of fire. The ROOF of the
massive structure occupying half a city
square soon caved in, carrying down
with it several floors, and it is be-
lieyed more than 100 persons are dead.
Every available ambulance and police
patrol wagon in the city was called to
the scene.
A careful census of those who es-
capped from the building was taken by
the police and an officer of the club
and not more than two dozen men
were accounted for.
1t is almost certain all the others
were burned to death.
At o'clock the bodies of seven mer
were found on the sidewalk where they
had jumped from the fourth floor One
of these was identified as that of Johr
Martin Hickey of Chicago
Later Report. !,
st. Louis.-That from 80 to 35 guests
of the Missouri Athletic club persisted
! in the flames that destroyed the build
ing early Monday is the belief of OF
ficers of the club.
Seven bodies have been recovere,
e and from 23 to 20 occupants of III
: structure still are unaccounted for
The blaze was the fourth seriou
O fire in the downtown district of 81
:. Louis in eight days and the, most sc
: rious as to fatalities ofiany fire in tn
J city's history. This blaze whicl
started at 80 a. m. Monday, wrecke
the seven-storyi building occupies
Jointly by the Missouri Athletic clu
l. and the Boatmens Bank, caused
c property loss estimated at s466,000.
a The cause of the fire. still is
n mystery. Reports that the blaze wa
s accompanied by a terrific explosion
indicating that the fire was due to el
o forts of bank robbers trying to dyna
r mite the Boatmen's bank, were uncoI
n firmed. Reports of explosions were dc
6 MED by the night Waterman of tn
2 bank
}. Banks Vaults Are Intact.
e In the vaults of the Boatmen's banl
which occupied part of the first floo
were more than $1,30O,000 in currenc
!, and more than $4,000 in coin. Tn
2 vaults were unharmed by the fire, tn
. bank officials reported, and the none
!; is intact.
. The bank, one of the oldest in S;
o Louis, opened as usual on Monda
3 morning in temporary quarters a fe'
@ blocks away.