St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-01-19
The Milwaukee Calamity.
From the New York Tribune.
PREVIOUS FIRES IN THE HOTEL

PREVIOUS FIRES IN THE HOTEL
One of the main topics of cOnversa-
ton, while dwelling on the dreadful
holocaust, was the number of times the
Newhall house has been set on fire
through the instrumentality of mali
ciOuS persons. A gentleman who Occu-
pied quarters in the house said the
building had been set on fire at least
four times during the last two years.
One one occasion a chair was piled
with oiled kindling, set on fire and
placed i'll contact with the elevator.
The fire got pretty good start before
it was eXtinguished. The next time
fire was started in a barrel of tinder
which stood in the hall on the first
floor against the elevator. This time,
the house had a narrow escape. The
next time hole was torn through the
plaster in the wall at the bottom of the
elevator and a mass of intiammable
stuff inserted, which was set on fire
and was eXtinguished with the great
est difficulty. Still another time, Il
fire started near the bar-roOm on the
first floor, adjacent to the west side of
the eleVatOr-shaft. These were all
undoubtedly of incendiary origin and
were started at night near the ele
vator so as to preclude any idea of saw
ing the house. Luckily each fire was
eXtinguished. With each recurring
fire the regular bOarders said that
some one had spite against the build
ing and would yet burn it. They
would aVOw their intention of leaving,
but as time elapsed the idea would be
dispelled, only to recur with another
attempt to burn the building. This
time the tiend was successful, as the
| theory seems to leave no doubt of in
diarism. The building was lily con-
structed. Nearly year ago fire was
ignited in C. A. Hendy's room from Il
defective CRATE, and it did consider
able damage before it was put out
This was supplemented by another
slight fire in Hendy's quarters last
week, bnt no special damage was done.
THE NIGHT wATCHMAN's STORY.
William Mckenzie, night Waterman,
makes the following important state
ment: son the night of the fire made
my rounds as usual, visiting the differ
ent lodging floors and basement-roOms,
but observed nothing unusual. The
| bar-roOm was open until two o'clock
in the morning. George Scheller, the
proprietor, was there for about three
quarters of an hour afterward. | had
been to the wOOd-rOOm at about two
O'Clock, and in opening the door lead
| ing to the bar-rOom saw that the latter
was still occupied. At later hour
had to run the elevator down to the
bottom landing to take up a gentleman
who had come from the bar-rOom.
Nothing like smoke was to be detected
then. At $3.50 o'clock T. b. Elliott
came in on late train. | was in the
office, and he asked if the elevator was
running. | told him | would take him
up, and did so, letting him out at the
third floor to the top. Hooked around
the halls and then got into the elevator
to 90 down. This was a few minutes
past half-past three o'clock. AS | got
into the elevator | noticed very little
smoke. | Immediately started down,
to see where it came from. BY the
time | reached the office floor the smoke
was so dense that | could not go fur
ther in the elevator. Throwing open
the door | rushed out and started fOl
the stairs, shouting to the night clerk
that there was fire down below and
that | was going to see about it. By
the time | reached the bottom of the
elevator shaft the smoke was so dens,
and sitting that | knew something
must be done. | called to the engineer
) who was in the engine-roOm, and TOLD
him to rouse the servants. Then
rushed back to awaken the people, fol
| knew there was no chance of my
2 stopping the fire alone. By the time
? reached the first floor above the office
? and had raped at Mr.. Cramer's door
: the heat cracked the glass doors of tn,
elevator, and in a moment afterwar'
1 the flames poured out. In the mean
time had rushed into the bank build
/ ing and aroused as many dodgers il
that portion as | could. Afterward
I rendered what help could in saving
: people. | hardly know what to sa.
/ about the beginning of the fire, but
e know it caught at the bottom of til
i elevator and not on the upper floors
t There was nothing anywhere arOun'
Il the elevator that could burn so quickly
= and at half-past three o'clock ther
T, was no smoke in the elevator, or eithe
Ia Elliott or myself would have notice
y it. After the smoke was observe
It there was scarcely time to do any