Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-01-11
LEAPING FOR LIFE.
HEARTRENDING SCENES AT A
MILWAUKEE FIRE.

a Six-Story Hotel Ablaze-Guests and
Servants Jumping from the Windows
Numbers Dashed to Death-The Tom
Thumb and Madison Square Com
panies Escape-Fifty or Sixty Dead
and ManyTnjured.
CHICAGO, Jan. 10.-A dis patch from
Milwaukee reports that the Newhall
House in that city was burned at an early
hour, this morning. Seventy-hve persons,
principally guests, lost their lives.
MILWAUKEE, Jan. 10.-The NewhaIl
House, six-story brick building ON the
corner Of Michigan street and Broadway,
was burned to the ground this morning.
The fire was discovered at four O'Clock,
and in less than half an hour the whole
building, long designated as a death trap,
was enyeloped in flames. Scenes of the
utmost terror prevailed. The inmates of
the doomed building jumped by dozens
from the upper stories, covering the stone
sidewalks with lifeless bodies. The
shrieks of the unfOrtunates filled the
air in a heartrending manner. The peo-
pie below were unable to render any
aid. Quite a number of terrified guests
and employees of the hotel appeared at the
windows, and seeing the distance to the
ground fell back to perish in the flames
The employees of the hotel, which accom-
mOdated 800 guests, numbered eighty-siX
mostly lodged in the sixth story. Exit by
way of the roof was cut off by the fire,
and two stand pipes with fire ladders were
not available for the same reason. Many
were saved by jumping on canvas.
Comparatively few of the guests on the
hotel register were burned and the exact
loss of life is not determinable. 1t will
reach from fifty to sixty dead and from
twenty to thirty wounded. So far twenty
three bodies are in the mOrgue and nine
more in places near the ruins. Identifica-
ton goes on slowly. So far as known the
following are dead: Allen Johnson COM
mission merchant, of Milwaukee, and
wife; Kitty Bailey and Mary Burns, SER
wants; w. A. Hall, miller, of La Porte;
Ben Nanhaag, fireman, struck by fall
ing telegraph pole; Lizzie Kelly, Maggie
Owens, Hall, Annie and Bessie Brown, Kate
Stanchan, Maggie Sullivan, August Giese
and Mary McLade, all servants; ThOs.
EyanhOrn, of Abbott. n. Y; j. j. HOugh,
Mary Burke. Mary Anderson, Mary
Miller, Mary Mcmahon and Mary Conray,
all servants. The following persons are
missing: w. Il. Durant, insurance agent:
George G. Smith, passenger agent of the
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Rail-
road; Mrs. L. W. Brown; Miss Challis,
dressmaker; Walter and VIM. Gilliland.
The seriously injured are Orange
Williams, residence unknown; Ben
jamin Tice, clerk of the house;
l.. Brown, train master on the Northwest
ern Railroad; L. b. Elliott, lawyer. fatally:
w. r Buesenbach, General Western
Passenger Agent of the Michigan Central
Railroad: Rose Burns. Mary Owens.
Mamie Mclaughlin and Kitty COnnOrs,of
DOylestOwn, all servants. 1t may safely
be said that sixty persons are dead and
thirty seriously injured.
The Mayor has called a meeting to Or
ganiZe salvage corps TO search the ruins.
About week ago the Secretary of the
local Board of Underwriters was applied
to to make an examination of the build
ing that the local agencies might take
risks thereon, as the building was cOnsid-
cred death-trap and risks had been re-
fused. Tom Thumb and party and the
Madison Square Company are all safe as
far as learned. Both trOupes were in the
hotel. Mrs. John Gilbert, Of the Minnie
Palmer troupe, married only two days
ago. was burned to death in sight of n
multitude. Three steamers went from
Chicago at ten minutes to q, in response
to a call from the Mayor, The train bear
ing them went over the Chicago and
Northwestern Railroad. and consisted of
tance of ninety miles, in only little over
an hour.
The scenes at the mOrgue, where now
thirty-twO bodies are lying in CHASTITY
heaps on the floor of a small room, are
heartrending beyond human power of de-
scriptiOn. A strong police force is neces-
sary to keep anxious inquirers in line.
Nineteen of the bodies have been identi-
fed, and eight bodies are beyond recOgni-
ton. Mrs. John Gilbert's body has been
positively identified. 1t is said she was
Miss Sutton, of Chicago, before she mar
ried Gilbert, who is incOnsOlable. The
Fire Department called for assistance
from the Soldiers Home, but General
Sharp refused to send the engine, at
which there is general indignation. The
Chicago and Racine relief steamers are
now sOn the way here, but the
fire is now under control. The tiremen
made superhuman efforts, and eleY-
en- waiter girls We're brought
safely, across ladders stretched over an
alley, from the sixth story of the hotel to
the roof of the adjoining bank building.
The jumping cloth did little service.
About a dozen unfortunates attempted to
jump, but rebOunded from the telegraph
wires, a perfect net work of which sur
rounded the two fronts of the build
ing. The appeals for aid were piteOus
but little could be done, Shortly before
the NeWna1 House alarm part or the FIRE
Department was called to a small fire
about three miles distant, and before the
engines were in working order the hotel
was blazing pile. Tom Thumb got out
through the front entrance, and his wife
was brought down the escape by a fire.
man. W. II. Compton, the Misses Her
bert and Dunlap and W. I. Lowell, Of the
Madison Square Company, arrived by
this midnight express, and the
~HsafO .lr~ snlI
ed, were saved BY Ihe fire
escape. The hotel was built by Daniel
Newhall and associates in 1857. The Ori-
ginal cost was $155,0O The total cost,
including furnishing, was $277, 900. VIM.
J.. Gramer, of the EreRiRg Wisconsin, was
saved through the heroic efforts of Charlie
Crossing, a SeRttaet printer. Chief clerk
Tice, who had narrow escape, says: "Of
the 10 boarders and 80 employees in the
hotel so far 56 are unaccounted for. The
MiIS aukee companies had refused to take
risks Oa the building The insurance
amounted to S125. 800, al held in cincin-
natl. The loss will probably aggregate
half a million, including those of traders
of various kinds on the ground floors of
tie hotel and in the adjoining buildings"
A detailed statement Of the insurance
on the Newhall House shows that it is not
confined to Cincinnati offices, but is well
distributed in policies from 81 800 to $4,000
aDiOUg companies in New York, Pittsburg,
Cincinnati, Wheeling, Madison, Indiana,
Philadelphia, New Haven, Ct, Cleveland,
Ohio. and some foreign cOmpaRies.