The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-01-10
Fifty or Sixty Persons go
to Death Unprepared.
The Loss Estim ated at
$5OO.OOO.
Full Particulars of the Horrible
Affair.
TIE LATEST HORROR.

MILWAUKEE, Jan. 10-The Newhall
q six story brick building on the corner
of Michigan street and Broadway, was
burned to the ground this forenoon. The
fire was discovered at a. m. In less than
half an hour the whole building, long des-
ignated as a death trap, was enveloped in
flames. Scenes of'the utmost terror pre-
vailed inmates of the doomed building
jumping by dozens from the upper stories,
covering the stone walks with lifeless
bodies. The shrieks of the unfortunates
filed the air in a heart-rending manner, the
people below being unable to render any
aid. Quite a number of terrified girls 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 eight hunnred guests, numbered
eighty and were mostly lodged in the
sixth story. The exit by way of the roof
was cut off by fire and two stand
pipes with fire ladders were net avail
able for the same reason. Very few
were saved by jumping on the canvas.
All stores and offices on the ground floor
with the contents were destroyed. There
were on the Michigan street side: The
offices of the Mutual Union Telegraph
Company, FL. J. Baumgartner, sign painting
shop; Goetz barber shop, Burdick 81
Armitage. job printers. On Broadway
froIt: Manufacturers bank, Metropolitan
plate glass insurance company; insurance
agencies of Chas. Z. Grain, VIM. T.
Durand, g. p Hewitt, c. F. Hibbard s.
Co., F. W. Montgomery & Co., B. NJ
Well, West & Myers, and l.. A. Wheeler
and J. II. Watson agent for the Canada
Southern railway. Office of Nelson's coal
yard and Office of Merchants Dispatch
Freight line and a number of wholesale
establishments on East Water street were
damaged.
Among the places damaged by fire and fall
ing walls of buildings We're: VIM. Cramer,
banker; Goodyear Rubber Co., Louis
Schadegg & Co., wholesale wine; James
Morgan, dry goods; Zimmerman Bros,
clothing. VIM. s. Candee. cashier of the
Manufacturers bank carried the cash box
of the institution containing money and
papers to the amount of $600.0Oo out of
the flames The insurance agencies and
general offices en- the first floor scarcely
saved any papers.
THE INSURANCE.
The insurance on the hotel is stated by
C. ID. Nash, President of the Newhall
House Association, at 1926. 600 All held in
Cincinnati agencies Loss is scarcely to be
estimated at this hour but will reach $780,
900. Telegraphic communication will be
interrupted for the traffic north as about
five wires are down.
KILLED AND WOUNDED.
Comparatively few guests in the hotel
were burned, and the exact loss of life is
not known. The loss of life will reach so
to so dead, and 20 to 80 wounded. So
far there are twenty-three bodies in the
morgue, nine more are in places
near the ruins.
THE OCCUPANTS.
Identifications come in slowly. Among |
those known to have been In the hotel are |
G.. w. Briggs, Grand Rapids. Michigan; N. |
Miller, Ripon: Geo. Youngs, j. A. Manning. |
W. D. Lewis, Chicago; r. n. Baker, New |
York; J. V. Mahoney, Rock Island, ILL.,; A. |
J. Hill. Syracuse, ". Y; A. B. Hendry, |
New Haven; A. j. Case, New York; p. |
Habler, Chicago; S. J. Craig Des Moines; |
Charles A. Handy. Milwaukee; the |
Tom Thumb party; Orange VIII
liams. ]. A. Prinsen and wife, Sheboygan /
Falls; John G. Clarke, Wausau; Mr.. Row /
ell, of Sand & Rowell Freeport; Ben Tice, /
chief clerk; John f. Antisdel, proprietor; |
Benz. Mason, teacher, Milwaukee.
So FAR as known the following
ARE DEAD
Allen johnson, commission merchant,
and wife; Kitty Baily and Mary |
Burns, servants. w. A. Hall, miller, La
Porte; Ben Vanhaag, fireman, struck by
falling telegraph pole; Lizzie Kelly Mag
gle Owens Hall, Annie and Bessie Brown,
Kate 6tanchan, Maggie Sullivan, Auguste