The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-01-15

The hotel which is six stories in height,
| fronts on the west side of Fourth street.
from Chestnut to Pine, while the wing
runs back on both Chestnut and Pine
streets to the depth of half ablock- Thus
the main building forms three sides of a
rectangle, the fourth side formed
by four-story building forty
years old, midway of which on the ground
| floors in the boiler room, above referred to,
and the kitchen on the floor above it. The
upper two floors were occupied by the
help of the house some seventy-five in
number Alongside the boiler room II
narrow stairway rises and winds to the
/ roof.
The fire, which started very close to this
stairway, was carried up to the roof by q
draft in the stairway, aud this not only
cut off escape by that means, but also
| formed barrier which prevented the men
sleeping in the south half of the building
| from reaching another stairway at the
north end. Hence, these unfortunates,
almost smothered by the smoke, were com
| PEELED to climb out of the room on frame
| structure that abutted over the alley, and
hence either to jump or lower themselves
| by means of pulleys rugged there for hoist
| ing supplies.
One poor fellow was seen to start down
| the stairway before the fire reached the
third floor and an hour later his crisped
corpse was found in the kitchen, near the
| foot of the stairs. Another emploYe al
though answering to the call, seems to
have been to much stupefied by the smoke
to get up for two hours. HIS dead body
was found on the smoking mattress of his
bed The female help all escaped by the
stairway at the north end, save one who
broke her ankle in jumping TO the roof of
the GhHh The flFpmHn made a GRAND HUhf
and nozzles were carried through the walls
of the flames, right to where the flames
were raging, and succeeded in preventing
the fire from extending a distance twenty
feet from its origin. The hotel proper did
not suffer to the extent of dollar. The
fire, however, crossed the alley to a furni-
ture warehouse, where the fremen had a
fierce but short fight.
The damage to the hotel is about So
900, and to the auction firm about SO, 600.
all covered by insurance. This evening
workmen engaged in cleaning away the
debris found the charred body of man
amid the timbers OF the foot stairway on
the basement floor. 1t proved to be Henry
Baney, an emplOye over so years old, who
as a boy served as chore boy in the hotel.
The other two dead men are Carlo Roeble
and Dennis Repoate.
The new tchen will be in working order
by Tuesday morning. The Planters House
was for quarter of a century the best
known hotel in the west and its fame was
extended by Charles Dickens American
Notes"
THE NEwHALL FIRE.
MILWAUKEE, Jan. 14.-About 81, 500
was realized from the two Tom Thumb
performances for the relief fund yesterday.
The Minnie Palmer opera company will
- AF
day evening, the proceeds to be donated to
the relief fluid
The c0roner's formal inquest has been
postponed until the examination has been
completed. The jury simply views the |
remains to admit of burial. The district |
attorney says that no efforts will be spared
to get at the bottom of the affair.
MILWAUKEE. Jan. 1.-THE call for vol
unteers at the exhumation of bodies in the |
Newhall House ruins to day turned ont to
be fizzle, only two citizens responding. |
The regular paid force is hard at work, de- |
spite the northwesterly winds and extreme
ly cold weat her. Two bodies, charred be- |
vond recognition, were taken out to day, |
making eighteen bodies in addition TO the |
twenty three identified or forty four in all |
known to be dead. Mrs. Bridget Brig |
man, the oldest employee of the hotel, is
reported missing to day. making forty two |
bodies yet supposed to be in the ruins.
She is known to have started out on the
morning of the fire, arousing the servants
and has not been heard of since She was
from this city.
Five bodies were buried to day, among
them being j. B. Elliott a prominent law
yer, who came to the hotel on the 80 |
traiu the morning of the fire Half an hour
later he jumped from fourth story win
dow, broke both his legs. injured his spine
and died Friday. He was prominent
Mason and the funeral services were inn
posing.
The Mayor has received Jay Gould's
check of $500 for the relief of the suffer
ers and the Western Union Telegraph
Cnmpany's check for 800 Local Charity
has also responded nobly, so that the ac-
ton of three members of the City Council
stands isolated
To-day the excavations from the Broad
way front will reach the court in the rear
IF the Office, and will be started near the
vest wall under the servants quarters
where most of the bodies are supposed to
,e. The vacant store on Broadway will be
made temporary morgue for the charred
To-day the Lincoln Guard mil
tia was called out to do guard duty at the
uins, to ward off the crowds of people
nut only few of the latter congregated at
he scene, extremely cold weather prevail
ng. Funeral services were held in all the
prominent churches to-day before crowded
Ifdiauooa