The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-02-02
4 Thrilling Incident of the Milwaukee
Horror aut


Perhaps the man who had the most
exciting experience in the Newhall House
fire is Mr.. I. j. Anderson, of this city,
who resides at the Palmer He EN-
ployed as salesman by Messrs. George
ii. Taylor & Co., the wholesale paper
dealers, on Monroe Street. He arrived
home last evening and Tribune re-
porter saw him at the Palmer. 81 sat
on the window-sill of nv room," said
he, ''and saw the flames take my bed,
my clothes, the floor sink in the mass of
flame before escaped by sliding down
the rain-spout which ran along my WIN
dow. / had a room on the corner of
Michigan Street and Broadway, on the
fourth floor. / had played pool with
Mr.. L. A. Brown, of Philadelphia. until
nearly one o'clock in the morning, when
| went to bed. And, poor fellow. saw
him afterwards go down to his death in
the mass of flame without being able to
help him. 1t was awful! l walked up
stairs to my room, as the elevator stopped
running at 1890. On nv way up l met
the only Waterman the house emf loyed,
and asked him how | could escape in
case of fire. He said easy enough.
There were two Ways-one by the back
stairway and the other by going through
a labyrinth of hall to the front. Browns
room was opposite to mine, l went to
bed after that and was awakened by
the horrible shrieks of burning women
and the groans of burning men. It.was
hell itself, SO terrible seemed the sounds
The flames were cackling all around,
and opened the door. A great mass
of smoke and flame rushed in and I be-
came stihed. l was unable to again
shut it and the smoke almost killed me.
| had nothing on but a gauze under
shirt. l felt my strength leaving me
was choking. / sank to the floor.
I thought was gone. But my senses
had not altogether left me. gathered
myself up as best | could and made to-
wards the window. BY desperate
effort [ succeeded in getting there.
sank again to the floor. But | rallied
and attempted to raise the window. 1t
was so we'll balanced that it yielded at
once to my puny effort and went up. |
leaned out and the fresh air revived me.
[ was strengthened and consciousness
returned. I looked down below and
saw the firemen and police holding the
canvas. They shouted for me to jump
on the telegraph wires but l refused. [
saw the ladders up against the building.
| sat down on the window-sill and saw
everything 60 down, my clothes, valise,
everything, unable to save thing, /
begged, implored for those below to
save me. They saw me, but gave me
no help. saw my friend come from
his room and attempt to come to me
through the mass Of flame, but saw
him go down in the vortex of flame to
his death. 0, such sight! 1t was too
horrible to imagine. / saw the tin spout.
1t was in part covered with ice. Three
women and one man had tried to de-
scend it, and they landed in the Valley of
Death. They lost their hold and fell to
the street below. 1t was the only means
of escape left. / seized it with the
frantic effort of despair. Everything
inside of my room was gone. / caught
it in vice-like grasp and l commenced
to slide. Sometimes | slid six to twelve
feet and at others a few inches. But
kept going down, using the ice made by
the hose as a foothOld and catch for
nay hands, which you see are terribly
blistered. l went clean down to the
cellar, fifteen feet below the street,
but l was alive and clad in only
my gauze undershirt. On my way down
/ saw two little girls standing in the
window of the third story, and they
asked me to save them, but was power
less to give them aid, and [ had to see
those innOcents not over six years old
swallowed up by the heartless flames.
saw Kelsey, Tom Thumbs colored
servant, go down with the walls. He
was clinging to WindOw-sill in the fifth
story. | walked out to the front and
went upstairs into the office, where [
found a woman who was tearing her
! hair. | could not see her face and did
not know who she was. spoke to her,
but she took no notice of me. | seized
her by the ankles and dragged her down
bodily, thus saving her life. / went
across to the express Office, where saw
Antisdel, who was leaning over Mrs.
johnson. He said: 4 am crazy. You
rub this woman, want to go and save
my children was in a position to be
rubbed myself, being naked and chilly.
[ waid to fireman standing by: 1have
lost everything Hesaid: You're alive
Pointing to man who was clinging
from a fifth-story window, he said:
How would you like to change places
with him?' Somebody gave me coat,
and walked in my bare feet four blocks
to the Plankinton House. was beside
myself. On the way | met a woman
who threw shawl over me, and said:
Here, poor boy, take that l got cloth
ing, such as it was, from strangers at the
Plankinton. l came here to-day, and
Mr.. Taylor fitted me out at his own ex-
pense. never wantto go through such
an experience again. Chicago 1rib-!
W7se. +.. l-. az