The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-01-18
HORRORS OF A HOTEL FIRE.
a Terrible Catastrophe In milwaukee,.


a Terrible Catastrophe In milwaukee.
CHICAGO, January l0.-A dispatch
from Milwaukee reports that the NewhaIl
House in that city was burned at an
early hour this morning. Seycn,y-ive
persons, principally guests, lost their
lives.
MILWAUKEE, WIS, January 10.
The Ncwha!l House, a six story brick
building, on the corner Of Michigan
ground this morning The fire WAS dI-.
AL hour the whole building, long de,ig.
mated ~ death trap, VIZ. envc.orcd in
l!amc7
a scene Of the utmos. terror prevailed
The inmates Of the doomed building
jumped by dozens from the upper stories,
covering the stone sidewalks with life.
less bodies. The shricks Of the untortu.
mates filled the nir in hear,rcndn2
manner. The people below were unable
to render any aid. Quite u number OF
the terrified guests and employees Of the
hotel appeared at the windows. and sec
ing the distance to the ground iel! back
to perish iu the flames The employees
Of the hotel, which accommodated 500
guests, numbered SO, mostly lodged in
the sixth story. Exit by way Of the roof
was cut oil by the fire, and two stand
pipes with fire ladders were not available
for the same reason. a very few 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 dctcrminablc.
1t will reach from fifty to sixty dead, and
from twenty to thirty wounded So far
twcnty-thrce bodies are in the morguc,
and nine more in places near the ruins.
Identification comes in slowly. II may
safely be said that sixty persons are dead
and thirty seriously injured.
The mayor has called meeting to or
ganizc salvage corps to search tho
ruins. About IL week ago the secretary
Of the local board Of underwriters WAS
applied TO to make an estimate on the
building that the local agencies might
take risks thereon, as the building was
considered death.trap and risks had
been refused
Tom Thumb and party and The Mali-
son Square Company are all safe rs far
as learned. Both troupes were in the
hotel. Mrs. John Gilbert, Of the Min
ME Palmer troupe, who WAS married only
two days ago, was burned to death in
sight of the multitude Three steamers
went from Chicago at ten minutes before
q o'clock in response to call from the
mayor. The train bearing them went
over the Chicago and Northwestern
Railroad, and consisted of five cars 1t
went to Milwaukee, distance of ninety
miles, in only little over an hour.
LATEK.-The scenes Ut the morguc,
where now thirty.two bodies are lying in
II ghastly heap on the floor OF a small
room, are hcartrending beyond the power
of Description a strong police force is
necessary to keep the anxious inIuirers
in line. NineteeG bodies have been
identified and eight bodies are beyond
recognition. Mrs. John Gilbert's body
has been positively identified. 1t is said
she was Miss Sutton, of Chicago, before
she married Gilbert, who is inconsolable.
The fire department called for assistance
from the Soldiers Home, but Gen Sharp
refused to send the engine. at which there
is general Indignation. The Chicago and
Racine relief steamers are now on the
way here, but the fire is now under con
troll. The tiremcn made superhuman
efforts, and eleven waiter girls were
brought safely across ladders stretched
over an alley from the sixth story Of the
Eotel to the roof of an adjoining bank
building. The jumping cloth did little
service. About dozen untOrtunutes at
tempted to jump, but rebounded from
the telegraph wires, perfect network Of
which surrounded the two fronts of the
building The appeals for aid were
plteolls, but little could be done.
Shortly before the Newhall House
alarm part of the fire department was
called to small fire about three miles
distant, and before the engines were in
working order the hotel was blazing
pile.
Tenn Thumb got out through the front
entrance, and his wife was brought down
the escape by Il fireman. w. Ii. Comp
ton, Misses Herbert and Dunlap and
w. L. Lowell, Of the Madison Square
Company, arrived by the midnight ex-
press, and the whole party, only partially
dressed, were saved by the fire escape.
The hotel was built by Daniel New
hall and associates in 1857. The 0rigi
nal cost of the building was $l55,0O0.
The total cost, including furnishing, was
S277,OOO. VIM. +. Cramer, of the
Eucning Wisconsin, was saved through
the heroic efforts of Charlie Crossing, a
Sentinel printer. Chief Clerk Tice, who
had a narrow escape, says that of 10
boarders and 80 employees in the hotel
SO far ST. are unaccounted for
The Milwaukee companies Lad refused
to take risks on the building. The in.
sIrance amounted to Sl25, 900, all held
in Cincinnati. The loss will probably
aggregate half a million Including th.,
losses OF the traders Of various kinds on
the ground floor of the hotel and in ud-
joining buildings.
LATER.-A detailed statement Of the
insurances on the Newhall House shows
that it is not confined to Cincinnati
offices, but is well distributed in policies
of from $! 500 to $1,000 among compa.
MES in New York, Pittsburg. Cincinnati,
Wheeling, Madison, Ind, Philadelphia,
New Haven, Conn, Cleveland, Ohio,
and some foreign companies.
A Neat Point.