St. Landry democrat., 1883-01-20
A HOTEL HORROR.

Total Destruction of the Newhall House at
Milwaukee, Wis, by Fire-Over Sixty Per-
sons Perish in the Flames-Boarders and
Employees Endeayor to Flee from the
Flames by Leaping from the Windows
Crushed to Death ON the Stone Pave
ments.
MILWAUKEE, WIS, January 10.
Milwaukee has been visited by the great
est calamity known in her history. At four
O'Clock this morning fire broke out in the
Newhall House, and in less than twenty min
utes after that immense six-story structure
was wrapped in flames, and at least fifty poor
creatures were being hurried into eternity.
The sight during that twenty minutes was one
to make the stoutest heart quail. Guests
awakened from their sleep by the terrible
heat, or the bursting of the flames into their
rooms, were forced to the windows where their
heartrending cries rang in the ears of the vast
concourse of people gathered in the streets,
powerless to render aid
Men who in the daily walks of life have been
accounted heartless and unfeeling, wrung
their hands in despair running about utterly
bewildered, exclaiming, My God, this is hor-
ribler' Then black objects would appear on
the outside of windows, driven out by the
smoke and fame, piercing scream rend the
morning air, and a heavy thud would an
the dizzy height to meet death on the pave
ment below. A number of people dropped
out of the different stories on the jumping
canvas, but in majority of cases they were
killed outright, or sustained injuries from
which there is little hope of recovery. Dur.
ing the progress of the fire two men appeared
at window in an upper story. and as they
looked down upon the scene below the floor
of the room gave way, and with an agonizing
shrek they fell backward into the vortex of
flame.
While these scenes were being enacted on
the Broadway and Michigan street side Of the
ill-fated building. one of still greater horror
was being enacted in the alley at the rear
The servants quarters were in the northwest
quarter of the building, remote from the place
in which the fire was raging, but all means of
escape by the stairways were cut OFT by the
f1ames AS the terrible roaring and cracking
Of the flames struck upon their ears they
became panic stricken, and eight OF them
followed each other in leaping from the dizzy
height to the ground in the alley. The jump
ing canvas was on hand, but it was powerless
in the conflict with death, and it was clotted
over and over with the victims blood. AT
this juncture the cool headed hero of the day
appeared on the top of the building directly
opposite the servants quarters with ladder
in his hands. For moment the long, un-
wieldly thing poised in mid air, and then de-
scended with a crash through the window of
the hotel. 1t formed a bridge across the alley,
however, and before it became steady i'll its
position the man had crossed over into the
hotel Then, amid the cheers of the multitude
below, the man dragged the helpless Great.
ures across the slender bridge until fully a
dozen were rescued. They were all of them
frozen before they could be taken to shelter.
AS many of the mangled bodies as could be
reached were taken to the morgne, each load
being followed by half -crazed mothers and
fathers looking after their children who had
been working in the hotel, and relatives of
guests and regular boarders.
Around the morgue from that time until
nightfall poor, ,bereft creatures lowered, trying
in vain to identify lost loved ones. Tonight
the work of recovering bodies is being carried
on as well as possible, but so great is the heat
around the ruins that little or no headWay is
being made. There twenty live dead bod
les at the morgue, which number includes
those who died during the day from their in
juries. Ofthese about twenty have been iden-
titled.
known:
Mrs. Allen johnson, Milwaukee.
d. Growers, inventor, Milwaukee.
j. H. Hough travelling man, PEORIA Ill.
Mrs John Gilbert, wife of the actor with
Minnie Palmer's company, Chicago.
Mrs Libbie Challis, dressmaker Milwaukee
Mr.. Huff, insurance agent, Iowa.
Mrs. Kelly, servant.
Miss O'Neil, servant
Bessie Brown, chambermaid
Thomas f. Vanloon capitalist, formerly Of
Albany, N. Y. later of Milwaukee. lag
Maggie Owens, servant, Milwaukee.
Lizzie Kelley, servant, milwaukee,.
Annie Brown, servant, Milwaukee
Kate Linehan, servant, Milwaukee.
Maggie Sullivan, servant, Milwaukee.
Augusta Gesa, servant, Milwaukee.
Mary McDade, servant, Milwaukee.
Mitchell Bnilan, servant, Milwaukee.
G. Howey, conductor Wisconsin Central
Railroad, Milwaukee.
Mary McMann, Milwaukee,
Charles A. Kelsey, Tom Thumbs servant.
| MISSING.
As far as known those missing at a late
hour this afternoon arc as follows.
Prof. w. D. Tomlins, Chicago.
| Judge Geo. Fl, Reed. formerly of Maniso--
voc.
| w. 7. Durand, insurance agent
George G. Smith, passenger agent of the
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern.
Kitty Connors, Of Doylestown, servant.
/ Walter Gilliland, bel. boy.
William Gilliland, elevator boy.
Mrs. I. W. Brown, wife of the yardmastar of
| the Northwestern Road.
Scott, railway employe.
| Capt. James Eose, U. S. engineer.
4 Bradley Kellogg, commission merchant,
Ashton, Dakota, brother of Henry kellogg of.
/ Milwaukee.
VIM. Mckenzie, Newhal1 engineer.
/ Mary Mack, servant.
A colored man, servant, name not given.
| bIurte1le. railway employe.
/ Maggie Pinnigan, servant.
/ just how many were in the hotel when the