Morris tribune., 1883-01-18
AN APPALLING DISASTER.
Burning of the Newhall House,
Milwaukee, and Nearly q
Hundred People.

lOSG tnelr lives. James AntlSuel, one OF tue
| proprietors of the hotel, said the fire started
idly that it was impossible to give the
alarm. Regarding the origin of the fire
Mr. Antisdel said:
THE night Waterman saw the fire first,
but before he could do anything twas up the
elevator and was burning on every floor. l
am confident that it started in the elevator,
but how it originated can't say" B. X.
| Tice, the day clerk, as soon as awakened
rushed through the halls calling up the
| guests to get out and remained in the build
ing till he was terribly burned.
The scene fifteen minutes after the fire
started was horrible beyond description. In
a hundred windows were men and women
| in their night clothes, crying pitteously for
help-occasionally one making an attempt
| to escape by jumping, only to be dashed to
| pieces. In the building a scene of
the utmost terror prevailed. The corri-
| doris were filled with dense smoke and half
stupefed persons were lying across the hall
ways, while the shrieks of women and the
groans of men filled the air.
On the south side of the building and in
| the alley on the west side the scenes were
| dreadful to behold. One after another the
unfortunate jumped from the fifth and
| sixth stories, and fell upon the stone pave
| ment below, dead in most instances. The
patrol wagon was called for, and seven bod
les were taken oat ofthe alley, dead or dy-
ing.
1t is utterly impossible to even attempt
| description of the terrible scenes. Upon
the icy tiagstones the body of an unknown
| man was lying covered only with shirt,
with both legs broken and the skull cleft
in twain. Another poor fellow had crawled
up the chamber of commerce steps. His
| back was broken, and he moaned piteously.
Still another attempted to jump from
sixth-story window on Broadway, upon the
canvass held by willing hands; but he
jumped too short fell with his back upon
the banrister, doubled up and crashed life
less upon the pavement. In the alley not
less than seven bodies were picked up,
most of them being waiter girls. Just how
many were in the hotel at the time of the
fire is not known and probably never will
be. TheTom Thumb troupe and part of the
Minnie Palmer troops were there. Of the
latter John Gilbert aid his bride of day
persisted. Tom Thumbs servant persisted.
Allen Johnson, leading member OF the
chamber of commerce, and wife persisted.
They had rooms on the third floor, and
like the rest were driven to the windows.
| The men below who held the canvas at the
southwest corner of the building shouted to
jump. Mr.. Johnson kissed his wife then
the canvas; but his weight was such that the
| canvas was pulled out of the mems hands
and he alighted on the ground with fearful
force. His wife followed and struck the
| veranda. Both were carried into the Am
| erican express office. Mrs. Allen was dead,
| and Mr.. Allen died in the express office
| soon after.
Many columns might he filled with de-
| tails but the greatest interest centers in the
lieF Of thr-cn Rnnuyy, IN howe r1oricbod
are many missing who are po sibly safe.
The following are the dead as far as known:
Allen Johnson, commission man, Mil.
| waukee.
Mrs. Allen Johnson, Milwaukee.
d. G. Powers, inventor, Milwaukee.
| ]. FL. Rough, travelling man, Peoria, Ill.
| Mrs. John Gilbert, wife of an actor, Chi
eago.
Miss Libbie Challis, dressnlaker, Milwau-
! lee.
Mr.. Hui, insurance agent, Iowa.
. Mrs. Kelley, servant.
| Miss O'Neil, servant.
Bessie Bro En, chambermaid.
Thomas E: Van Leon, capitalist. formerly
| Of Albany, n. Y. =
Maggie Owens, Lizzie Kelley, Annie
F.; Brown, Kate Leniham, Maggie Sullivan,
F.: Augusta Gesa, Mary McDade Mitchell
BulIan, servants, all of Milwaukee.
c. Hawry, conductor, Wisconsin Central
railroad Milwaukee.
Mary McMann, Milwaukee.
| Judge George H. Reed, formerly of Mani
| towoc.
Julia Curtin, servant, Madison.
Waiter Scott, employe Wisconsin Central
| railroad.
Mary Anderson laundry girl of Doyles-
town.
! Walter Gilleland of Milwaukee, bell-boy.
| William Gilleland of Milwaukee, elevator
| boy.
| Making forty-fve dead and missing.
The idea is gaining ground that there are
many more bodies in the ruins than was
first estimated. The flames spread so rapid
| ~ that it must have been impossible for
| many even to reach the windows.
Orange Williams, of Jonesville. who
escaped from the burning building with Sc
rious injuries, says that while cropping his
way out through the halfway he stumbled
| over at least eight bodies, and heard the
death-cry of several other poor creatures be-
| yond his reach.
The chief of the fire department estimates
the number of lost at sixty, W. s. Scott, q
clerk in A. H. Carpenters Office, is no doubt
among the victims. He was boarding at
the Newhall house, and was last seen there.
! His mother lives in Dubuque, Iowa, and
brother is in the pay-car service oftheSt. Paul
load.
Two firemen, after endeaVoring to raise
| the fire escape, carried ladder through the
| allay to the building occupied by Simons &
Brooks, and with the assistance of several
citizens raised the ladder to the top of the
building and placed one end in window
occupied by the servant girls in the Newhall
house, and five of the girls crawled unassist-
ed across the ladder and were taken to a
| ,olo oca ~ VI rlxy
naked. One of the fren,en then entered the
burning building and attempted to ssvs. a
girl that was apparently half crazy. She
resisted the fireman, but finally, after a
hard fight, he succeeded in carrying her
ocross to the opposite building. The brave
fireman then returned to the burning build
ing AMI brought out three dead bodies.
Fireman Strauss who made the first at
tempt at rescue, BARRED over very stout
would throw him from the ladder to the
alley. At one time she held him midway
of the ladder for almost minute by clutch
ing around and to which she clutched in
absolute frenzy. After this the rescued mad
their arms pinioned and were taken across
the ladder without further difficulty.
The Newhall house has been notorious
death trap for years, and thoughtful people
have slept uneasily under its roof. DID, rot
ridors, and central staircase to serve as a
fue for flame, the danger of tire building
has been increased by the neglect of the pro-
prietor to provide suitable fire escapes. If
any means of escape from the upper rooms
Of the house were supplied, they proved
worthless in the emergency. Not one per-
son is reported as saved by means provided
in advance for that purpose.
| One of the first bodies recognized was
that of Mrs. John Gilbert wife of Mr..
Gilbert, of the Minnie Palmer company.
They were married recently in Chica-
go, and the bride OF night lay upon the
cold marble, charred and bruised almost
beyond recognition. Among the bodies
were several chambermaids, who jumped
from the upper story into the alley. 1t is
said by those who held the canvas at that
spot that the scene was perfectly sickening.
The bodies fell around them on every side,
and lay with broken heads and bruised
bodies only half covered with clothing.
Martin Weber, of La Porte, Ind, says
he arrived at che hotel yesterday and was
assigned to room 1853, on the fourth floor.
He was accompanied by a friend named G.
| w Hall who Occunied q room off from and