The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-01-17
NELL ON EARTH!
Seventy People Burned! Many
Mangied! Terrible Tragedy

Half an hour before ~day~break on
Thursday at Milwaukee, the Newhall
Hotel, six-stories high, and full of peo-
pie was set on fire by one of those VII
lians who sheer at"Southern ~civiliza
fiOn." m
Part of the Fire Department were
called to a small fire about three miles
distant, and before the engines were in
perfec ct working order the hotel was one
blazing pile. The fire shot with light
nine-like rapidity up the elevator shaft,
burst forth 10 terrific volume from the
roof, the flames spread out in the differ
ent stories as they were reached, and in
a few minutes after the first alarm the
floor on the south end of the buidin WAS
! , sea of fire. all burning at once.
DEATH ABOVE AND DEATH BELOW.
then began the terrible tragedy. Guests
awakened from II cir sleep by the terri
BILE heat or the bursting of the fame.
into their rooms were forced to the win
iows. where their h~eartrending cries
rang ia the ears of the vast concourse of
people gathered in the street powerless
TO render aid. Men who in the daily
walks of life have been accounted heart
less and unfeeling wrung their hands 10
despair, running about utterly bewilder-
ed, exclaiming my God! My God!
This is terriblel"
Then a black object would appear on
he outside Of the window, driven out
by the smoke and flames. Piercing
screams would rend the air and a heavy
thud would announce that a human be-
ing had dropped from the dizzy height
to meet death on the pavement below.
At one time there were six persons hang
ing from one window sill at the fifth stO-
ry, crying in agonized tones for the help
that could not be rendered. One after
another they lOOsed their grip and met
their fate.
One man by letting himself down at
rms length f ON a fifth story window,
put his feet through the window below
and reached the fourth floor in safety.
The operation was repeated until the
third door was reached. each point gain
cd in his perilous descent being greeted
with encouraging cheers from the by
ISLANDERS. As he was putting his feet
through the top of the second story win
dow his hands slipped from the sill
above, and, with a wild shrek of despair
he fell backward, turning over several
lines, and. striking the pavement on
his head, was mangled beyond recogni-
ton.
JUMPS TO DEATH.
Another man jumped from the fifth
story window. struck the telegraph wire,
bounded up and came down q mangled
mass of flesh and bones. A number OF
people dropped out of the different
stories on the jumping canvas, but in a
majority of cases they were killed out
right or sustained injuries from which
there is little hope Of recovery.
During the progress of the fire two
men appeared at a window in an upper
story and as they looked down on the
scene below the floor of the room gave
away and with an agonizing shrek they
fell backward into the vortex of flames.
Mr. Allen Johnson and his wife sprang
from a fifth story window. He was
caught in the jumping canvas but sus-
aimed injuries from which he died thii
morning. His wife struck on the tele'
graph wires, bounded over and wal
caught, but she was so badly injured
that she only survived her husband
about an hour.
The servants quarters, where SO Of
them we're lodged, were in the northwest
corner of the building, remote from the
place in which the fire was raging; but
all means of escape by the stairway.
we're cut off by the flames. As the ter
rib,e roaring and cracking of the fame.
came to their ears they became panic
stricken, and eight of them followed
each other, leaplng from the dizz.
heights to the ground in the alley. The
jumping canvas was held for them, bu
it was powerless in the conflict with dealt
and was clotted over with the victims
blood.
THE HEHO OF a FIRE.
, ...At this ~juncture the cool headed her
: Of the nj. ht appeared upon the top of
building directly opposite the scrvant-
quarters with a ladder in his hand. FL
, a moment the long unwieldy thing poise'
, in midair and then descended with
|. crash through a window of the hotel. !
: formed a bridge across the alley, howey
er. and before 1t became steadt in its pc
sition the man had crossed over into tn
hotel. Then, amid the cheers of tn
! multitude below, the man dragged tn
;, helpless creatures across the slepde
! bridge until fully a dozen were rescued
= They were all of them in their nigh
!. clothes and were badly frozen beior
= they could be taken To places Ut she
. ter.
O BLESS HIN.
A woman in a dead faint, uLs5'e t
g help herself in any particular, was dra,
q yed across in safety. But at ole tin
q the whole of her body was hanging owe
clear of the ladder, while the brave ma
!, held her by one of her ankles. III
or,ud haI,u held their hrearh in Su
A rense. expecting every to 81
the ladder turn over Or break beneath II
- terrible strain. The man, however, W
- equal to the emergency and by a here
- lean effort pulled her up on the Slend
~ bridge and finally placed her out of da
ger. while the crowd. which hal endu
ed the most painful suspense for fuI
p ten minutes. burst forth with round
&, ter round of applause.
AS CRAZED BY Il HORROR.
John F. Antisdel, principal lessee, b
- gone crazy over the terrible affair
~ ran up aud down the street moaning a
crying
.'Oh. oh, my God! Who set that hos
fire. Over his head was a black clp'
He held his hlnis heavenward AZ if
voking divine aid. When h. came
al the mangled body ul one Of MS que
ne his rawlings were pitiiul IN the e1tren
w All Efforts tn sunlhe him failed, iiis $
and partner. James A%ntisdel, stood
the street silent and uudemonstlative,
lAt If paIai.z,l 10y he horror, IT, said
he Antsdcls had escaped
" THE BHIDE OF 4 NIGHT.
-. One IL the saddest facts Ia connect