Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-02-02
Chief Lippert's Story.
OF THE NEwHALL FIRE.

MMwAUKEE, Jan. S0.-Great interest
and some excitement was created to-
day by the testimony of chief of the
fire department at the inquest.
The CHIEFS TESTIMONY.
On the evening of the oh of January
I was at home, but reported at the office
at midnight. AsS:47 box 4S9 came in.
I had fire companies there and worked
till q policeman told me box l5 hsd
been pulled. left the first FIRE, which
was on the corner of Nineteenth and
Vliet streets, in charge ofthe chemical,
and it did not take me over six minutes
10 so to the Newhall fire. Witness
then recited the first incidents of the
fire as have so often been repeated 1
asked the men why they didn't raise
the extension ladder, and they said
they had tried it. but that it had caught
in the wires and had fallen down and
broken bean, rendering it impossible
to hoist it again. l then ordered the
Buestrin escape and went to the back
alley, where | stumbled over six or
seven dead girls. I told policeman
to have them removed befJre the wall
came down. Then going to the front,
after ordering ladders placed across
the alley from Franckleton's building,
entered the main doors, to see what
could
RE DONE FITPTHER To SAVE IJFE
and how far advanced the fire was.
guided several people out. But before
that saw the fire was the greatest one
we had ever had and told Geo. Glass
ner to sign my name and telegraph to
Chicago, Racine, Kenosha and the Sol
diers' Home for help, as l feared the
business portion of the city would burn.
l then gave such orders as l thought
would be best for the saving cf life and
the hemming IN of the fire. | had ten
streams going in all. When l saw the
fire was under control l countermand-
ed my order for help. / Can say that
my men and the police did faithful
work, fulfilled every order, and l never
saw my men work better. Before l
reached the fire it had got we'll under
way. Our longest ladder, worked by a
crank and chain, and called the exten-
sion ladder, is 65 feet. The next ladder
is 40 feet long, which would perhaps
reach to the third floor. Here the dis.
trict attorney asked if any of the 40
feet ladders had been raised and witness
replied he only saw .one, that at the
balcony. The attorney then asked if
such was the case if the witness
thought the men had done all they
could, and was answered that he did.
l consider the telegraph wires were
VERY MUCH IN THE WAY.
T be other ex .ension ladder was raised
in the alley and stands there now in
ruins, where the wall caved in. The
district attorney then asked how soon
the Buestrin escape was sent for, and
was answered almost as soon as witness
got there. He then asked if the escape
was not for life saving, and why it was
not Immediately brought, to which the
witness replied it was too late to get it
there in time to save life, when he got
there, as the people rad all been driven
to the windows and needed imm ediate
aid. Ny assistant had asked leave of
absence to go to Chicago a day
or 50 before and l gave him the
privilege as he had been faithful and
had not been out of the city for
some time. When the hotel alarm was
trrned 10 he was at the Lake Saore de-
pot and would have been gone, had it
not been that the tram was luckily late.
He jumped in a carriage and drove to
the fire as quick as he coulu. We had
no team for the escape and when it got
there we put it up on the bank because
it was too late for life saving and we
wanted to run line of hose over the
bank. 1 always thought if the hotel
burned lives would be lost and my men
quite often looked over the premises
so as to know what to do in case of me-
cessity. II the department had not
been separted and FIVE of the compan-
les away off in another direction, we
would undoubtedly
HAVE SAVED MORE LIVES.
Il is the duty of the truckmeu to obey
orders, but not to draw nose, only to
handle ladders and axes. 1t was i'm
possible to get the Bue trim escape there
in time. 1t takes at least eight good
men to raise the big extension ladders,
and on the sidewalks it takes more.
Then when wires are in the
way it is very hard to get them
up, as they are very heavy. There
is not enough men on any one truck to
raise the ladder. 1t would be most i'm
possible for three or four experienced
men, with inexperienced help, to raise
those ladders, especially under the diff
ficulties which existed at the Newhall.
Witness was here questioned relative
10 the fire apparatus 10 the hotel and
told the old story. In reply to the
question if in the opinion of the wit
ness, as chief of the fire department,
was the building we'll enough supplied
with outside fire escapes? he said that
of course it would have been better if
there had been more Two years ago
the hotel was inspected and the health
commissioner ordered four fire es-
capes put up, also a bridge across
the alley. / then told the commits
sioRer that the balcony system was
the only safe one for hotels. There
ought to have been more fire escapes
on the outside of the hotel. / klow
No. had line of hose into the eleva-
tor on the first floor. The Newhall was
pretty nearly as well provided with es-
capes as any hotel have ever seen. /
think the Plankinton safer building
than the Newball was, because it is
heavier. and better built. If man had
been kept stationed in the basement
where he could have turned on the wa
ter to the standpipes in the Newhsll, it
would have taken no time to have
done it, but as understand it the
pipes we're kept empty and In case Of
fire water could not be had until turn
ed on from the basement.