The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1883-01-19
A TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
The Newhall House at Milwaukee De-
stroyed by Fire-A Large Number of Per-
sons Burned to Death or Killed by Jump
ing from the Buiiding-Terrlble Scenes
of Agony and Death.


The Newhall House, the six-story brick
building, corner of Michigan street and Broad
way burned to the ground this forenoon. The
fire was discovered at four n. m In less than
half an hour the whole building, long desg-
mated as death-trap, was envelopod IN flames
Scenes of the utmost terror prevailed, the in
mates of the doomed building Jumping by
dozens from the upper stories, covering the
stone sidewalks' with lifeloss bodies. The
shrieks of the unfortunates filled the air, in
heart-rending manner, people balow being un-
able to render any aid Quite number of the
terrified guests and employees of the hotel ap-
peared at the windows, and seeing the dis
lance to the ground, fell back to perish in the
flames.
Tho employees of the hotel which acommo-
dated 500 guests, numbered elghty-six, mostly
lodged in the sixth story. Exit by the way of
the roof was cut oil by the fire, and the two
stand-pipes with fire-ladders, were not avail
able for the same reason. A very few were
saved by jumping on canvas.
All the stores and Offices on the ground
floor, with contents, were destroyed. num-
ber of wholesale establishments on East Wa
ter street were damaged.
SEA OF FLAME.
At FIVE O clock this morning the doomed ho-
tel presented sight which will never be fo:.
gotten by those who beheld 1t. The whole in
side Of the building was one mass Of roaring
flames, and II perfect shower of sparks and
| cnders was blown by brisk southeast wind
over the northern part of the city. The sky
was illuminated as bright as day, and the hiss
ing and roaring of the devouring element
could be heard for blocks. The large, heavy
cornce on the southeast corner of the build
| ing came down with fearful crash, burying
| under its ruins Ben Hall, a fireman of steamer
No. 4. He was quickly gotten out from among
the red-hot plates of the galvanized iron of
the cornice, and it was found that he was Sc
riously but not fatally hurt. The sixth, fifth
and fourth floors broke through at once, AMI
carr cd everything with them to the & ound
floor, A huge bulk Of flames shot up about
fifty feet high when the floors came down,
and an agonizing shout from the multitude
| went up.
From that time the fire had its undisputed
sway inside the bare walls and toward six
O'Clock the buildings on the east sile 'front.'
ing on Water street, began to burn. Two
steamers were sent around to East Water
street to protect the establishments of that
thoroughfare. AT this time all the stores and
offices under the hotel were enwrapped in
flames.
The fire was extingushed at 9:l5a a. m. Near
| ly one hundred lives are thought to be lost.
HEROIC FIREMEN.
| The Fire Department fought the fire heroic
ally, but all they could do wns to prevent its
spread to the surrounding business blocks.
The heat was so intense that the cupola of the
Chamber of Commerce began to smoke as If Il
fierce fire was raging within. The men of hook
and ladder trucks and2 worked almost like
demons. They had put ladders across the al
ley from the bank building to the burning ho-
tel, and crawled across. First, Edward Riem-
er and Herman Strauss, from truck |. The
latter carried an unconscious girl right out of
the flames across the dangerous and flimsy
passage-way. John Bornlesser, A. A. Worth;
S. T. Nodine and Garrett Green, of truck No.
2, followed, and about twelve people were
saved by the brave laddies.
AT THE MORGuB AND POLICE STATION,
AT the Morgue u horrid sight was beheld.
The two small biers were soon filed with
bodies, tightly packed, and then the bodies of
girls, women, men and waiter-boys We're laid
promiscuously on the stone flags, almost in a
heap, as the police patrol brought in the bodies
three and four at time At e:30 seventeen
bodies were laid down In the dreary place
which was locked up between the trips Of the
patrol wagon, and therefore, no Identification
was possible The floor Of the general Office
of the Central Police Station was turned into a
lazaret, persons fatally hurt winding them-
selves in the blankets on the floor in excruci.
ating pain.
THRILLING ESCAPES.
Edward Pollock of Lancaster, Wis, was O
guest at the house. He occupied q room on
the fourth floor of the Broadway front, nearly
over the balcony. AT about 335 he was
awakened by the breaking Of gllss in III
transom over the door and the fierce flames
through the opening. He Immediately gath
cred up his clothes as far as possible, and
stepping out on the balcony, he put OH his
clothes and swing to the balcony beneath
where half a dozen others were gathered
Here sheets and bed-cothes were tied to-
gether and the ground reached by the rope
Mr.. Pollock was ut one time representative
Of the Sentinel ut Lancaster, AMI came to Mil
waukec to buy the outfit for II new paper al
his place. He said TO a reporter of the Sen
tine, that the fire seemed all above him when
he first awakened, and an instant after the
flames had enaulfed everything
Another escape to be recorded is that Of Q
man, whose name could not be learned whc
was seen swinging himself from the fifth fiool
, of the burning building Until his feet touched
the window below. Kicking in the window he
dropped and grabbed the sash. This was re
peatod until he reached the balcony, from
which he was rescued with h 8 hands badly cut
Cashier C)ndee, of the Manufacturers Bank
, accompanied by his son. reached the fire short
ly before five o'clock, and entered his Office
, He rescued from his safe box containing al
the valuable papers, checks and cash, amount
ing t. s661,0n which he carr, ed TO the door
but was in considerable state of excitement
, and was unable to rescue it from the building
0 until two volunteers assisted him TO carry Il
across the street to the American Express of
, fee, where il was put into safe quarters.
a SPECIMEN HORRORS,
At one time there were six persons hanging
' from six window-sls Mt the fifth story at thu
:. same time, crying in agonizing tones fo
4 the help that could not be rendered them, ant
0 one after another loosened their grip and me
p their fate.
Q Mr.. Allen Johnson and his wife sprang from
n fifth-story window. He was caught in tn,
= jumping-canvas, but sustained injuries from
which he died. His wife struck on the tele
graph wires bounded over, and was als'
$ caught, but was so badly injured that she onl!
e survived her husband about an hour
@ A number of people dropped out of the diff
It ferent stories on to the jumpng-canvas, but
in majority of cases they were killed out
:, right or sustained injuries from which there 4
: little hope of recovery.
During the progress of the fire two men ap
Q peared at window in an upper story. and
: as they looked down upon the scene below
the foor of the room gave way, and, with al
agonizing shrek, they fell backwards into tn
vortex of flame.
= Another man jumped from the fifth-stor
Q window, struck the telegraph wires on Mich
gan street, bounded up, and came down
mangled mass of flesh and bones.
a One man, by letting himself down at arms
length from a ffth-story window, put hi
feet through the window below an
reached the fourth floor in safety. Th
. operation was repeated until the thir
a floor was reached, each point gained in hi
' perilous descent being greeted with encourae
= ing cheers from the bystanders. As he wa
: putting his feet through the tor, Of the second
l story window, his hands slipped from the 81
A above, and with Wild shrek Of despair no fe
y backwards, turning over. seperal times, apt
afflkingJRe p6vonle9t on his' heaa' wasspaF
eIed beyond Feepsalton, ''