The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-01-19
\ HOTEL HORRORy


Total Destruction Of the Newhan House ri
Milwaukee, Wis.,, by Fire-Over Sixty Per-
sons Perish In the Flames-Boarders and
Employes Endeavor to Flee from the
Flames BY Leaping from the Window
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 unfeelinS, wrung
their hands in despair, running about utterly
bewildered, exclaiming, My God, this is hor-
rible!" Then black objects would appear on
the outside of windows, driven out by the
smoke and flame, Il piercing scream rend the
morning air, and heavy thud would an
nounce that human form had fallen from
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 a 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 we're being enacted on
the Broadway and Michigan street side of the
Inflated building, one of still greater horror
was being enacted In the alley Mt the rear
The servants quarters were in the northwest
quarter of the building. remote from tho place
in which the fire was raging. but all means of
escape by the stairways were cut off by the
flames. 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, I'M
wieldly thing poised in mid air, and then de.
scended with u crash through the window o.
the hotel. 1t formed a bridge across the alley,
however, and before it became steady in 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
in their night clothes, and many were badly
frozen before they could be taken to shelter.
As many of the mangled bodies as could lie
reached were taken to the morgue 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
nightfallpoor, 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 Roadway is
being made. There are twenty five dead bod.
les at the morgue, which number includes
those who died during the day from their in.
iuries. Ofthese about twenty have been iden-
titled
The following is a list of the dead as far as
known:
Allen Johnson, commission man, Milwaukee.
Mrs. Allen johnson, Milwaukee.
ID. &. Powers, inventor, Milwaukee.
j, ii. 4ough 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 Z. Vanloon capitalist, formerly o.
Albany, N. Y, later of Milwaukee.
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 Builan, servant, Milwaukee.
C. 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 are as follows
Prof. W. d. Tomlins Chicago.
Judge Geo. II, Reed, formerly of Manito-
voc.
W. T. Durand, insurance agent.
George G.. Smith, passenger agent of tho
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern.
Kitty ConnOrs, of DOylestown, servant.
. Walter Gilliland, bell boy.
William Gilliland, elevator boy.
Mrs. l.. W. Brown, wife of the yardmaster of
the Northwestern Road.
Scott, railway employee.
Capt. James Vosc U. S. engineer.
Bradley Kellogg. commission merchant,
Ashton, Dakota, brother of Henry kellogg of
Milwaukee.
VIM. Mckenzie. Newhall engineer.
Mary Mack, servant.
A colored man, servant, name not given.
B. Murtelle, railway employee.
Maggie Pinnigan, servant.
inst how many were in the hotel when the
fire broke out will probably never be kno wn
As the register is in the ruins. The fremen
who were at the scene first and who had the
best opportunity of seeing those who failed
In their attempts to get out say there are ut
least thirty bodies vet in the ruins.
The stores and offices on the ground floor
and contents were destroyed.
Chief Clerk Tice, who had a narrow escape,
says there were ITO boarders and ninety en-
plOyes in the hotel. So far fifty six are unac-
counted for
The fire started apparently on the third
floor of the building over the side entrance on
Michigan street, and before the Department
got the steamers fairly in position the flames
had enveloped the whole southeast cor
ner of the building. The fire forced
its way with lightning rapidity toward
the northern wing, and some laundering in
diyfdual, seeing the reflection of the holocaust
on the sky. turned in an alarm from box 81
cornerOf East Water and Division streets, at
$40 a. m, causing the loss of the work of one
steamer for ten minutes of precious time,
N - nj ifs ay,I
window in the huge building was lined with
shrieking humanity.
"A new system of duplex tickets and
conductors reports has been adopted on
L. q.