Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-01-17

Elliott came in on late train. [ wa
, III the office and he asked me if The ele
vator was running. told him [ would
: take him up. did so, letting him on
? at his fLoor-the third. Then [ went III
to the top floor, taking railway con
l ductor up from the third to that.
looked around the halls and then got
, into the aiegetor to go down. This was
| a few inmates past half-past 3 o'cl ock
AS [ got into the elevator l noticed 6
very little smoke. I Immediately started
) down to see where it came from. BY
z the time / reached the Office floor
the smoke was so dense that [ could
go no farther in the elevator.
; Throwing open the door [ rushed out
and started for the stairs, shouting to
Tom, the night clerk, that there was a
lire somewhere down below and I was
going down to see about it. By the
time l reached the bottom of the eIe-
vator shaft the smoke was so dense and
SO sitting that [ knew something must
be done. [ called to the engineer, who
was In the engine room, and told him to
rouse the servants, and then [ started
back to awaken people, for [ knew there
was no chance TO stop the fire alone
BY the time l reached the first floor
above the office and had raped at Mr..
Cramer's door, the heat cracked the
glass doors to the elevator and in mo-
ment afterwards the flames poured out.
L IN the meantime rushed into the bank
building and aroused as many of the
dodgers In that portion as I could.
Afterwards | rendered what help
l could in saving people. [ hard
ly know what to say about the COM
mencement of the fire, but I know
1t caught at the bottom of the elevator
and not on the upper floors. There was
nothing anywhere around the elevator
that could burn SO quickly, and at half
past o clock there was no smoke In the
elevator or either Mr.. Elliott or myself
would have noticed it. And after the
smoke was observed there was scarcely
time to do anything before the whole
thing was ablaze. 1t might have caught
IN some of the shops in the basement,
that back up to the bottom of the eleva-
tor, but on the bottom floor of the hotel
part there was nothing that could posi-
bly, burn that way, and that there could
have been nothing smouldering through
out the night is shown by the fact that
so many were around until such short
time before the actual blaze occurred.
l don't know tbatthe fire was incendiary
but there IS very queer look to it. )"
2 s. think there were about eighty lives
lost in the fire, said Charles P. Pheney,
head waiter. 'phere were nearly 10C
guests in the house, the Antisdel family,
, and nearly seventy-fve employees. ]
knowthere were ninety one guests at sup
per, as [ counted them as they entered
the room. Mr.. Antisdel had been talk.
Ing about poor business for several days
past, and on Monday night, in order to
satisfy myself as to how things were
running, counted the people as they en-
tered the dining hall. Monday night
there were ninety-five at the tables and
Tuesday night [ counted and checked
ninety-one, think. I had just twenty
waiter girls under me. Of these, but
three escaped. The cooks entire force
is missing. l think they will find a good
many bodies along the west walls when
the ruins are searched there, as nearly
all the girls roomed on that side of the
house. [ think there are at least sixty
bodies under the wall from what [ know
of the number in the building at the
time the fire occurred and the number
who escaped.
sWRETHEARTS GRIEF.
There was terribly affecting scene at
the police station this forenoon. Two
well-dressed ladies called to see if any
thing had been heard of John 81. Foley,
the electrician. While in the chiefs Of
fee one of the young ladies discovered q
shaving mug marked 81. FL. Foley 81
in large gilt letters. She burst
out crying, and said that there
was no doubt now about Foley
being IN the ruins. 1t was sub
sequently learned that her name was
Miss Mary Hannaford, and that she
resides at Rolling Prairie, Wis, and is
visiting on Sixth Street, this city. From
appearances Miss Hannaford was doubt
less Foley's affianced. Hergrief seemed
terrible, and after leaving her address
she left the station weeping bitterly.
Foley's home was in Hartford, Conn
and brother is now en- route to
straighten up the affairs of the lost rela-
tive.
THE ROASTED REMAINS.
The remains or fragments Of a num-
Der Of the unfOrtunates are now lying at
the morgue burned beyond all hope of
Identification. The remains of r. HOWE
were identified by W. A. Holbrook, the
dentist, who recognized his own work on
the teeth of the skull found with the
calcined bones and flesh. Howie's watch
was found near the body.
! (From the Evening Wisconsin, January 49,
A HERO COMPLIMENTED.
The Chicago News says editorially of
one of the heroes of the great fire:
A hero and his name is Herman L. Stauss.
/ Let us hope there is no mistake about his iden-
tity, for it would be as unjust to credit John
Smith with the victory at Gettysburg and leave
Meade unmentoned as to credit the sensible,
practical, and gallant efforts of the hero of the
Milwaukee fire to the wrong man. While the
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