The daily gazette., 1883-01-12
rnr nrwHALL HousE.

The Watchman of the Burned Hotel
Thinsss tho origin OF the Fire Sna-
plciOus.
Mu,wAuKEE, Jan. 11.-Search for the
hodies Of the victims by the Milwaukee FIRE
still goes on with but little progress. SO far
% pereons have been found dead or have
dIed from their wounds, while 40 others are
still missing. The belief prevails that the
Are was the work Of an incendiary. The
Abatement oil the night Waterman Is:
On the night Of the tire made my rounds
as usual, visiting the different lodging floors
and basement rooms, but observed nothing
unusual, The bar.room was open until 8
O'Clock in the morning. George Scheller,
the proprietor, was there for about three
ounrters Of an hour afterwards. had been
70 the wood room at about o'clock, and in
openine a door leading to the baT-room, saw
t6at the latter was still occupied. At later
hour had to run the elevator down to the
bottom landing TO take up gentleman
who came from the bar-rOOm. No
smoke was TO be detected then. At $3.50
O'Clock r. B. Elliott came in on late
train, was In the office, and he asked me
If the elevator was running. ] told him |
would take him up, and did SO, letting him
out at the third floor. Then went up to
the top floor taking railway conductor up
from the third floor TO the top. / looked
around the halls and then got into the
elevator to go down. This was q few
minutes past $50. As got inte the elevator
l noticed very little smoke. l Immediately
started down to see where It came from. BY
the time reached the Office floor the smoke
was so dense that could go no further in
the elevator. Throwing open the door
| rushed out and started for the
stairs, shouting to the night clerk that there
was fire down below and that | was going
TO see about 1t. By the time reached the
bottom OF the elevator shaft the smoke was
SO dense and sitting that knew something
must be done. called to the engineer, who
was In the engine room, and told him TO
rouse the servants, then / rushed back to
awake the people, for knew there was no
chance of my stopping the fire alone. BY
the time / reached the first floor above
the office and had raped at Mr.. era
mer's door, the heat cracked the glass
doors to the elevator and In q moment after
wards the flames poured out In the mean
time had rushed into the bank building
and rescued as many dodgers In that portion
as could. Afterward rendered what help
could in saving people. / hardly know
what to say about the commencement OF
the fire, but 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
$50 O'Clock there was no smoke
in the elevator or either Elliott or
myself would have noticed 1t. 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 elevator, but in the bot
tom floor of the hotel part there was moth
ing that could possibly burn that way and
that could have been smouldering through
out the night. This Is shown by the fact
that SO many were around until such a short
time before the actual blaze occurred. do
not know that the fire was incendiary but
there is a very queer look to It,"
&c
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STRAwBRIDGE ~ CLoTHIKR,
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