The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-01-19
Lost in the Flames.
A FATAL HOTEL FIRE. FIFTY LIVES
LOST.

uOWH W " WdJtTN grave III iSdhc A'tiOu-
igan, nothing like the apalling calami.
ty which occurred tn Milwaukee on the
morning of Jan. 10th. in the burning
of the Newhall House, has ever befel
that city, The flames were discovered
just before a. M, and in less than half
an hour not only was the whole build
ing mass of smoulderlng ruins, but
fully fifty people had been swept into
eternity, and as many more moan
ing sufferers had been removed from
the burning building.
The origin of the fire is shrouded in
mystery, though the general belief is
that it is the work of an incendiary.
Small flames have been discovered at
the entrnce to the elevator of the hotel,
but they were extinguished before any
damage was done These apparent at
tempts to destroy the building, lead
people to believe that this last and hor-
ribly successful effort was made by the
same party.
The scenes during the progress of the
fire were heart -rending and pitiful be-
yond description. Guests rudely a
wakened from their sleep by the terri
BILE heat and suffocating smoke appear
ed in the window, where their frantic
cries for aid rang on the ears of the
concourse of people gathered below,
but powerless to render any assis-
| tance.
Walled in by the sea of flame, the
unfortunates in the building could be
seen running wildly about in the vain
search for means of escape, and
wringing their hands in despair Fl
nally, driven out by the fast devouring
flames, every now and then a black OBJ
ject would appear on the sill of win
dow, a piercing shrek rend the morn
ing air aud thud would announce
that one more unfortunate had chosen
to meet death on the pavement below
rather than in the seething mass of
flames within. Others, seeing the dis
tance to the ground below, turned
round and with hands uplifted heaven
ward, as if invoking divine aid, threw
themselves back into the fire.
Men who, in the daily walks of life,
have been accounted heartless and un-
feeling, wrung their hands in despair,
running about in bewidermeDt and
exclaiming: "My God ! This is horri-
BILE? A black objet would appear on
the outside of the windows, driven out
by the smoke and flame, piercing
scream would rend the air, and heavy
thud would announce that would an
nounce that human being had drop
ped to death on the pavement be-
low.
The servant girls were quartered on
the sixth floor, and when the house
was discovered to be burning they
found themselves cut off from all es-
cape. Their screams could plainly
be heard in the street. Presently Ed.
Ryemer and Herman Strauss, of Truck
No. l appeared on the roof of the
bank building at a critical junctnre,
directly opposite the servants quarter,
ladder in hand. For a moment the
unwieldy thing was POISED in mid-air
and then descended with a crash
through a window of the hotel. 1t
formed bridge across the alley, and
before it became steady in position men
had crossed into the hotel. Then, amid
the cheers Of the crowd below, they
dragged helpless creatures across the
slender bridge until eleven had been
rescued. All were in their night
clothes and many were badly frozen
before reaching shelter. A woman
in dead faint was dragged across in
safety, but at one time the whole OF
her body was hanging over clear OF
the ladder, while man held her by
the ankle. The crowd below helc
their breath in suspense expecting ev
cry moment to see the ladder turr
over or break beneath the strain. The
man, however, was equal to the emer
gency. By an effort he pulled her up
on the slender bridge and finally pla
ced her out of danger. The two
brothers Clayton rescued four women
: carrying them out bodily.
> Some of the girls, thinking that they
, could cling to the outer walls and thus
: escape the tortures of roasting alive
or that they could in some manner
r Chamber down the side of the building
} swung themselves out of the windows
e only to drop to the stone paving of th
\ alley below, where every one of then
was shockingly crushed At one tim
p. nine of these mangled bodies, some o
4 them blackened and shriveled by tn
: flames, lay piled one upon another
:, OF the sixty young girls only clever
+ were heard from as safe this even
J. ing.
$ One of the most shocking scene
4 was when Miss Lbbie Chalis, a dress
e maker, appeared at one of the windows
l. She was on the fourth floor, and bein
Y lame could not make her escape. Sh
II dragged herself to the window, an
|, kneeling down as if in prayer remain
ed there in plain sight of all writhin
/ in agony, the flames tapping her cloth
ing and literally roasting her aliv,
d The fresh Air at the window kept he
Il from suffocatting until she was burne
d to death she cung to the window
: sill, and when the wall fell she fe
q with it.
d The fate of Mr. and Mrs. Jno. Gi
II bert was sad one. Mr.. Gilbert
;, connected with tn Minnie Palmer IN
o Sweetheart company, playing tn
% part of the gambler while understudy
e ing to fill the part of Tony in place
Il Mr.. Graham. On Monday, in Chicag
l. just before leaving for Milwaukee, NJ
s. Gilbert married young lady to whol
,r he was devotedly attached. This morl
T. ing the young wife lies in the Morgr
Is dead, terribly bruised and burned, an
5, at the Plankington House lies IL
is husband dying, it is believed.
s. The Civil-Service Reform Associ,
Il ton of Philadelphia has just publishe
s. Pamphlet No 8 of its series, "How yc
le may aid Civil Service Reform" It
st terse statement of aims and method
d with foot-note references to the vario
1t publications of the Associations
lie New York and Philadelphia viii
d give details and facts in full, and {
e cover gives the prices of these. topetb