The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-01-11
Sixty Persons Perish in the Flames and
Many More Fatally and Seriously
Injured.
Heroic Exertions of the Firemen-
Narrow Escapes and Incidents.
The Scenes at the MOrgue Heartrending
Beyond the Power of Tongue or
Pen to Depict.

MILWAUKEE, Jan. 1o.-The Newhall House,
six-stery brick building corner of Michi-
gan street and Broadway, burned to the
ground this morning. Fire was discovered
at clock, and in less than half an hour
the whole building, long designated as a
"death-trap," was enveloped in flames
Scenes of the utmost terror prevailed in
mates of the doomed building Jumping by
dozens from the upper stories, and covering
the stone sidewalks with lifeless bodies.
The shrieks of the unfortsnates filled the
air in heartrending manner, the people be-
low being unable to render any aid. Quite
number of terrified guests and employees of
the hotel appeared at windows, and, seeing
the distance to the ground, fell back to perish
in the flames. The employees of the hotel,
which accommodated 300 guests, numbered
eighty-six, and mostly lodged in the sixth
story. Their exit, by way of the roof, was cut
off by fire, and two stand-pipes, with fire.
ladders, were not available for the same rea-
son. A very few were saved by jumping on
canvas.
WHAT WAS BURNED.
All stores and offices on the ground floor,
with their contents, were destroyed. They
were: On the Michigan-street side-Offices
of the Mutual Union Telegraph Company,
H. ]. Baumgardner, sign-painting shop;
Goetz's barber-shop, Burdick & Armitage,
job-printers On the Broadway front-Man-
ufacturers' Bank, Metropolitan Plate-glass
Insurance Company, insurance agencies of
Charles E. Grain, William T. Durant, G. P.
| n &,
gomery & Co., B. NJ. Well West & Myers and
L. A. Wheeler; ]. H. Watson, agent of the
Canadian Southern railway, the Office of
Nelson's coalyard and the office of the Mer-
chants Dispatch Freight Line. A number
of wholesale houses on East Water street
were damaged ~ irc asa falling walls of the
building. Among them were William Raj
mer, banker; Goodyear Rubber Company,
Louis Schadegge & Co., wholesale wine-deal-
ers; James Morgan, dry goods; Zimmerman
Bros, clothing. William S. Candee, cashier
of the Manufacturers Bank, carried the cash
box of the institution, containing money and
papers to the amount of 5000, 900, out OF the
flames The insurance agencies and general
offices on the first floor scarcely saved any
papers. The insurance on the hotel is stated
by G. D. Nash, president of the Newhall
House Association, at $125,ooo, all held in
Cincinnati agencies. The loss is scarcely to
be estimated at this hour, but will reach
$5O0,o00. Telegraphic communication will
be stopped for traffic north, as about fifty
wires are down.
GUESTS IN THE HOUSE.
There were comparatively few guests in
the hotel. The register is burned, and the
exact loss of life is not determinable 1t will
reach fifty to sixty dead and twenty to thirty
wounded. So far, twenty-three bodies are in
the morgue, and nine more in places near
the ruins. Identifcations come in slowly.
Among those known to have been in the ho-
tel are c. w. Briggs Grand Rapids Mich;
N. F. Miller, Ripon, Wis; George Young,
]. A. Manning, w. D. Lewis, Chicago; A. N.
Baker, New York; ]. " Mahoney, Rock
Island ILL.,; U. j. Hill, Syracuse; A. B. Hen
dri, New Haven, Conn; A ]. Case, New
York; P. Habler, Chicago; S. j, Craig, Des
Moines; Charles A. Handy, Milwaukee, the
Tom Thumb party; Orange William, J. A.
Primer and wife, Sheboygan Falls; John G.
Clarke, Wausean; Mrs. Rowell, Sanford; Row.
ell Medford, Ben Tice and John H. Antisdel,
clerks; John F. Antisdel, proprietor; Ben
Mason, teacher, Milwaukee.
DEAD, MISSING AND INJURED.
So far as known, the following are dead:
Allen Johnson, commission merchant, Mil
waukee and wife; Kitty Baily and Mary
Bearns, servants; w. A. Hall, - Miller.
Laporte, Ind. Ben Vanhaag, fireman, struck
by falling telegraph pole; Lizzie Kelly,
Maggie Owneshall Annie Brown, Bessie
Brown, Kate Stanchman, Maggie Sullivan,
Augusta Giese and Mary McDade all SER
wants; Thomas E. Venhorn and Mrs. ]. ].
Haugh Marco, H.. ID. G. Powers Mrs,
Miller, Mary MacMahon and Mary Conroy,
! servants
The following are missing: w. I. Dur
and, insurance agent; George G. Smith, pas
senger agent L. S. & NJ. s. railway; Mrs. L. w.
| Brown, Miss Chelis dressmaker; Walter and
William Gillette.
The seriously injured are: Orange Will
liams, residence unknown; Benjamin j.
Rice, clerk of the house; L. W. Brown, train
master of Northwestern railroad; T.. B. FL
liott, lawyer, fatally; W. r. Busenback, gen.
| eral western passenger agent Michigan Cen
trail road; r. Burns Mary Owens, Mamie Nc
Laughlin, Kitty Conners, of Doylestown, SER
! wants.
1t can be safely said that sixty people are
dead and thirty seriously wounded
The mayor has called a meeting in the
Chamber OF Commerce to organize salvage
corps to search the ruins.
About week ago the secretary of the local
board of underwriters was applied to, to
make rate on the building SO that local
agencies might take risks The building was
considered death-trap, and the risks refused.
The Tom Thumb party and Madson-square
Theater company are all saved, so far as
learned. Mrs. John Gilbert Of the Minnie