Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-01-11
Seventy five Persons Perish In
a Burning Hotel.
Many Jump from Windows
And are Instantly Killed.
Scenes Of the Most BeWildering
and Heart.rending Character.
MILWAUKEE, Jan. 10.

The Newhall House, six story brick
building on the corner of Michigan street
and Broadway, was burned this morning.
The fire was discovered at A. NJ. and in
less than half an hour the whole building.
designated as death trap, was enveioped In
flames.
Scenes of utmost CONSERVATION prevailed.
The inmates jumped by dozens from the up
per stories to the stone sidewalks, while life
less bodies and shrieks of the unfortunates
filed the air. The people below were mn
able to render any aid.
Quite a number Of terrified guests and en-
ployees of the hotel appeared at the windows,
and seeing the distance to the ground, tell
back and persisted in the flames.
The employees of the hotel. which accom-
modated eight hundred guests, numbered
eighty-six, and were lodged in the sixth story.
Their exit by way OF the roof was cut of by
fire and the water stand pipes with fire lad
ders were not available for the same reason.
A few were saved by jumping on canvass.
The stores and offices on the ground floor
were entirely destroyed. They were on the
Michigan street side, and comprised the Of
fees of the Mutual Union Telegraph Com
pany; H. J. Baumgartener. sign painting
shop; Goltz, barber shop. and Bernick 4
Armitage job printers. Ons the Broadway
politan Plate Glass Insurance Company. In
surance agencies of Charles l., Lnin, VIM.
T. Durand, G. O. Hewitt, c. G. Hebbard &
Co., F. W. Montgomery & Co., B. NJ. We'll,
West & Myers and l.. A. Wheeler, J. II.
Watson, agent of the Canada Southern Rail-
road, the office of Nelson's coal yard, and
the office of Merchants Despatch Line. A
number of wholesale establishments in Water
street were damaged by fire and water and
falling walls. Among them were VIM.
Cramer banker; the Goodyear Rubber Co !;
Louis Schadegg & Co, wholesale wine mer-
chants; James Morgan. dry goods thinner
man Bros, clothing; VIM. Candee, cashier
of the Merchants Bank. He carried the
cash box containing money and papers
amounting to 100000, out of the flames.
The insurance agencies and general offices
on the first floor scarcely saved any papers.
The insurance of the hotel was SIPS 900. all
held in Cincinnati agencies. The loss was
about $500, 900. Fifty telegraph wires are
down.
Comparatively few guests were in the no.
tel The hotel register is burned. and the
exact loss of life cannot be determined. but
it will reach fifty or sixty dead and twenty or
thirty wounded. SO far, twenty-three bodies
have been placed in the morgue, and nine
| more are DIT places near the ruins. Identfi-
| cation is slow.
Among those known to have been in the
hotel were the following: G. w. Briggs of
Grand Rapids. Mich n. Miller, George
Young, J. A. Manning, w. ID. Lewis, K. n.
Baker of New York: J. V. Mahony. w. J.
Hill of Syracuse; A. b. Hepdy of New
Haven; A. J. Case of New York; p. Hobler
of Chicago; S. J. Craig of Des Moines
Chas. A. Handy of Milwaukee, of the Tom
Thumb party, Orange Williams, J. A. Prince
and wife, John C. Clark of Warsaw, NJ
Rowell of Sanford, Mr.. Roweil of Medford
Ben Tice. chief clerk, John Huntsdell, clerk,
John F. Antesdel, the proprietor, and Ben
jamin Mason of Milwaukee.
So far as known, the following are dead
| Allen johnson, commission merchant OF
Milwaukee, and wife, Kitty Bailey and Mary
Burns, servants, w. A. Hall, miller, of La
port, Bervan Hoag, fireman, struck by fall
| ing telegraph pole, Lizzie Kelly, Maggie
Owens, J. Hall, Annie and Bessie Brown,
Kate Stancham, Maggie Sullivan, Augusta
| Giese, Mary NJ. Lade, all servants; Thomas
Van Horn of Abbott. n. Y, and J. J. Haugh
| of Marco, Ill ID. G. Powers, Mrs. Brown,
Mary Burke, Mary Anderson, Mary Miller,
Mary Mcmahon, Mary Conroy, servants.
The following are missing W. +. Durand,
| insurance agent; Geo. +. Smith, passenger
| agent of the Lake Superior and Michigan
Southern railroad; Mrs. l.. w. Brown, Miss
| Challis, dressmaker, and Walter and William
| Gilleland. Among the seriously injured are
Orange Williams, residence unknown; Ben
Tice, clerk of the house. l.. w. Brown, train
master of the Northwestern railroad, L. b.
Elliot, fatally; W. r. Buesenbach. general
western passenger agent of the Michigan
Central railroad, Rose Burns, Mary Owens.
I'll tsrhf -
Doylestown, servants.
1t may be safely said that sixty persons
| are dead and thirty seriously injured. The
mayor has called meeting in the chamber
| of commerce. to organize a 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 build
| ing that the local agencies might take the
| risks. The building was considered a death
| trap, and risks were refused. The Tom
Thumb party and Madison Square Company
| are all safe as far as learned
Mrs. John Gilbert. of the Minnie Palmer
| troupe, who was married only two DAYS ago,
was burned to death in sight of the multi.
tude. The following guests have been
known to be saved or only slightly hurt
Edward Pollock of Lancaster, Wis. Rowell
| Sanford and Rowell Medford of Wis, c. W.
-
| of Warsaw, j. A. Duval. agent of the Great
Western Dispatch & South Shore Line. Geo.
T. Lee, Northwestern travelling agent of the
| Chicago, Rockland Pacific Railroad, J. w.
| Maxwell of Cincinnati, r. Kohn of New
| York, NJ. Weber of Laport, and James
WARDROBE of New York.
The scenes at the morgue where 80 bodies
are lying are heart rending beyond descrip-
| ton. A strong police force is necessary to
keep anxious inquirers in line.
Nineteen bodies have been identi fled p:
eight bodies are beyond recognition.
The fire department called for assistance
| from the Soldiers Home. Gen Sharp re-
fused to send their steamer, at which great
indignation is felt The fremen made su-
perhuman efforts. and eleven waiter girls
were brought safely across frail ladders
stretched over an alley from the sixth.story
| of the hotel to the roof of the adjoining
bank building.
About dozen unfortunates ATTEMPTED TO
jump, but were rebounded by the telegraph
wires. perfect mass of which surrounded
the two fronts Of the building.
Tom Thumb escaped from an entrance
and his wife was saved by fireman through
a tre-escape. as were also W. H. Thompson.
Messrs. Herbert and Dunlap. WI. LoyeIle
and others of the Madison Square Co., who
arrived at midnight. They were only par
tally dressed. The Chicago board of trade
sent dispatch proffering assistance.