The Rugbeian and district reporter. (Rugby, Tenn.) 1882-1883, 1883-01-20
A HOTEL HORROR!

Total Destruction OF the Newhall House ut
milwaukee,, Wis, by Fire--Over Sixty Per-
sons Perish in the Flames-Boarders and
Employees Endeavor to Flee from the
Flames by Leaping from the Windows
Crushed to Death on the Stone Pave
ments.
MILWAUKEE, WIS, January 10.
Milwaukee has been visited by the great
est calamity known in her history. At four
O'Clock this morning fire broke out in the
Newhal House, and in less than twenty min
utcs alter that immense six-story structure
was wrapped in flames ana at least fifty poor
creatures were being hurried into eternity.
The sight during thattwenty minutes was one
10 make the stoutest heart quail. Guests
awakened from their sleep by tho terrible
beat or the bursting of the flames into their
rooms were forced to the windows where their
hcartrendig cries rang in the ears of the vast
concourse of people gathered in the streets,
powcrless to render aid
Men who in the daily walks of life havebecn
accounted heartleSs and unfeeling, wrung
their hands in despair, running about utterly
hewildered, exclaiming My God, this is nor
Iiblc" Then black objects would appear on
the outside of windows, driven out by the
smoke and flame, piercing scream rend the
morning air, and heavy thud would an
nOunce that Il human form had fallen from
the dizzy height to meet death on the pave
lnent below. a number of people dropped
out OF the different stories on the jumping
canvas, but in majority of cases they were
killed outright, or sustained injuries from
which there is little hope OF recovery. Dur
ing the progress of the fire two men appeared
at a window in an upper story, and as they
looked down upon the scene below the floor
tt the room gave way, and with an agonizing
shrek they fell backward into the vortex of
flame.
While these scenes were being enacted on
the broadway and Michigan street side of the
Inflated building, one of still greater horror
was being enacted in the alley mt the rear
The servants quarters were in the northwest
quarter OF the building, remote from the place
in which the fire was rtgn :, b 1t al means Of
escape by the stairwavs were cut off by the
flames. AS the terrible roaringand cracking
ot the flames struck upon their ears they
became panic stricken, and eight of them
followed each other in leaping from the dizzy
Height to the ground in the alley. The jump
ing canvas was on hand but it was powcrlcss
1 the conflict with DEATH and it was clotted
{ vCr and over with the victims blood. At
this juncture the cool headed hero of the day
appeared on the top of tire building directly
opposite the servants quarters with ladder
Ia his hands. For a moment the long, UNI
Mieldly thing poised in mid air, and then de-
scended with a crash through the window of
The hotel 1t formed bridge across the alley,
however, and before il became steady in its
position the man had crossed over into tho
hotel. Then amid the cheers of he multitude
lelow the man dragged the helpless Great
tres across the sl nder bridge until fully
Cozen were rescued. They were all Of them
i their night clothes, and many were badly
frozen before they could be taken to shelter
AS many of the mangled bod es as could e
reached were taken to the morgue, c, CHI load
being followed by half -crazcd mothers and
fathers looking after their children who had
been working in the hotel, and relatives of
nests and regular bOarlers.
h:ound the morgue from that time until
ri=htfallpoor ,bcrcft creatures lowered, trying
in vain to identify lost loved ones. To night
tie work of recovering bodies is being carried
an as well as possible, but so great is the heat
around the ruins that little or no heaiway is
res at the morgue, which number includes
those who died during the day from their in
iuries. Ofthese about twenty have been iden-
titled
The following is list of the dead as far as
Town:
Allen johnson, commission man, Milwaukee.
Mrs. Allen Johnson, Milwaukee.
ID. G. Powers, inventor Milwaukee.
4 VI I'm
Mrs. John Gilbert, wife OF the actor with
Minnie Palmers company, Chicago
Mrs. Lbbie Chalis, dlessmaker, Milwaukee.
Mr.. Huff, Insurance agent, Iowa.
Mrs. Kelly, servant.
Miss O'Neil, servant
Bessie Brown, chambermaid.
Thomas Il. Nanloon capitalist, formerly OF
albany, N. T., later of Milwaukee.
Maggie Owens, servant, Milwaukee.
Lizzie Kelley, servant, Milwaukee.
. Annie Brown, servant, Milwaukee.
Kate Linehan, servant, Milwaukee.
Maggie Sullivan, servant, Milwaukee.
Augusta Gcsa, servant, Milwaukee.
Mary McDade, servant, Milwaukee,
Mitchell Builan, servant, Milwaukee.
c. Howey, conductor Wisconsin Central
hailroad, Milwaukee.
httIy Mcmuilii, MliWUukee.
Charles A. Kelsey, Tom Thumbs servant.
MISSING.
As far as known those missing at a late
hour this afternoon are as follows:
Prof. W. ID. Tomins Chicago.
Judge Geo. Ii, Reed, formerly of Mantle.
voc.
W. T. Durand, insurance agent.
George G. Smith, passenger agent of the
Lake shore & Michigan Southern.
Kitty Connors, of Doylestown, servant.
Wal err Gilliland, bell boy
William Gilliland elevator boy.
Mrs, l.. W. Brown, wife of the yardmaster VI
the Northwestern Road.
scott, railway employee.
Capt James Vose, U. S. engineer.
Bradley Kellogg, commission merchant
Ashton, Dakota, brother of Henry kellogg OF
milwaukee.
VIM. Mckenzie, Newhall engineer.
Mary Mack, servant.
a colored man, servant, name not given.
hiurtelle, railway employe.
Maggie Pinnigan, servant
lust how many were in the hotel when the
I've broke ont will probably never be l<no wn
~ the register is in the ruins. The tiremeI
h } were at the scene first and who had the
est opportunity of seeing those who failed
least thirty bodies yet in the ruins
The stores and offices on the ground foo
Und contents were destroyed.
chief Clerk Tice, who had narrow scape
says there were ITO boarders and ninety en-
roNes in the hotel. So far fifty six are unac-
counted for.
The fire started apparently on the third
floor OF the building over the side entrance OF
Michigan street, and before the Department
got the steamers fairly in position the flame
had enveloped the whole southeast cor