Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1883-01-12
Gully gress a,1d 9akotaia,1
FRIDAY, JANUARY IL. 1883.


Office on Third ST.. Press and Dakotaian
BOWEN & KINGsBURY, Prop't
THE MILWAUKEE HORROR.
Particulars of the Burning Of the
Milwaukee, Jan. l0-Fourteen hours
nave elapsed since the terrible catastro.
ohe befel Milwaukee. The immensity
Of the dreadful disaster seems to increase
instead of wape. With the floating of
time dread seems to creep over every
one passing the huge pile of smoking
ruins that mark the place where only
Two days ago the palatial Newhall house
stood with its 200 inmates, who awoke
this morning from their slumbers to
stand face to face with the grim reaper.
The snow had been falling all night,
silently weaving shroud for the many
= how many, nobody can ask without a
on beholding what is left of one
Of the largest hostelries in the northwest.
EARLY in the morning, at 3:45, the alarm
was turned in from box 439, corner of
Welt and Eighteenth streets. The whole
was called to the scene, leav.
ing the chemical engine to battle with q
blaze in remote part of the city. But
lew people were on the scene, the police
and night reporters and some belated
for home, but the scene
developing before the horror.stricken
lew, was one which the heeye-witnesses will
never forget. In moment every win.
dow of the large six-story hotel struc.
ture was filled with struggling guests,
and piteously beseeching the
few below for aid which it was impossible
to render. But few of the unfortunate
inmates gained the front entrance on
Michigan street, although many might
have been saved if Immediate attempts
1t systematic rescue had been made.
The halls of the hotel were scenes
of the widest confusion. Men,
and children rushed up and
lown the halls in the dense smoke, avoid
ing the binding flames and roaring
blaze, and in their frantic efforts rush
ing by the stairways and windows lead
ing to the fire escapes, stumbling over
bodies lying unconscious on the carpeted
walks, only to join soon the many pros
rate forms whom kind fate had touched
with the dark wing of death, uncon.
,ciousness. The fire started on the third
loor, over the side entrance on Michigan
street, and before the department got
The steamers fairly in position the flames
had enveloped the whole southeast cor
ner Of the building. the fry element
licking its way greedily and with light
Some blundering individual, seeing the
reflection of the holocaust on the sky
turned in an alarm from box 81, corner
of East Water and Division streets, al
$40, causing loss of the work of one
steamer for ten minutes of precious time
just when the fire was at its worst and
every window in the huge building lined
with stricken humanity.
The multitude, which by this time had
swelled to Thousands, stood in perfect
awe, but few having self possession and
resolution enough to lend a helping
hand on the canyasses- stretched out tc
receive those of the d. pairing inmates
OF the burning pyre who risked lear
down to the stone pavement one hundred
feet below. At first there were only
Lieut.. lockwood, Detectives Renor
and McManus, Officers O'Brien and
Campbell and few Sentinel mer
stretching the canvass which it required
thirty men to handle. A poor fellow
stood on the cornlce of the tifth.stor,
window twenty minutes, not daring til,
fearful leap. Finally he became Devil
dered, to judge by his actions, or dumb
founded by the smoke, and slid off hi
perch to the canvass below. The few
who held it could not give it the necessa
ry resistance. The body fell unhindere,
by the canvass with crash which sent
shudder through every witness. Th
shattered body was carried into til
American express office. All the whll
hundreds of people had been looking or
nobody responding to the demands G
the officers for aid. Everybody seeme
to be spell-bound, The terrible spectacl
seemed to have paralyzed every bit G
will-power. In the sixth.story window
right over this unfortunate man, sat til
figure of a man crouched upon the wir
dow-sill, gazing like one absent-minde
into the fiery abyss below, motionles
but from time to time sending up hear
rending shrek. Steadily the flames Ell
loached upon him. He did not seem
mind it; then the flames singed his hal
and licked his night clothes. One de!
pairing look he gave to the crowd below
then tumbled back into the sea Of fir
A man and woman appeared at o xlndo
of the third story. They were recognize
Us Allen johnson and his wife. A cal
vas was stretched below the windows {
their apartments, formerly occupied
Prof. Haskins and lady, and thousan
voices called beseeching them to jum]
Mr.. johnson kissed his wife, the
leaped into the ar and shot dow
ward into the canvas, but b
weight was such that the canvass n,
pulled out of the hands of the few VII
held it and he alighted on the groun
with deathly force. His wife followe,
Her body struck the verandah and fell
the ground lifeless. Mr.. johnson die
shortly afterward in the express ONO
and the dead body was laid beside b
wife until they were borne away. Abo,
a dozen jumped from the Michigan sire,
front. Each leap meant death or sha
tered limbs, and not less than four III
fortunates at one time lay upon the il
sidewalk in front Of the chamber Of cor
merce, clad only in %heir night shirts, Il
blood aud brains oozing from woun,
through which the bones protrude
Some were carried TO the express Off,
and Others to the ground floor of Il
Mitchell building, where cots had bet
hastily arranged, and from there thu
we're removed to private houses of ki1
. hearted people. Tho scene in the all,
west of the burning building was sic
ening. AS early as G O'Clock the bodi
of seven unfortunate waiter girls we
stretched upon the snow and ice wi
broken limbs, writhing in agony UNI
death ended their sufferings.. After ,
most superhuman efforts ladders we
stretched from the roof of the ba,
building across the alley to the six
l k1,, l.1ts1 c,,l ki,, a -.