The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-01-12
Comment of the Press.

A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION DEMANDED.
Milwaukee Wisconsin.
Had there been rigid enforcement of ex-
listing laws relative to safe buildings and adj
equate fire protection, the Newhall House
had probably not burned. VIGOROUSLY, the
structure was a ire-trap. 1t was 1ire-trap
used as hotel, and sheltered hundreds of
people. The city authorities knew that it
was fire-trap, and knew of the danger to
life which existed night and day and all the
! time. The people who now as one man
mourn above the biers of the dead VIC
tins will owe it to themselves and to their
city to demand where has been the derelic-
ton in duty to render such holocaust pos
sible. An official and a very prompt inves-
tigation to discover where lies the RESPONSE
biity for this appalling affection which Mil
waukee has suffered ought to be and must be
insisted upon by the popular voice.
STERN JUSTICE MUST BE DONE.
Milwaukee Journal.
Making due allowance for the excited
state of mind in which the community now
is, the fact still remains that there seems to
have been criminal carelessness and neglect,
and nothing short of the most searching in
vestigation will be satisfactory. The New
hall House was fire-trap. This is notorious.
Local insurance companies refused to take
any risks on the building. They knew it
was not safe. They knew, as does every
newspaper man in the city, that the old shell
has been fired time and again, and that inter
ested parties have sought to conceal the
facts. Nothing rash should be done; but the
responsibility must be fixed, and the guilty
parties whoever they may be, must be held
to strict account Bury the dead, relieve the
suffering as far as possible, and then let
stern justice be done.
LITTLE CARE FOR HUMAN LIFE.
Cincinnati News.
We care very little for human life in this
country, or at least we take very little pains
to have it protected. The travelling public
and the ordinary guests of hotels sleep
soundly, and seem to regard life as sort Of
game of chance, where they trust to luck
and leave all to fate Those who are burned
up or break their necks have no further in
terest in it, and those VINO are left proceed to
the next deal with no fear for the result. If
laws are passed by lawmakers they are en-
forced about as the wise regulations about
the building are enforced-so as to amount
to nothing. When catastrophe occurs, the
authorities are alert and then the wachmen
are alert, and all settle down into the old
ruts again.
SHALL HAVE TO WAIT FOR MORE CARE.
Louisville Conrier j ournal.
The ashes of the Newhall House are the
rema1ns of but one "death-trap." There are
many still, as there have been many in the
past. And yet, architects and builders and
past, and go on and on in the same old path
that leads to what has just occurred at Mil
waukee. Some day, perhaps, the utmost
safety of the public will be considered para
mount to the greatest gain for the least out
lay, but we will have TO wait patiently for it.
FEW HOTELS FIRE-PRooF.
Cincinnati Commercial Gazette
Very few of the large, or even small hotels
of this country are ire-proofin construction;
and the necessary profusion of furniture and
decoration in them would-were fire started
in them-make the fire-proof qualities of the
building of little account The present aw-
full calamity will undoubtedly call attention
70 The construction of our palatial hotels,
and may as il should, result in the intro
duction of still better and more efficient safe
guards against fire.
A LITTLE FURRY, AND THEN
Chicago Tribune.
The Newhall House was not the only I'M
safe hotel in the country. There are many
more. For few days or weeks the travelling
public will demand that the proprietors
shall make them safe. and building superin-
tendents will be urged to be more active and
alert in their duties In very little time,
however, the fire-traps will be filled up as