The Newhall House Fire

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In the early morning of January 10, 1883, a battalion of firemen arrives at the northwest corner of Broadway and Michigan Street in response to reports of a fire in the Newhall House hotel. Nearby residents, roused by the clamor, go back to sleep assuming all is under control.  In fact, nothing is farther from the truth. In one of Milwaukee’s worst disasters of the 19th century, the Newhall House burns uncontrollably in less than four hours, taking more than 70 lives as it goes down.

In August 1857, Daniel Newhall, a financier, and grain merchant, built a hotel to rival any Chicago or New York City lodging house. His six-story, 300-room structure was completed at a cost of $275,000. At street level was Scheller’s Barroom, the Manufacturer’s Bank and a dozen insurance agencies, freight offices and real estate agents. Still, Newhall’s hotel was an accountant’s nightmare and within eight years he sold the property. In its 25-year existence, the Newhall House had nine owners, none of whom realized a profit, and none of whom thought to change the name. Still, it was a favorite show biz stopover for actors and actresses travelling through Milwaukee. 

Over the years, the hotel experienced fires several times, with the first on St. Valentine’s Day, 1863. The Newhall narrowly escaped destruction that evening, with firefighters containing the blaze to nine rooms.  The damage totaled nearly $8,000. It was on January 10, 1883, when the hotel caught fire for the 20th and final time under the ownership of Detroit hotelier John F. Antisdel. 

At 2 a.m., watchman William McKenzie checks that all locks are secured before chasing away the tramps huddled in the doorways for warmth. As McKenzie passes the elevator on the 5th floor, he notices tiny tendrils of smoke seeping from the door. Alarmed, he leaps into the elevator, hoping to discover the cause. The smoke becomes thick, and he can’t catch his breath. Descending to the 1st floor, McKenzie sprints to the Michigan Street entrance, only to find great clouds of smoke billowing into the frigid night air. He rushes to the basement where he shouts for William Linehan, the hotel engineer. “This place is going to be gone if we don’t get some help!” McKenzie yells.

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The first hook-and-ladder truck, hauled by a powerful team of horses, arrived at the scene at 4:10 a.m. The firefighters saw frightened guests fleeing the hotel on foot or jumping from windows to the concrete below. The foreman, Herman Meminger, was hit by a falling body as he entered the lobby to assess the situation. Assistant Fire Chief John Black pronounced the hotel doomed, and quickly ordered a crew with hoses inside to prevent the fire from spreading to surrounding buildings. With 11 dead or dying bodies already at his feet, Black organized other firefighters to catch people falling from the upper stories. 

Inside the Newhall House, engineer Linehan frantically searches for his sister, Kate. In charge of the Newhall’s laundry, she is a permanent resident of the hotel. Linehan finds her waking other employees. The Linehans return to the blaze six more times to bring unconscious victims to safety. On the final trip, Linehan looks back to make sure Kate is with him.  Horrified, he sees her head back into the fire to save another person. Overcome by smoke inhalation, he collapses on the sidewalk, unable to stop her. Around him, the calamity continues unabated.  Actor John Gilbert leaps from the 5th floor with his wife. He is seriously injured, and his wife is killed instantly. The world-famous little person General Tom Thumb is rescued by a fireman who carries the 25-inch Thumb from the hotel on a ladder ...

Out in the street, Black’s men used a large canvas tarp to cushion the falls of jumpers. The nearby American Express office was transformed into an emergency infirmary for the injured. At 5 a.m., the Newhall’s rear wall collapsed with a thundering crash, burying a fire truck as it went down.  By dawn, the entire structure was destroyed, its charred ruins steaming and coated with layers of ice. Nearly 100 firemen kept the blaze from doing more damage than it did. Initially, 47 bodies, many burned beyond recognition, were found among the embers. Later, the official death toll became 71. 

Among the dead was the heroic Kate Linehan, who fell from an upper window. Prominent residents such as postmaster Henry Payne, and Evening Wisconsin newspaper owner William Cramer escaped harm, but the badly burned body of another, Judge George Reed, was recovered from the debris. Morbid curiosity seekers prowled the smoking wreckage for half-burned books, fused pieces of metal, and other macabre souvenirs. They even took rare and valuable coins from the famous collection owned by Tom Thumb.

Milwaukee Journal editor Lucius Nieman harshly criticized John Antisdel for poor upkeep and the lack of adequate fire escapes. Antisdel’s defense was damaged by evidence that indicated a disgruntled employee set the fire intentionally. He was also exposed for short staffing the premises to save money. Shockingly, Antisdel was acquitted, but the notoriety of the fire stayed with him until his death in 1900.  Perhaps the only good that came from the Newhall House disaster was that Milwaukee formed a building inspection department and a set of codes to avoid another fire like the 1883 disaster. Daniel Newhall lived to witness the birth and destruction of his former hotel. He died in 1895 at age 74 and was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery.