Bios transcribed by Kay R. & History by Jan Cortez
Beckwith House Fire
This conflagration does not figure as one of the widely destructive fires to which the city has been subjected. But in loss of life, it takes its solemn place as a sad casualty. At about 4 o'clock on the afternoon of December 3, 1880, while a bell boy was engaged in the lamp-room under the main stairs, a kerosene lamp exploded and the flames quickly spread to a dozen more standing near by. The boy ran across the hall, and, seizing some blankets, attempted to smother the fire, but the flames had gained such headway that he was driven back, and a sheet of fire shot and waved up the staircase to the rooms above. The first story of the hotel was occupied by stores, its entire inside being of wood. Outside, the building presented a substantial appearance, being constructed of brick, with stone copings, four stories in height. The wood work inside was like tinder, and before any general alarm could be given, the whole house was in flames. Mrs. S.B. Paige, at the time the fire broke out, was sitting in her room, corner of Main and Algoma, entertaining Mrs. C.E. Harlow, a lady friend. They heard nothing of the disturbance, and were unconscious of any danger until a volume of smoke and flame shot up the staircase toward their room. There was but one other hall-way in the building - that used by the servants. When the two ladies, hand in hand, attempted to escape by this passage, they were driven back, nearly smothered and burned. Mrs. Harlow raised the window of the room and looked out; it was a dizzy leap, but the crowd seeing her danger, obtained a number of blankets and held them to break the force of her fall. She jumped, and fell badly burned and insensible. Mrs. Paige was unable to get to the window, and it is supposed was smothered soon after her friend's narrow escape. A ladder was raised by the firemen to the window, but so confident were all that Mrs. Paige had escaped, that no one ventured into the burning building for thirty minutes thereafter. The room was then entered and the body of the unfortunate woman taken out the window and lowered to the walk by means of a rope. Just as this pitiful scene was taking place, Mr. Paige, the husband, who had been away riding, drove up, only in time to assist in bearing away the body of his dead wife. Miss Mary Hanrahan, a dining room girl, first escaped the flames, but returning to her room in search of her trunk, despite the entreaties of her friends, was burned to death, and her body found the next morning. The night watchman, George W. Wood, asleep in his room, also perished. These casualties were what made the Beckwith House fire a noted event in the history of Oshkosh. The hotel was built in the summer of 1875, on the site of the old Beckwith House, being 150 feet on Main, by 150 feet on Algoma. It was under the management of Sanford Beckwith.
