Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-02-20
WITHOUT A FOUNDATION.
The Walls ofthe Hartford Hotel
 Rested on PlankS.
BUILT OF UNsALABLE BRICKS.

BUILT OF UNsAI.ABLE BRICKS. A Contractors Story of the Criminal
 Cupidity of t.,e HuiIder-Not a Barrel
 of Cement Was Uscd-Six More Bodies
 Recovered from the Ruins.
 HARTFORD, Feb. 20.-From yesterdays in- vestigations it is certain that the hotel tragedy was due to defects in the construction of the building. Michael O'Neil, who had charge of the mason work of the hotel, told dam- aging story, but only after a good deal of persuasion. He said:
 1T took the contract for laying the brick work of the Park Central hotel after Charles Robinson gave up the job, and upon my oath there is not thing under the brick wall of that building but plank You will find it when you get down to the foundation. Robinson finished the work as far as the level of the sidewalk. then 1 took it. We had not worked but few days before my men began to complain that they were afraid to work, the walls were SO much out of the true. I told Mir. Hastings that the wall ought to be taken down and rebuilt, but he said: No, you can humor it out all right I swear the . which the building stood, and nothing but bricks used as a foundation. The bricks were some of his own make, and he furnished these and the mortar, and we laid the brick for S:,.l3 per 1,OOO Not barrel of cement was used with the mortar, and he would growl because we were using so much lime The foundation all of brick, was 20 inches thick, the first story 16, and the partition wall was but 16 inches thick When we got the first story finished my men would not work any longer, and 1 quit. Theodore Newton finished the job. In regard to the anchors, they never went through, but the courses of bricks were turned up but a little ways, and were not altogether over 16 inches long. He made us do everything as cheaply as possible. What I tell you is the truth"
 Theodore Newton, who took up the work where Mr. O'Neil left off, said: "I com menced work on the hotel where O'Neil quit My brother, R. W. Newton, and myself sim ply furnished the men to do the work under MT. Hastings directions. We had no more to do with tho work than he horses that drew the brick We simply furnished the labor. MT. Hastings had a lot of soft brick he could not sell and he worked them in. Be fore we began work some of the wall of the first store had to be taken uOWn. 1nlS was two years a1Cer the foundation was laid. The walls were all out of true, and the southeast corner of the hotel never saw day when it stood plumb Mir. Hastings did every thing as cheaply as possible. He even went so far as to oil the outside course of brick with some preparation so as to make them look red. Soft brick will | never allow the mortar to stick to them as hard brick will That is why the bricks are found so free of mortar.h
 The bodies taken out yesterday were three besides those of William Seymour tramp, 1 and Rev. Dr. Perrin and wife, The remain ing walls of the hotel were pulled down at 3 o'clock, and the military guard was with l drawn at p. m
 l Soon after midnight fire again. started in | the ruins, but was soon subdued by hydrant | stream. At that hour the force of workers | had been increased and fresh and vigorous | hands urged on the work. The crowd of | spectators, many of whom had remained in
 the neighborhood through the day and even- 1 ing, had scattered to their homes, and a smaller number of guards was on duty. The
 dreary rain storm had passed and the moon
 shone peacefully down on the pile of debris | which had become the tomb of so many | human beings.
 l The work of delving among the ruins for | the bodies of those who were known still to | be there was continued during the greater ! part of the day, with the result that new it Is
 pretty fairly known that the total dead will
 number t ty-one, but it is impossible to get
 the names of any save those which have been
 published.