The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1889-02-28
THIRTY-FIVE PERKS TT.

A Boiler in the Park Central Hotel, Hart
ford, Conn.,, Explodes with Awful Re
suits.
A terrible catastrophe occurred at Hart
ford. Conn, caused by the explosion of the
large boiler in the basement of the Park
Central Hotel one of the most popular ho-
tells in that city. The large building was
completely wrecked the great walls going
down with a tremendous crash. burying in
the ruins. all but a few of the guests in the
house. A special telegram says:
Almost simultaneously with the falling walls
was tremendous explosion that shook the
whole city and wrecked The fronts of all build
1ngs near by. Nothing remained OF the hand
some hotel but mass of ruins, which barely
filled the deep cellar, and q scanty twenty feet
OF the rear end of the building, five stories in
height and showing the interior of the last
row OF rooms on each floor. The ruined part
had been sliced away as neatly as though with
giant knife From the ruins arose groans and
cries, and from the part still standing were
heard the shrleks OF the servants, who lived III
an annex. A cold, hslf2frozen rain from low
ering sky, with the spectacle of wreck and ruin
and The thickenveloping clouds of steam which
Tor hours hid from the surging crowds of people
around the policemens Gordon the occasional
awful revelations made by the workmen in un.
earthlng dead bodies or living sufferers, com.
Dlned TO make scene which no behoder will
be likely to forget. Held close to the top of the
wreekage We're man, his wife, and
child. Flames had burst fofth from
near the boiler, and these came lick
ing n1,,1 toward 9vn d., the group The child cried
man and woman looked death in the face with
clasped hands, and moment later all were
beyond suffering. The flames at first prevented
wy aS ood TO rescue any one and me ruins
be prosecuted. A few dead or dying persons
were taken from the edge Of the debris how
ever, within an hour after the explosion. The
force OF the explosion threw bed with O Sleep
ing woman upon it far into the street, while one
OF the heavy doors landed block away.
The special telegram, sent out a few
h ours after the explosion, continues:
The magnitude of the calamity cannot be
realized. The register of the hotel is lost, and
Night Clerk Perry is buried in the ruins But
from the landlord and others it is probable that
there were not far from fifty people in the hotel
proper. Of these perhaps five escaped unin-
Jured, leaving fortyfve to be accounted for. Ten
are in the hospital sixteen dead bodies have
been taken from the ruins, leaving nineteen
missing Andrew F. Whiting actuary
OF the Hartford Life and Annuity Insurance
Company the Rev. DR.. Lavellette Perrin, agent
of the Memorial Hall Association, and wife, and
Edward Perry, the night clerk, are in the ruins,
1t is believed that Mrs; Wesson, of Springfield,
Mass, the widow of Frank Wesson who was
killed at the White River Junction Railroad &C.
cident, was in the hotel, together with all of her
family, five children, and probably a servant or
two. The complete list of the bodies
taken out is as follows: Dwight H.
Bael1, of Hartford; George Gaines, porter
of hotel; J. George Engler, of Hartford;
John w. Housman, OF Boston; J. c. Hill, of
Buffalo, N. Y; Louis H. Bronson, OF Hartford,
his wife and child; George Ketchum, brother Of
land;ordi Eddie Ketchum, son OF landlord;
George W. Root of Brockpof5, n Y. ; Maximilian
Galody, proprietor of the Hartoford Herold, and
Mrs. Andrew F. Whiting, whose body was burned
to crisp; two unknown persons The victims
ut the hospital are: Helen Leport, of New
Britain Rachel Cramer. of Avon Jacob B. Tur-
pin, colored barber; Walter NJ. Gay, of Bay
onne, N. j; Henry Steffel, of Philadelphia;
Wellington Ketchum. proprietor of hotel Mrs.
George Ketchum, wife of proprietor; Jennie
Decker, OF Unionville; Michael Corrigan OF
UniOnville Enos James