The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-02-19
There We're Fifty Guests in the Build
ing, and Five Escaped Death or Injury.
Sixteen Bodies Recovered from the Ruins, and
it Is Thought that At Least as Many Are
Yet Beneath the Bricks and Mortar.

HARTFORD, Conn, Feb. 1S.-Just before
dawn, this morning. hotel, with its sleep
ing people, was shattered bya force not yet
ascertalned and straightway, in the dark
ness and ruin, men. and women, and chill
dren were being crushed and MANNED and
burned by flames. 1t was at the hour when
the twilight of the coming day had worn
away the night bit, and while the city
slept, that the buildings were shaken as if
by an earthquake. and the silent streets
were startled by sullen booming, as though
of monster explosion. Upon the moment,
persons in the section of the city near the
Capitol and the union depot were further
startled by the sound of crashing walls and
falling timbers, and the screams of
women, and by mems hoarse shouts,
from the vicinity of High and
Allyn streets, which had been the
site of the Park Central HOTEL
but which had practically disappeared
Those who hurried to the spot found upon
the site of the hotel huge pile of stone
and bricks and splintered timbers, from
which white clouds of steam rose up in the
morning twilight. streaked and blackened
by wreaths of smoke that rapidly grew
dark and blacker and more dense. Then
tongues of flames leaped here and there
from out the ruin, and grew bolder and
more strong until the ruin was a roaring
heap-a CRATE where solid masonry held
the fury in. The stupefed beholders had
then begun to move, and the clangor of fire.
bells broke forth, while from untold sources
came throng that stayed, not idly curioua.
by. There were cries and means, and then
wild screams from out the ruin that made
mems faces blanch and their arms grow
strong with helpful impulse. The
streams of water played upon
the flames were carried up in
steam that smOthered all vision of the ruin;
but daylight grew apace, and soon the
helpers at the scene of ruin could see, back
beyond the ruin, the yawning floors of an
annex to the building which had housed
the help of the hoste elry, and which had
been spared. A portion of the tier of rooms
at the rear of the main building had re-
manned standing, but the partitions had
been torn away and the rooms were opened
to the air; the floors of many of them,
partly giving away, had tumbled out the
occupants and ftrn1Jurc.uPor the c0pfused'
heap below. The explosion had demolished
the stair case of this annex, but the fright
ened employees were safely taken out by an
aerial ladder, two or three excited ones,
however. jumping and receiving slight in
juries.
With that unexplained rapidity with
which news of disaster flies through town
the tidings that men and women, and chill
dren, too, were being crushed or burned
seemed soon to have reused the entire city
to the scene. The police pressed back the
throngs, not more curious than willing to
help; the firemen from every vantage
ground were pouring floods of water upon
the ruins. The flames had been mastered
and had sunk down from sight within the
ruins where yet the water Kissed and
steamed among the hot stones and brick
that, rapidly cooled, burst and crack with
sullen sounds. The men of the hook-and-
ladder trucks were impatient, waiting only
until the ruins had so cooled as to render
safe their efforts in the wreck, and so, as
soon as possible. willing hands set about
the herculean task of removing the i'm
mense mass of masonry, Gad the crowds
waited and watched with breathless sus-
pense.
The first person rescued was George
Gaines, colOred porter. He was badly in
Jured. and died soon after being taken out.
At about z o'clock Superintendent Law
renee OF the street department. appeared
upon the scene with large gang of laborers,
and the search was prosecuted with re-
| newed activity. Helen LepOrt, of New
Britain, and Jennie Decker, of Unionville,
were soon rescued, comparatively unin-
| jured., Jacob Turpin, a cOlored barber,
was also taken out, early in the morning,
| while Rachael Cramer jumped from a win
| dow. breaking q leg. At 9 o'clock Harris
Stlfie, of philadelphia, traveller for the
Barnes Safe and Lock Company, was liber-
ated by raising the timbers which held him
down. He was only slightly injured. AT
| 1920 the dead body of Dwight H. Buell,
single, leweler, of this city, was recovered.
The body was not mangled, death having
been caused by suffOcatiOn.
In the meantime the crowd of spectators
had increased to such proportions as to
| greatly impede the work of the firemen and
rescuers. Accordingly. at about 10 o'clock
Two eleyens" were sounded upon the fire
bells, calling out the five companies of the
First Regiment Connecticut National
Guard. stationed in the city. The men re-
| sponded with commendable alacrity, and a
Gordon or guards soon surrounded thevicin.
| ity of the explosion, doing excellent service
throughout the day and night In keeping
the crowd within bounds Passes from
commanding officers were required to get
| through the lines, and that portion of the
| city decidedly reminded one of war times
| Previous TO the calling out of the military
the police force had done good work, but
their number was inadequate to the emer.
1 gency.
| By noon kilograms of anxious INQUIRY
were pouring in from every part of the
| country, and friends of those supposed tC
| be in the ruins were arriving by every train
! together with an immense crowd of curl
| Ous people from the surrounding towns
| The lower floor of the spacious wool ware
house of &. j. Judd & Root was made q
| temporary morgue. Here Coroner Sperry
| Medical Examiner Fuller and assistant
| Wright, with other local physicians. were
| in attendance, and here the bodies were
taken as fast as recovered and opportunity
was given for Identification 6v friends
| Those not identified were taken in charge
by the city and tenderly cared for in a room
out of the dirty hall. The injured were
| promptly sent to the hospital
The recovery of bodies was slow. owine
| to the immense accumulation of debris. bu1
| at nearly regular intervals one or two
| bodies were found during the afternoon
| When claimed by friends they were de
| lIvered to undertakers.
That of Mr. Root was taken in charge by
his son, VIM. Root, of Boston. The city has
! provided caskets, etc., for the bodies no.
| yet claimed. AS rule, the corpses bore
but slight marks of fire, dying either by
suffocation or bruising.
The catastrophe was devoid of the har
rowing details, the hair-breadth escapes
the thrilling rescues attending an uncon
! trolled cOnfiagratiOn. One terrible crash