Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-02-19
SOMETHING AWFUL.
Park Central Hotel at Hartford,
Connecticut, Blown Up.
About Sixty People KNOWN TO Have Lost
Their Lives Twenty Others Ser
iously Injured.
The Ruins Take Fire and Several Victims Per-
ism in the Flames-The Cause of the
Catastrophe Unknown.
coNNEcrIcnr cArAsrRopHE.

CONNECTICUT CATASTROPHE.
HARTFORD Conn. Feb. IS. = The
main portion of the Park Central hotel,
facing on High and Allen streets, fell
this morning a few moments before 3
o 'clock, burying at least fifty people.
The cause of the accident is not at pres
ent known, but is supposed to have re-
suited from an explosion of the boilers in
the basement, and from the havoc Gre
ated in the adjoining buildings, the ex-
piosion theory seems most probable.
Every window in the Earl house, right
across Allen street, was broken and the
walls were smashed in many places. The
noise of the fall aroused the whole city,
and in very few minutes large crowd
surrounded the scene. 1t was a sight of
horror, and one that never will
be forgotten by the spectators.
Flames completely enveloped the ruins
and the shrieks of the wounded and
dying rose high above the shouts of the
fremen and police who had been sum-
moned by the alarm from the fire de-
partment.
At this writing, 8 a. m, it is almost
impossible to give detailed account as
the people who escaped from an annex
are too frightened to be able to talk in
diligently. Following is a partial list of
those who occupied rooms in. the hotel
and who are believed to be in the ruins:
LOUIS n. BRONSON and wife, Hart
ford
NJ. G. GARRoDY, editor of the German
Herald of this city.
ANDREW F. WHITING and wife.
DWIGHT Fl. BUELL., jeweler, Yelling
ton.
KETcHUM, proprietor of the hotel, his
wife and son, EDDIE.
1t is the most horrible catastrophe that
has ever been known in Hartford. The
loss of life is believed to be not less than
fifty, but it cannot be stated definitely as
the night clerk is among the missing and
the books are destroyed. Among the
missing are:
GEORGE ENGLER. drug clerk of Hart
ford.
GEORGE s. KETCHUAI, brother of the
proprietor of the hotel.
Rev. DR.. PERRIN and wife, secretary
of the Congregational tract society.
Mr.. STIFFLE, safe agent.
Nearly all the help employed in the ho-
tel were saved. They occupied sleep
ing apartment in the annex which was
only partly wrecked by the explosion.
Some forced their way out themselves,
others were helped cut. The entire main
section of the hotel is gone, only pile
of brick and timbePS remain. The scenes
about the ruins were horrible
In the center of the spot where the
building stood were man, his wife and
litt4e girl. No help could get to them
and they fell back in the flames and
persisted in plain sight Of the spectators.
The child cried for help, but the man and
woman uttered no word. Embraced in
each others arms
THEY MET DEATH BRAvELY.
The shrieks of another woman caused
the blood of the spectators to turn cold
as they saw young lady dying with her
body half across a beam with a look Of
agony on her face. Finally the support
fell and she dropped out of sight.
The dead body of DWIGHT BUELL.,
jeweler, was taken out about II a. IN.
The body of LOUIS II BRowNsoS, stove
dealer, wife and child were discovered
about the same time.
eler of Philadelphia, who roomed on the
third floor, was taken out badly bruised,
but remarked that che was all right:
The house had accommodations for
about 100 guests and was the favorite
over-Sunday stopping place for CONNER
cial travellers. 1t seems probable that at
least eighty persons were in the house at
the time Of the explosion, of which per-
haps, twenty escaped. These were
mostly employees who occupied the wing
of the hotel, which has not yet fallen.
About SIX persons have been sent to the
hospital. Owing to the destruction of
the register of the hotel, the names Of
many can not be ascertained.
The catastrophe was caused by the ex-
plosion of the boiler, although some
doubt is expressed on this point as the
building had been
SUPPOSED TO BE UNSAFE.
It was built on made ground. The
railroads have furnished their forces of
laborers with jacks, etc, and the work
of searching for the bodies is now going
forward Systematically. a general
alarm summoned the entire fire depart
ment, and an immense crowd was at
tracted by the explosion and fire. The
flames prevented any attempt at rescu-
ditS On6, anu tue IuitAs were
with water before any work could be
prosecuted few dead or dying were
taken from the edge of the debris, how
ever, within an hour after the explosion.
The force of the explosion threw bed
with a sleeping woman on it far into
the street, while one of the heavy
doors was found block away.
By ga. m. the flames were so far sub
dued that the rescuers were enabled 10
get some of the victims. Some were
pinned beneath heavy timbers, upon
which rested masses of masonry, rem
iering the work of rescue extremely
hazardous.
At 10 o'clock military call was
sounded on the fire bells, calling ont the
military companies to assist in keeping
order and assist in the work of rescue.
At about 1 o'clock p. m. amid en-
thusiastic cheers from the crowd Land
lord Ketchum and his WIG were taken
out alive and able to drink some hot
coffee with relish. No wonder, consid-
eTing they had been imprisoned in their
night clothes in the cellar with a flood of
water pouring in on them. The extent
of their injuries cannot be ascertained at