Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-03-01
THE TERRIBLE CALAMITY.

The Hartford Hotel Horror-Some Of the
Awful Particu ars.
HARTFORD, CONN. February 2o.-A horri-
bic crash, smoke, flames, flashing streams
of water and all was over. For this reason
the community does not feel tumultuous
grief, but is horror stricken; the disaster
sim ply overwhelms. The magnitude of the
calamity cannot be realized and, in fact, its
ex5enJ is nos known. The register of the
hotel has not been found and young Perry,
the night clerk, is buried in the ruins. But
from the besg estimates that can be pro-
cured from the landlord and others, it Is
probably that there were not far from fifty
people IN the hotel proper Vi these i've
may have escaped uninjured amid the COZ
fusion of the early morning hours, le wing
for5y-hVe to be accOunzed tor. Ten are IN
the hospital, and sixteen dead bodies have
b en- taken from the ruins leaving nineteen
sill missing. But there may be several
more than this.
Mr.. Andrew F. whiting, actuary of the
Hartford Life and Al nuity Insurance COM
p8ny, and wife, the Rev. Dr. LaVaIleGte
Prlnn,. agent of the Memorial Hall 1850 CT -
ton, and wife, and Edward Perry, The night
clerk, are known to be still in the ruins.
The cause Of the accident was undoubtedly
the explosion Of the boiler tn the basement.
This boiler, Of sixteen horse power, WIS
built by the Pitkins, Of this city, in 1882.
II was not insured by the Hartford Boiler
inspected by an officer Of that company last
August and was then pronounced all right.
No engineer was on duty at the time of the
explosion, the custom being for the night
engineer to benk mis- fires az midnight and
go to bed. He does not sleep in the hotel.
The engineer, Alexander Thuer, v as arrested
on an indie Enent charging him with man
81 lighter and is locked up at the police sta
I. on. It is conieotured that Gaines, the
ColOred porter. N y have started the pumps,
throwing cold water into en- OVerheated
boiler. But this Is only cOnJec- ure, and
| Gaines is dead.
The experiences of the survivors were re-
| mark. bic, and their escapes mir 4cUlOUs.
/ Mr.. Walter Nj. Gay, occupied a room adjoin-
/ ing that OF the landlord, Ketcham and wife.
! When he RW0ke he felt the bed sinking with
| him. Soon it became stationary. He was
| lying On his left side, pinned down by the
/ ceiling, ETC., IN such manner that he WAS
/ entirely unable to move, although his right
/ arm was free. He did not lose conscious
| ness throughout. He soon heard the voices
! of Mr.. and Mrs. KetChum and conVeFsed
/ with them concerning the chances of escape
| Before he was rescued the water nearly COW
] cred his face, poured in by the firemen.
The complete list of bodies taken out up
/ to 1880 is as follows:
OWight a. Buel. jeweier, Hartford.
| George Gaines, Colored porter Of the hotel.
] George Engler, drug clerk, Hartford.
John W. HoueemRn, traveller for the Re
/ we're Rubber company, Boston.
J. Q. Hill, Buffalo, n. Y, supposed to be q
/ commercial traveller.
Louis q. Bronson, secretary of the Hart
! ford Stove and Plumbing company.
/ Wife and child of above.
/ George Ketchum, brother Of the landlord.
Eddie Ketc nm, aged IL son OF the land
/ lord.
/ for Wait. Williams q Co., Boston.
/ A. q. TiIIotson, traveller for the Merrill
/ Chemical company. OF Cincinnati
/ Macmillan Galoy, proprietor of the
/ Hartford Her Id, and wife. MI. Gsloy was
/ for some time a clerk In the bureau Of stat
/ isucss treasury depsrtm emit and purchased
J tbs Herald about three years ago.
Mrs. Andrew +. Whiting. Her body was
| burned TO q ocisp.
The victims sE the hospital are all dom g
/. veil, most Of the injuries being super hoIal,
/ although eu are suffering from chill an eL-
i posuFe.
Following is a compile list:
/ Helen LepoFts New Britain scalp wounds
/ and bruises.
Rachael Gramer. Avon bruised and
jacob 3. Turpin, coloT8d, barber.
/ Walter n Gay, Bayonne, n. j., uninJuEed
! except by exposure New York agent 4cr
{ Higganuua Il manufacturing company.
Henry Staffsl, Philadelphia, commercial
/ traveller, sprained ankle.
Wellington KetchuIns proprietor OF hotel,
I bruises.
/ E.6iss. Georgia A. KetchuEn, wife of above,
! general bruises.
/ Jennie Decker, UnioDviiIe, broken leg.
/ Michael COrrigans UaIoaViiles bruised not
/ seriously
J Enc8 5c1ess
lhs body Of S. ]. G. Pendleson, of Indian
/ ap.tlts, VINO VS. soliciting subscriptions 1oI