The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-02-19

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but It cannot be stated definitely, as the
night clerk Is among the missing, and
the books are destroyed.
HORRIBLE SCENES,
Nearly all the help employed in the
hotel were saved, They occupied the
sleeping apartments in the annex, which
was only partially wrecked blythe ex-
plosion. Some forced their way out
themselves; Others were helped out.
The entire main section Of the hotel Is
gone, only pile Of brick and timbers
remaining, The scenes about the ruins
were horrible. In the centre OF the
spot where the building stood were a
man, his wife and little girl, No help
could get to them, and they finally fell
back into the flames and persisted In
plain sight OF the spectators, The child
cried Tor help, but the man and woman
uttered no word, Embraced In each
others arms they met death brayely.
The shrleks Of another woman caused
the blood OF the spectators TO turn cold,
as they saw young lady, lying with her
body hall across beam and q look OF
agony on her face. Finally the support
fell and she dropped out OF sight, VII.
liam Seymour and William Skinner were
employed in the boiler room, Neither
could be fonud this morning, and they
probably perished,
THE LANDLORD ALIVE,
About | O'Clock, amid enthusiastic
cheers from tho crowd, Landlord
Ketchum and wife were taken out alive
and able to drink some hot coffee with
relish-no small wonder, considering
they had been imprisoned in their night
clolhier in the cellar, with a flood OF
water pouring in on theta. The extent
OF their injuries cannot be ascertaiued al
present, They were taken to the hos
pltal. Soon after, Walter jay, Of New
York, agent Of tho Higganum Manuiac-
turing Company, was taken out alive
and sent to the hospital,
The dead body OF j. @. Hill, com.
mercial traveller, who occupied room 20,
has also been taken out,
Daniel Morrison, brakeman, and Fred |
Haines, tlngman on the New England
road, had rooms In the hotel and are un.
doubtedly in the debris. Mrs. Frank |
Wesson aud children are reported to be
in the ruins.
Thus far most OF the bodies recovered
have come from the tier OF sleeping
rooms on the south side. The persons
rescued alive are naturally in a very ex.
hausted condition and physicians refuse
to allow them to DO interviewed, They
were all asleep when the disaster occur
red and OF course knew nothing except
tho horrors OF their imprisonment and
miraculous escape. One young man
guest was violently III on account OF q |
spree. He had left his room about
minute before the disaster 10 90 to the
bath in the annex and thus escaped,
The arrival OF the National Guard or.
dored out by Major Root has been Of
great benefit in keeping the rabble at q |
distance and giving the workmen a good
chance. The soldiers have also aided |
the police and tiremen in removing the
rubbish,
AN AWFUL SUSPICION.
The fires which have been raging un.
der the wreck and causing binding
smoke are now well under control. Mr..
j, NJ. Allen, President of the Steam
Boiler Insurance Company, and IN ex-
pert on boiler explosions, will not &C.
cept the explosion theory till there is
more definite evidence, which cannot
be had until the boiler Is reached. II
tho disaster was caused by the boilerit
was probably caused by the night en-.
gineer going away about midnight
drunk, leaving heavy draught on the
furnace and little water in the boiler.
The engineer probably turned on the
water when he came back and caused
the explosion. He Is dead, however.
and nothing can be learned from him.
1t is said ho was Of irregular habits, and
all sorts OF rumors are lfloat. There Is |
general sorrow over the death OF Rev.
Or. Perrin and Dwight Buell., the latter
popular ieweler. AT 2:45 p. m. the
dead bodies OF Mr.. and Mrs. Bronson
were taken from tho ruins.
RECOVERING THE BODIES.
The recovery Of bodies was slow, ow.
ing tho immense accumulation Of debris,
but at nearly regular intervals one or
two bodies were found during the after.
noon. When claimed by friends they
were taken TO undertakers. As a rule,
the Corpses bore but slight marks OF
fire, dying either from suffocation or
bruising. The magnitude OF the Calam.
ity cannot be realized, and in fact It's OK.
tent Is not yet known. The register OF
the hotel has not been found, and young
Perry, the night clerk, is buried In the
ruins. But from the best estimates that
can be procured from the landlord and
others II Is probable that there were not
far from fifty people In the hotel proper.
0fthem Ave may have escaped uninjured
amid the confusion Of the early morning,
leaving forty.five 10 be accounted for.
Ten arc now in the hospital, and up 10
this writing III p. in.) ten dead bodies
have been taken from tho ruins, leaving
nineteen still missing.
The cause OF the disaster was undoubt.
edly tho explosion Of the boiler In the
basement. No engineer was on duty,
at tho time OF the explosion, the custom
being for the night engineer to bank his
fires at midnight and go To bed. He
does not sleep In the hotel. This engi.
neer, Alexander Thuer, was arrested
this afternoon on m indictment Charg-
ing manslaughter, and locked up. II is
ConjeCtured that Gaines, the Colored
porter, may have started the pumps,
throwing cold water into an ovefheated
boiler, but this Is only conjecture, as
Gaines Is dead.