Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-02-21
MANY LIVES LOST.
Mysterious Explosion in a Hart
ford Hotel.
ONE OF THE MOST TERRIBLE CALAM-
ITIEs OF RECENT YEARS.

some OF the Victims Are Instantly Killed,
While Others Are Pinned in the Wreck,
Only to BE Burned to Death-The Cause
Partial List of the Lost.
HARTFORD, Conn, Feb. 1S.-Ths main
portion of the Park Central hotel, facing on
High and Allyn streets, fell down this
morning few moments before 5 o'clock,
burying in the debris at least fifty people
The cause of the accident is not at present
known, but it is supposed to have resulted
from the explosion of the boilers in the base
ment, and from the havoc created in adjoin-
ing buildings the explosion theory seems the
most probable. Every window in the Earl
house, right across Allyn street, was broken,
and the walls were smashed in many places.
The noise of the fall aroused the whole city
and in a very few minutes large crowd
surrounded the scene. 1t was a night of
horror, and one that will never be forgotten
by the spectators. Flames completely envel-
oped the ruins, and the shrieks of the
wounded and dying rose high above the
hoarse notes of the firemen and police, who
had been summoned by an alarm from the
fire department
1t is the most horrible catastrophe that has
ever been known in Hartford, and when the
list of dead and wounded is completed it will
be found to be a horror equal to any that
has taken place within the last half century.
The loss of life is believed not to be less than
fifty, but it cannot be stated definitely, as
the night clerk is among the missing and the
bo,ks are destroyed.
Among the missing are:
George Engler, drug clerk, of Hartford
George S. Ketchum, brother of tho pro.
prietor Of the hotel.
Rev. DIR. Perrin and wife, secretary of the
Congregational Tract society
W. Tillotson, commercial traveller.
Mr.. Stiffles, safe agent
Nothing had been seen or heard of any of
the above at $50, and they are all believed
to be buried in the ruins. Nearly all the
help employed in the hotel were saved.
They occupied the sleeping apartment in
the ANNEX, which was only partially wrecked
by the explosion Some forced their way
out themselves: others We're 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 center of the spot where the building
stood were a man, his wife and little girl
No one could get to them, and they finally
fell back into the flames and perished in plain
sight of the spectators. The child cried for
NI,t fha aud t,ft
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 lying with her body half
across beam, a look of agony on her face
Finally the support fell and she dropped out
of sight
William Seymour and William Skinner
were employed in the boiler room. Neither
could be found this morning and they prob
ably pershed
Eddie Boyle was last seen in the hotel He
is probably dead
Amos Risley and Alexander Thayer were
i'll charge of the boiler. 1t was reported first
that they were both killed, but there are
parties who have seen both men since the
disaster.
Charles NJ. Webster, insurance agent of
this city, is missing
Mr.. Pond, of Indiana, the Democratic
speaker, was guest at the hotel, and is sup
posed to be among the killed.
The special call sent in at 10 a. m was for
the city's companies of state militia for the
purpose Of aiding in the rescue of the unfor-
tunates of the accident and also to form a
Gordon around the standing walls, which
look very threatening.
The dead body of Dwight Buell., jeweler.
was taken out about 10 o'clock The bodies
of Louis H Bronson, stove dealer, wife and
child were discovered at about the same
time. Henry S. Stiffle, u commercial trav-
eler of Philadelphia, uho roomed on the
third floor, was taken out severely bruised,
but remarked that he was 'all right"
The house had accommodations for about
one hundred guests, and was favorite over
Sunday stopping place for commercial tray
elers. ...
An intending guest, who applied for a
room late Saturday evening, was informed
that they were full, so it seems probable that
at least eighty persons were in the house at
the time OF the explosion, of which, perhaps,
twenty escaped These were mostly employees
who occupied wing of the hotel, which has
not yet fallen
Among those known to be buried in the
ruins are the Rev. DIR. Perrin and wife, of
New Britain; Andrew r. Within. secretarv
of the Hartford Life Insurance company,
and wife, and Wellington Ketchum, proprie-
tor Of the hotel, wife and son.
About six persons have been sent to the
hospital Owing to the destruction of the