Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-02-28
HOTEL HORROR
Fearful Calamity IN q Hartford
Conn, Hotel.
= heller Explosion Wrecks the Building
!, The Ruins Take Fire and Over Forty
Persons Perish-Incidents OF
the Disaster.


Persons Perish-Incidents OF
tho Disaster.
HARTFORD, Conn.,. Feb. 19-The shock
If = tremendous explosion awoke the resi-.
dents for blocks around the corner Of High
and Allyn streets at about Eve O'Clock
Yesterday morning. On that corner stood
tho Park Central Hotel, a dve-story brick
structure about thirty feet front and 100
feet deep. 4-@
The first to arrive on the scene found
this building heap OF ruins from which
issued smoke and steam in dense clouds,
and the spectators were appalled, by the
shrieks and groans Of many human beings
who were imprisoned in the mass of tim
Der and masonry, from which flames were
already bursting. ...-4----.------~---
A general alarm summoned the entire
fire department. and an immense crowd at
tracted by the explosion and IRE alarm
soon packed the streets. The flames pre-
vented any attempt at resculng and the
ruins were flooded with water before any
work could be prosecuted. A few dead or
dying per sons were taken from the edge
of the debris, however, within an hour
after the explosion.
The force of the explosion threw a bed
with sleeping woman upon it far into the
street, while one Of the heavy doors land
ed block away.
By nine a.. m. the flames were so far SUBJ
dued that the rescuers were able to get at
some of the victims. Some were pinned
beneath heavy timbers upon which rested
masses of masonry, rendering the work Of
rescue extremely hazardous.
The house had accommodations for
about 100 guests and was favorite over
Sunday stopping place for commercial
travellers. An intending guest who ap-
piled for a room late Saturday evening
was informed that they were full, so it
seems probable that at least eighty per-
sons were in the house at the time of the
explosion, of whom perhaps twenty es-
capped.
In the center of the spot where the build
ing stood were man, his wife and little
girl. No help could get to them, and they
finally fell back into the flames and per-
ished in plain sight of the spectators. The
child cried for help, but the man and
woman uttered no word.
The shrieks of another woman caused
the blood of the spectators to turn cold as
they saw young woman lying with her
body half across q 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 and they probably
persisted. Eddy Boyle was seen in the
hotel. He is probably dead. Charles
NJ. Webster, insurance agent Of this city.
sis missing Amos Risley and Alexander
Thayer were in charge of the boiler. 1t
was reported at first that they were both
killed, but there are persons who say they
have seen both men since the disaster.
Mr.. James, an agent of the White Star
line, was taken out at noon alive and not
seeming to be very badly injured although
not able to stand. He said that Lord
Ketchen and wife were under where he
laid and were still alive. Mr.. r. G. j.
Pendleton, of Indianapolis, who was So
letting subscriptions to complete the
monument to Thomas A. Hendricks, is
missing.
The catastrophe was devoid of the har-
rowing details, the hair breadth escapes,
the thrilling rescues attending an uncon-,
trolled conf1agration. A horrible crash,
smoke, flames flashing streams of water
and all was over. For this reason the
community does not feel tumultuous grief,
but it is horror stricken. The magnitude
of the calamity can not be realized, and in
fact its extent is not 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
1t Is probable that there were not far from
fifty people in the hotel proper. OF these
perhaps five may have escaped uninjured
amid the confusion of the early morning
hours. leaving forty five to be accounted
for. Ten are in the hospital, and up to
eleven O'Clock last night sixteen dead
bodies had been taken from the ruins,
leaving at least nineteen still missing.
Andrew F. Whiting, actuary Of the Hart
ford Life Annuity Insurance Company,
and wife; Rev. DR.. Lavallette Prinn,
agent Of the Memorial Hall Association,
and wife, and Edward Perry, the night
clerk, are known to be still in the ruins. e
The cause Of the disaster was undoubt-
eddy the explosion of the boiler in the
basement.
The complete list of bodies taken
out up to 1880 last night was
as follows: Dwight II. Buell.. jewel
er, Hartford; George Gaines, colored
porter of the hotel; j. George Engler,
drug clerk Hartford; John w. Housman,
traveller for the Revere Rubber Company,
Boston; j. G. Hill, Buffalo, N. Y, sup
posed to be commercial traveller; Louis
n Bronson. secretary of the Hartford
Stove and Plumbing Company; Mrs. Louis
81. Bronson and child; George Ketchum,
brother of the landlord; Eddie Ketchum,
aged eleven, son of the landlord; George
w. Root, Brockport, N. Y, traveller fol-
known; A. II. Tillotson, traveller for the
Merrill Chemical Company Of Cincinnati;
an unknown; Macmillan Galody, pro-
prietor of the Hartford Herald, and wife
Mrs. Andrew F. Whiting, body burned to
crisp.
Foil lowing is q complete list OF the in.
jured: He len Leport, New Britain, scalI
woundsaud bruises: Rachael Cramer, Avor
bruised and scratched; Jacob n. Turner,
colored, barber; Walter n. Gay, Bayonne
N. j., New York agent of the Nigga.
mum Manufacturing Company, uninjureG