The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-02-21
General News-SIfted.
The Park Hotel Goes Down From An
ExplosionA-A Large Nuuiber Killed
And injured.

Park Central Hotel, tive-story build
ing, on Allyn street, about block
from the depot, was almost totally demol-
isbcd ahsat 5D'ciock this morning by an
explosions, presumably of its boilers in
the basement. The main portion OF the
hotel, facing On High and Allyn streets,
f Il down, buryins in the Il bri, at least
80 people, 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 few min
utes large crowd surrounded the scene.
1t was sight OF borrow and one that will
never be forg ,tton by the spectators.
AWFUL SCENES.
The scenes that ensued beyger de-
scriplian. Naturally in selecting rooms
those fronti,tg on the street had prefer
ence. They were well filled with slumber
ing patrons, unconscious of the awful
fate in store for them Here the full
horror of the situation materialized.
When the front went down it carried, it
is thought, from 60 to 20 human beings
with it, A large number of these must
have perished instantly. while others
were buried in the debris or caught in the
ruins in such manner as to make their
rescue difficult and dangerous.
FIRE ADDS IT'S HORROR.
Horrors of horrors head accumulated.
After the wreck the fire. Hardly had the
front tumbled to the earth before the
flames burst out an ong the ruins. Police,
firemen and citizens rush, d to the pot,
and the work of fighting the flames and
attempting the rescue of the victims was
prosecuted with frantic zeal. But so
quickly had it all happened, so rapidly did
the fire progress, that comparatively little
conld be done to save those imprisoned in
the burning structure. Those who had
rooms in the rear of the building escaped
with little trouble, but for the unfortu-
mates in the frs mt portion there was no
outlet. In several instances persons per-
ished in full sight of the crowd. 1t was
impossible to reach them before the fire
had done its work, and they went to their
doom while willing hands and hearts were
paraiyzed in. their presence.
I In the esntcr of the spot where the
building staod were man, his wife, and
little girl. No help could get to them.
and they finally fell back into the flames
and perished in plain sight of the specta-
tors. The child cried for help. but the
man and woman uttered no words. En-
braced 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 a young lady
lying with her body half across beam,
look of agony ON her face. Finally the
Support fell and She dropped out of
sight.
Flames completely enveloped the ruins
and the shrieks of the wounded and dying
rose high above the hoarse notes of the
fremem and police who had been sum
moned by an alarm from the fire depart
ment.
SEVENTEEN BODIES FOUND.
Upto3 O'Clock l6 bodies had been re-
covered from the ruins, eight dead, and
eight still alive. Mrs. Ketchum, wife of
the proprietor, of the hotel, it is thought
W II not survive, as she is suffering from
severe contusions of the spine.
1t is believed that Mrs. Wesson of
Springfield. widow of Frank Wesson,
who was killed in the White River June
ton rail- Dad accident was in The hotel,
together with all her family, five children
and probably servant or two. People
from Springfield were in the city to-t'ay.
knowing she stayed in Hartford over
Sunday. Her name is not to be found on
any hotel register. The death of her and
her family would raise the aggregate loss
of life by probably seven additional
names.
HARTFORD, CoNN., February l9.-
LATEsT-With the exception of a
small section of the northeast corner
the entire structure of the Park Cen
trail Hotel is hopeless, horrible mass
of bricks, splinters and pulverized
mortar. Nearly all of this wreck
and ruin rests exactly on the site OF
the hotel itsef. The whole building
seems to have been lifted bodily,
ground into atoms in mid-air and then
dropped back almost upon the exact
spot marked by the foundation from
which the huge structure was upheav-
ed.
DEATH IN THE DEBRIS.