Wichita eagle., 1889-02-19

IASueo 80 tHaC the WORN u icScu0 may
continue tonight
The fires which have been raging under
the wreck and causing binding smoke arr
now we'll under control. Mr.. j. NJ. Allen
president of the Steam Boiler Insurance.
company, and an expert on boiler expo
SONS, will not accept the explosion theory
Till there is more definite evidence, which
cannot be had until the boiler is reached
1t the disaster as caused by the boiler il
was probably caused by the night engineer
going away about midnight drunk, leay.
ing heavy draught on the furnace and
little water in the boiler. The engineer
probably turned on the water when be
He Is dead however, and nothing
can be learned from him. II
Is said he was of irregular habits and all
sorts OF rumors are ahoat.
There is general sorrow over the death
of Rev. DR.. Perrin and Dwight Buell., the
latter popular jeweler AT 2:4O the dead
| bodies OF Mr.. and Mrs. Bronson were
taken from the ruins The lower floor OF
the spacious wool warehouse of Il. c. Judd
and Root was made temporary morgue.
| Here Coroner Sperry, Medical Examiner
Fuller and Assistant Weight with other
| local physicians were in attendance and
here the bodies were taken as fast as re-
covered and opportunity given for lden-
| LITIGATION by friends. Those not
identified were taken in charge by the city
and tenderly cared for in room of the old
city hall. The injured were promptly sent
to the hospital. The recovery of the bodies
was slow, owing to the immense accumu-
lation OF debris, but at nearly regular IN
! tervals one or two bodies were found dur
ing the afternoon. When claimed by
| friends they were delivered to undertakes.
| The bo1y of Mr. Root was taken in charge
| by his son, William Root, of Boston.
The city has provided caskets, ETC.,
! for bodies not yet claimed. AS
SLIGHT rule maths the c0 of fire. bore dv hus
either from suffocation or bruising. The
catastrophe was devoid of narrowing de-
tails, the hairbreadth escapes. the thrilling
reScues attending an uncomfortable con-
hagratfon. A horrible crash, smoke,
flames, flashing streams OF water and all
was over. For this reason the community
does not feel uumultous grief but is horror
stricken, the disaster simply overwhelms.
The magnitude of the calamity cannot 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 least estimate that can be procured
from the landlord and others,
it 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 early morning
hours, leaving forty-fve to be accounted
for. Ten are in the hospital and up to
this writing Oh p, m.,) sixteen dead bodies
have been taken from the ruins, leaving
nineteen still missing But there may be
several more than this. Mr.. Andrew f
Whiting, actuary of the Hartford Life and
Annuity Insurance company, and wife,
the Rev. DR.. Lavallette Pr.nn, agent Of
Memorial Hall association. and wife, and
Edward Perry, the night clerk, are known
to be still in the ruins.
The cause of the disaster was undoubt-
edly the explosion of the boiler in the
basement. This boiler, of sixteen horse
power. was built by the Pitkins. of this
city, in 1882. 1t was not insured by the
Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection & In
suTance company. but was inspected by an
officer of that company last August and
was then pronounced all right. No en-
gineer was on duty at the
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.engineer. Al
eXander Thuer, was arrested this after
noon on an Indictment charging man
slaughter, and is locked up at the police
station. 1t is conjectured that Gaines, the
coored porter, may have started the
pumps, throwing cold water into the over
heated boilers But this is only conjecture
and Gaines is dead.
1t is believed that Mrs Wesson of
Springfield the widow of Frank Wesson,
who was killed at the White River juno
tion railroad accident was in the hotel. to-
gether with all of her family, five children,
and probably servant or two. People
from Springfield were in the city today
anxious to find her, knowing she
day. but her name can not be
found in any hotel register and it is feared
she was in the Park Central. If so her
death and that of her family would raise
the aggregate loss of life probably seven
additional.
The experiences of the survivors were re-
mar!lable and their escapes miraculous.
THE BODIES RECOVERED.
The complete list of bodies taken out up
to 11:30 p. m. is as follows:
Dwight H. Buell., jeweler, Hartford
George Gaines (colored) porter of hotel; J. !
George Eagler, drug clerk, Hartford; John |
w. HOusman, traveller for Revere Rubber |
Boston; j. c. Hill, Buffalo n. |
Y, supposed TO be a commercial traveller; |
Louis II. Bronson, secretary of Hartford |
Stove and Plumbing company; wife |
and child of the above:
George Ketchum, brother of the landlord;
Eddie ketchum, aged IL. son of George |
W. Root, Brockport, \. y, traveller for
w ate, w AlanS ~ Co., buSLOn, an I'M
known; A. H. Tillotson, traveller Merrill
Chemical company, of Cincinnati; an un-
known: Macmillan Galody, proprietor of
the Hartford Herald and wife; Mr. Gaiody
was for some time clerk in bureau of
statistics treasury department and pur-
chased the Herald about three years ago;
Mrs. Andrew f. Whiting; her body was
burned TO crisp.
The victims at the hospital are all doing
well, most OF The injuries being superficial,
although all are suffering from chill and
exposure Following is a complete list:
Helen Leport, New Britain, scalp wounds
and bruises; Rachael Cramer. Avon,
bruised and scratched; Jacob B. Turpin,
colored barber; Waiter NJ, Gay. Bayonne,
\. j., uninlured expect by EXPOSURE
Henry Steffel, Philadelphia commercial
traveller, sprained ankle; Wellington
ketchum, proprietor of the hotel bruised
Mrs George A. Ketchum, wife of above,
general bruises; Jennie Decker, Uniou-
vile, broken leg; Michael Carrigan, Union
vile, bruised not seriously; and Enos
Jones.
BRITISH GRAIN TRADE.
L'n> ha Ma-L- Er