The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-02-28
DEATHS HARVEST.

DEATHS HARVEST.
4 Mysterious Explosion Wrecks the Park
Central Hotel IN Hartford, Conn.-The
Ruins Take Fire Escape Being Cut on
from Thirty to Forty Lives Are Ie,~t-
Many Persons Wounded.
HARTFORD, Conn, Feb ~. > just before
dawn Monday morning the Park Central
Hotel, at High and Allyn streets. filed with
sleeping people. was shattered by a force
not yet :scertained and in the darkness
and ruin men, women and children
were crushed and manned and burned
by flames The people awakened by
the great noise OF an explosion.
the crash Of falling wnlls and timbers the
screams of women and OF men, hurried to
the scene and found upon the site Of the
hotel n huge lile Of stone and brick and
splintercd timbers, from which arose
white clouds OF steam. streaked and
blackened by wreathes OF smoke
that rapidly grew dark and blacker and
more dense. Then tongues oil flame leaped
here and there from ont the ruin and grew
bolder and more strong until the ruin was
4 roaring furnace The clomor Of bells
added to the excitement. aud soon
q throng of people rushed to the
ruins and, nerved by cries and moans and
Wild screams coming from the ruins,
strong arms began the work Of res
cue. Streams OF water played upon the
flames, and steam for a time hid the ruins
from sight. but the daylight grew apace and
soon the helpers could see. behind the
ruin the annex to the building which had
housed the help OF the hostelry and
which had been spared. 4 portion
Of the tier Of rooms at the rear OF the
main building had remained standing but
the partitions had been torn away and
the rooms We're open to the air. The floors
Of many OF them, partly giving way, had
tumbled out the occupants and furniture
upon the confused heap below. The explo-
sion had demolished the staircase of this
annex. but the frightened employees were
safely taken out by the aerial ladder
The magnitude OF the calamity can not
be realized, and, 10 fact. its extent is not
yet known. The register of the hotel is not
yet found, and Night Clerk Perry is buried
IN the ruins. But from the best estimates
that can be procured from the land-
lord and others it is probable
that there were not far from fifty
people in the hotel proper. OF these, per-
haps five have escaped uninjured leaving
forty five to be accounted for. Ten are in
the hospital, and up to II 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 r. Whiting, actuary
Of the Hartford Life and Annuity Insurance
Company; Rev. DR.. Lavallette Perrin. agent
of the Memorial Hall Association. and wife,
and Edward Perry. tue night clerk, arc
known to be still in the ruins
The complete list Of the bodies tax en- out
up to IL 30 p. III. is rs follows:
Dwight A. Buell. jeweler at Hartford.
George Gaines, co.ored porter of the hotel: J..
George Enger. drug clerk OF Hartford; John
w. Housman, traveller for the Revere Rubber
Company of Boston; J. C. Hill, OF Buffalo, N.
y. supposed to be commercial traveller: Louis
ii. Bronson. secretary of the Hartford Stove
and Plumbing Company. his wife and child;
George Ketchum, q brother OF the landlord;
| Eddie ketchum. aged II, son Of the landlord:
George w. Root, OF Brockport, N. H.. traveller
for White. Williams & Co. Boston; a. II. Tillot-
son, traveller for the Merrill Chem cal Com
| pany OF Cincinnati; Macmillan Galody. pro
| pr. r.ctor OF the Hartoiori IIerold and wife: Mrs.
1 Andrew r. Whiting her body was burned "a
q crisp Two unknown persons are among the
i dead
The victims at the hospital are all doinlt
well, most OF the injuries bein" superficial
Il although stll si1e SUHcIlilS IIOiu Chill siilO
exposure. They number ten.
/ As soon as the ruins had cooled sufficient
IL to admit Of exploration the work was be
gun. The first person rescued was George
Gaines the colored porter. He was badly
injured and died soon after being takel
out At about o'clock Supcrintend
ent Lawrence. of the street depart
nent appeared upon til. scene with ;
large gang of laborers. and the search wa
| prosecuted with renewed activity. Heller
i Ieport OF New Britain. and Jennie Becker
of UniOnville. were soon rescued compare
! tively uninl ured and sent to tn,
hospital Jacob Il. Turpin, u colore,
barber. was also. taken out early il
the morning. Rachel Cramer iumpe,
from 4 window. breaking her leg
The recovery OF the bodies was SLOW
owing to the immense accumulation o
debris, but at nearly regular intervals on
or two bodies were found during the after
noon. When claimed by friends they wer,
delivered to undertakers The city ha
provided caskets. etc. for the bodies 10
yet claimed. As Il rule the corrses bore bu
slight marks of fire. the victims dyin.
either from suffoc alton or bruising.
The catastrophe was devoid Of the har
rowing details, the hair breadth escapes an,
the thrilling rescues usually attending sncl
disasters One terrible crash, smoke flames
quick-rushing streams OF water, and all wa
over. For this reason the community doe
not feel tmnultuous grief, but is horror
stricken. The disaster simply oyerwhems
The cause OF the disaster was undonbted
" the explosion OF the boiler in the base
ment. This boiler of li-horsc- power. wa
built by the pitkins, OF this city, III isS.
- II
Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection am
Insurance Company last August an
was then pronounced all right. No engi
neer was on duty at the time OF the eNplo
sion, the custom being for the night engi
neer to bank his fires at night and go to BET
He does not sleep in the hotel This engineer
Alexander Thuer, was arrested Monda
afternoon on an indictment charging inai
slaughter, and is locked up al the polio
station.
4 New York drummer, whose home is
Portland, Me-. and who slept last night
the annex of the hotel, a part of hich
still standing says he felt somethin
of shock and heard sound. y,
nothing like what should accompall
boiler explosion. He did not b.
lieve there had been one and did liz
even deem it advisable to get M, hut I'll
next instant he heard piercing shlieks al
felt the floor tremble. lie jumped out
bed and escaped in his night clothes
HARTFORD, Conn.,, Feb. -, 3a. M Charre
, remains have been found in the ruins whic
are presumed to be those OF Mr.. Within.
, The force Of workers has been increase,
and the search is being vigorously urge,
Following is a summary at this hour: :
dead, IL at the hospital and 10 known to |
In the ruins.
No Agreement in the White Cap Case.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. Feb. l9--Aftcr beii
out since Friday evening the Jury III IL
! Monroe County White Cap case announce
, Monday for the third time that they wei
! unable to agree and were discharge
| Eight OF the jurors We're for acquittal ar
four for conviction Another trial WI
} take place in April.
------1
i To Entertain Canadian Statesmen.
Il WASHINGTON, Feb. 10. - Representativ
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