Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-02-28
MANY PERSONS KILLED.
A Hotel in Hartford, Conn.,. Wrecked.
For.y Persons nead.

The shock of tremendous explosion
awoke the residents for blocks around the
corner of High and Allyn streets in Hart
ford Conn, about > o clock on the morning
Of Feb. Is. On that corner stood the Park
Central Hotel, story brick structure,
about 30 feet front and 100 feet deep. The
first to arrive on the scene found the build
ing heap OF runs, from Which issued
smoke and steam In dense clouds, and the
spectators were appalled, by the shrieks and
grOdns of many human beings who were
imprisoned in the mass OF timber and ma
sonry IRON which flames were already
bursting.
A general alarm irmcd ately summoned
the entire fire department, and an immense
crow l.. attracted by the explosion and the
fire alarm, soon packed the streets in the
vicinity. At first the fire and smoke entire
~ prevented any attempt to rescue the vic
tins, and ii was not until food OF water
had been poured upon the ruins that the
work could be prosecuted.
A few eead or dying persons were taken
from the edge of the debris, however, with
in an hour of the explosion. The force of
the explosion threw led. with a sleeping
woman upon it, far into the street, while
one of the heavy doors OF the house landed
block away.
BY nine o'clock the flames were 80 far
subdued that the rescuers were enabled to
get at some OF the victims Some were
y
rested masses Of masonry, rendering the
work of rescue extremely hazardous.
The house had accommodations for about
100 guests and there were probably 80
registered ut the time OF the explosion, of
which perhaps 20 or 40 escaped uniujured.
These were mostly employees, who occupied
an annex or wing OF the house extending to
the east.
The scenes about the ruins were horrible.
In the center of the spot whore the build
ing stood I;ere n man, his wife and little
girl. No help could get TO them, and they
finally fell back into the flames and died,
in plain sight of the spec tators. The little
one cried for help, but the man and woman
uttered not a word, but embraced in each
others arms and met death bravely. Away
out near the annex the shrieks of q woman
caused the blood Of the people looking on
to turn cold as they saw young girl lying
with her body half across "a beam, a look OF
agony on her face. Finally the support
fell and she disappeared from sight.
The force Of the explosion shattered all
the glass in the buildings adjoining and
opposite the hotol, and broke windows a
block away It's cause is still u my stery as
II viii take some time to uncover the
BOILER
The hotel was built about Is years ago
and cost with furniture Sl20,O0O. The soil
was soft and although the building was
carefully butt IL soon settled badly. About
five years ago Mr.. Ketchum took the lease
and renovated and refurnished the house.
The insurance is SIS 600.
j. M. Alien, president of the steam boiler
insurance company and an expert on boiler
explosions, will not accept the explosion
theory until there is moro definite evidence,
which cannot be obtained until the boiler is
reached. If, as is generally believed, the
disaster was caused by the boiler, it was
probably caused by the night engineer go
ing away about midnight, drunk, leaving u
heavy draught on the furnace and little
water in the boiler. When the day engi-
neor came he probably turned on the water
and caused tho explos on. But he Is dead,
and can give no evidence.