The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-03-06
THE HOTEL HORROR.
Terrific Explosion and Heavy
Loss of Life in Hartford.
The Ruins Of the Hotel Catch Fire
After the Explosion.

Hotel, a ive-story brick structure, facing on
High and Allyn street, Hartford, Conn.,, fell
down the other morning few minutes be-
fore five o'clock, burying in the debris at
least fifty 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 fail aroused the whole city, ana IN O
very few minutes large crowd surrounded
the scene. 1t was sight of horror. and one
that will never be forgotten by the specta'
tors.
Flames completely enveloped the ruins,
rose high above the hoarse notes OF the hre-
men and police, who had been summoned by
an alarm from the fire department.
The first to arrive on the scene found this
building q heap of ruins, from which issued
smoke and steam in dense clouds. The
spectators were appalled, by the shrieks and
groans of many human beings who were I'M
prisoned in the mass of timber and masonry
from which flames were already bursting.
A general alarm summoned the entire fire
department., and an immense crowd, at
tracted by the explosion and fire alarm, soon
packed the streets The flames prevented
any attempt at rescue. The ruins wrre
flooded with water before any work could be
prosecuted. A few dead or dying persons
were taken from the edge Of the debris, how
ever, within an hour after the explosion.
The force Of the explosion threw bed
with sleeping woman upon 1t far ln.o the
street, while one of the heavy doors landed a
block away. BY o'clock A. NJ the flames
we're so far subdued that the reScuers were
enabled to get at the victims. Some were
pinned beneath heavy timbers upon which
rested masses of masonry, rendering the Work
of rescue extremely hazardous.
The explosion was simply terrific. No
words can describe tae powerfully destruc-
tive nature Of the explosion A snbstan-
TALLY built brick block five stories high was
lifted bodily and crushed like all egg she'll,
falling in tangled mass of human beings.
broken timber, bricks, mortar, bedding and
the like.
Incredible as it seems, the whole structure
when it fell occupied scarcely more space on
the ground than it did originally. The first
warning of any danger which the fifty or 100
guests had was feeling of being lifted, then
they experienced a sinking sensation, and
they remember no more. Then there was q
terrible crash, and for an instant everything
was still. Then came another smaller ex-
plosion and another crash.
The first outsiders who arrived on the
scene heard O few moans and saw three or
four persons clambering out Of the ruins,
and then all was still. The ruins, dotted
thick with crushed and struggling human
beings. very soon began to smoke, and in
short time, before the fremen could get to
work, the bright flames began to show their
forked tongues, and the horrors of fire
seemed about to be added to the other ter
rible sight.
Only the northeast corner of the hotel re-
NAMED standing. The rest in a twinkling
had been laid low, leaving bare the five
story interior of that portion. This corner
of the hotel was occupied by the servants
and other employees.
They suddenly found one side of their
rooms gone, the stairs blown away, and the
only means of escape was by jumping into
the smoking ruins or leaping out upon the
sidewalk on the Allyn street side.
Two or three in their fright did jump, and
escaped with severe injuries. but the aerial
ladder was soon on the spot, and the firemen
quickly ran the life saving apparatus to the
windows Of the different stories, and the i'm
prisoned servants were safely rescued.
The southeast corner OF the hotel fell soon
after the second explosion, carrying with it
the sleeping guests in that portion of the
building. The west and south sides Of the
hotel were blown out bodily, settling down
Of broken timbers, stone, brick and
mortar. As the daylight gradually came on,
and the horrible sight was plainly brought to
view, the fast increasing crowd, heretofore
scarcely able to believe their senses, now be-
gan to realize what had occurred, and vent
to work with will to rescue those still alive.
Governor Bulkeley. Mayor Root, Chief
sioners, the Fire Commissioners and all
whose help or authority was needed, were
on hand giving orders and personally di-
recting the work of rescue. The entire
police force Was ordered on duty, and
the entire fire department was alr2aay
there, the patrol wagon in readiness, waiting
for its burden of bruised or dying humanity,
ND N elrol -
willing hands tore out the broken timbers,
threw aside the hot bricks, and, with bleed.
Ing fingers, worked for the lives imprisoned
beneath.
President Smith of the Board of Fire Com
missioners finally succeeded in getting Sec
tion Master Lane Of the Consolidated road,
with his gang of men, used to work of the hard
est kind, and when about o'clock these fifty
Italians, with picks and shovels, hurried down
into the alley way, back of the hotel, and
went to work at the southeast corner of the
ruins where they were heaped up the high
est the anxious crowd spontaneously broke
out into cheers.
Hurry up with that line Of hose" cried
some one further up on the ruins, "the
flames ara within eight feet of them"
There they were-tive of them-a man and
his wife and their dead child, and two
others, all lying beneath the brick and
timber: all alive but the child.
One by one the suffering ones were dug
out, first an arm, then the upper portion OF
the body, and at last the crushed remains
but still breathing bodies of the unfortunate
ones were tenderly carried down over the
broken timbers and heaps Of brick TO the
strelchers in waiting at the foot of the ruins.
Once in care OF the physicians in waiting
the bleeding bodies, if there was still life re-
manning, were carried into the adjoining
houses or taken to the hospital in the patrol
wagon, or if dead the remains were conveyed
to the Morgue. So the work of rescue went
on, and holy after body was carried away
from beneath the tottering walls of the re-
manning upright portion of the hotel.
'Trat wall is liable to fall at any minute"
was repeated from many mouths. but still
the men worked without hesitation under
the cracked and crunbled walls lowering
forty feet above them. No one seemed to
think of any but the ones buried in the ruins
The finding of Louis H. Bronson and his
wife was attended with the most pathetic
surroundings. The father of the unfortunate
Connecticut Guard, watched the men with
the deepest interest. The officers Of
the National Guard were at his
side and directed the work. When
Bronson's body was lifted up the face was
unacceptable, being so laily bruised and
dis6gured. Mrs Bronson's hair was matted
with the mortar from the walls, and her face
was shockingly crushed. General Graham
stopped down and touched the head
with the utmost tenderness, saying:
'It is her hair" He was also able
to identify his daughter by the earrings she
wore Her left hand was charred, and the
right one was clasped in death
grip. The two bodies were slde oy
side in the ruins. Their only chlld,
girl of six years, was not found until daSk.
Harry StifreI, of Philadelphia. who repre-
sents the Barnes Safe and Lock Company,